Ph.D. in Communications
A multidisciplinary approach to the study of communications
Program Overview
The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Communications offers a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the relationships between people and media in their cultural, social, political, historical, economic and technological contexts.
With the guidance of an interdisciplinary faculty advisory committee, students craft individual courses of study drawing on the university's graduate resources in the humanities, the social and practical sciences, the arts, and the professional schools.
Our goal is to connect the strengths of the Columbia journalism tradition with intellectual work in the humanities and human sciences to enhance our understanding of media and journalism in society. Recent dissertation projects have included conservative social media influencers; native advertising; the ordinary person’s experience of appearing in the news; the making of a left-wing Spanish political party in the digital age; surveilling religious expression in the U.S.; sabotage and speech in Progressive-era politics; and media, trust and political polarization in the U.S. and Germany. More than half of our graduates are currently teaching in colleges or universities, the great majority of them in full-time tenured or tenure-track positions, while others have chosen work in government, industry, consulting, research, policy, finance, journalism, or the law.
A full-time Ph.D. student is generally offered a standard financial aid package that can include tuition exemptions, coverage of medical fees, and a stipend. Some service as a teaching or research assistant is required. We do not accept part-time students for doctoral study and we do not offer a terminal master’s degree.
Fall Colloquiums
TBA
Ph.D. Requirements
To graduate, each candidate must demonstrate a general understanding of the field of communications as a whole and acquire deep knowledge in an area of concentration through research and coursework in appropriate disciplines ranging from history, sociology, or religion to business or international affairs.
Financial Aid
The standard financial aid package offered to full‐time Ph.D. students who do not receive significant awards from outside sources consists of a stipend for four years (or five years for students entering the program in fall 2024 or later) and a tuition exemption for the student's two or three years of coursework (the length of study depends on whether advanced standing has been granted).
During the first year of coursework no service is required, but in all subsequent years during which students receive funding (i.e. years two through four or five) they will be assigned an assistantship that will require research or teaching.
The university's Columbia Plan health insurance and the university health service fees are covered for all funded Ph.D. students through the fourth year after their completion of coursework—i.e. for a total of six or seven years depending on transfer credits. Students must actively register for their health insurance after the completion of coursework; enrollment is automatic while taking classes. University matriculation fees are covered for funded students for the first four years after their completion of coursework.
Ph.D. Program Faculty
Richard R. John, Professor of Journalism
Michael Schudson, Professor of Journalism and Program Chair
Andie Tucher, H. Gordon Garbedian Professor of Journalism and Program Director
Courtney Bender, Tremaine Professor of Religion
Casey Blake, Professor of History
Jelani Cobb, Dean and Henry Luce Professor of Journalism
Gil Eyal, Professor of Sociology
Mark Hansen, Director of the Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation and Professor of Journalism
Dhananjay Jagannathan, Assistant Professor of Philosophy; Director of Graduate Studies, Classical Studies Program
Eli Noam, Director, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, and Garrett Professor of Public Policy and Business Responsibility, Emeritus
David Pozen, Charles Keller Beekman Professor of Law
Anya Schiffrin, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Technology, Media and Communications Specialization, School of International and Public Affairs
Robert Y. Shapiro, Wallace S. Sayre Professor of Government
David Stark, Arthur Lehman Professor of Sociology and International Affairs
Dennis Yi Tenen, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Nadia Urbinati, Kyriakos Tsakopoulos Professor of Political Theory