A&S—Communication
The department offers the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in communication. Areas of specialization include rhetoric, rhetoric of science, public argument and discourse, and media and cultural studies. There is also an area of concentration offered in rhetoric of science. The curriculum emphasizes theoretical, philosophical, critical, cultural, and historical approaches to communication. Contact Information
- Department Chair: John Lyne
- Main Office: 1117 Cathedral of Learning
- 412-624-6567
- Fax: 412-624-1878
- E-mail: comm@pitt.edu
- www.pitt.edu/~comm
Additional information concerning the department's graduate program
may be obtained by contacting comm@pitt.edu or writing to University
of Pittsburgh, Department of Communication, Graduate Admissions,
1117 Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
Admission to either the MA or PhD program is highly selective.
In order to be admitted to graduate standing, students must meet
the admission requirements of the School of Arts and Sciences and
supply (by January 1) all materials called for in the department’s
application packet, including a completed application form, certified
copies of all post-secondary educational records, Graduate Record
Examination scores, three letters of recommendation, a statement
of purpose, and a writing sample. Non-native speakers of English
must also submit TOEFL scores as part of the application. Upon admission,
candidates will be assigned an advisor who will assist them in planning
a course of study.
The department has a limited number of teaching assistantships with full tuition scholarships each year. For new graduate students and those who remain in good standing, the department makes every effort to sustain funding during their first three years. There are also several fellowships as well as financial assistance for minorities available through the University. See www.fas.pitt.edu/financial.htm.
Requirements for the MA
Master’s degree candidates must successfully complete 30 credits of graduate course work (six of which may be completed in other departments), including two core offerings required during the first fall semester in residence: a teaching practicum and an introductory proseminar. Toward the end of their course work, students will, in consultation with their advisor, convene a committee for a comprehensive written and oral examination testing general knowledge of the field, specialized knowledge derived from specific course work, and mastery of individually tailored reading lists. Requirements for the PhD
Doctoral students must complete 72 credits (i.e., at least 10 courses beyond the master’s degree, along with 12 dissertation credits). Students will, in consultation with their advisor, develop a multi-area plan of study in light of their prospective dissertation research topic. Students’ successful achievement of this plan, as well as their comprehensive grasp of the field, will be tested by a written and oral examination, under the supervision of the advisor and a faculty committee convened for this specific purpose. On passing this examination, students will work with their advisor to develop a dissertation prospectus and to devise an appropriate faculty committee to launch and guide the ensuing research and writing and, eventually, to sit as a body for a publicly open defense of the finished work.
Graduate students interested in public argument and argumentation theory can pursue cocurricular study and teaching of argumentation practices by working with the William Pitt Debating Union (WPDU), one of the nation's most venerable debating societies.
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