Return to: Graduate Programs, Certificates, Specializations, Emphases
The Department of Communication and Journalism offers an M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication. Doctoral students also choose an external concentration from areas such as English, Sustainability Science, History, Psychology, and more. Both degrees provide students with a) a broad understanding of historical and contemporary theories; b) the research skills necessary to explore and contribute to knowledge; and c) the ability to apply their knowledge in a variety of academic and professional settings. All students are expected to demonstrate a holistic understanding of theory and research and to be competent analysts of literature appropriate to their program of study. Both degrees encourage the integration of knowledge from among diverse approaches. The Master’s program provides students with a broad foundation for doctoral study and for employment as communication professionals. The doctoral program prepares students to a) become a faculty member or join an appropriate professional field; b) conduct research utilizing theories and methods blended from different disciplines; and c) see and create connections between disciplines and professions.
Our faculty expect students to develop their own active research projects independent of class projects, and to rigorously and creatively challenge knowledge presented by instructors and other students in class. Master’s students may choose to pursue either a thesis or one of several non-thesis options as part of their program of study. Doctoral students complete a comprehensive exam and dissertation as part of their program. CMJ faculty support graduate students in producing research, whether it is challenging or revising accepted theory or creating new knowledge.
Program Requirements
The curriculum is designed to provide students with both a central grounding and the flexibility to develop individual interests in Communication. The program of study in each area is designed to be completed over two years of full-time enrollment for Master’s students, and four years for doctoral students, but may also be completed on a part-time basis over a longer time period. Each course is typically offered once in a two-year cycle.
Financial Information
In addition to University fellowships and scholarships listed elsewhere in this Catalog, the Department offers graduate assistantships to qualified students. Graduate assistants typically teach six credit hours a semester (three hours during the first semester of teaching) in interpersonal communication, public speaking, storytelling, or other courses as appropriate. Teaching assistants receive personalized training and mentoring and must take a course in communication pedagogy so that they develop instructional skills which will also prove useful in later careers.
Assistantships are nine-month appointments that include tuition waiver and monthly stipends. Applicants interested in an assistantship should so indicate in their initial application for admission. Additional information about departmental graduate work can be found in the CMJ Graduate Student Handbook, available by contacting the department’s Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Laura Rickard (larura.rickard@maine.edu).
MASTER OF ARTS
Requirements
A student completes required “core” courses, courses relevant to an area of emphasis, and electives. Students must complete 32 credit hours total (or 33 if they are Teaching Assistants).
1. Core (20 or 21 credits, contingent on Teaching Assistant status):
a. Required Courses (8 credits):
CMJ 600 Introduction to Graduate Study in Communication (Credits: 2)
CMJ 601 Seminar in Research Methods (Credits: 3)
CMJ 608 Communication Theory (Credits: 3)
b. One additional research methods course selected from below (3 credits):
CMJ 503 Critical Historiography of Rhetoric (Credits: 3)
CMJ 603 Seminar in Rhetorical Criticism (Credits: 3)
CMJ 604 Qualitative Communication Research Methods (Credits: 3)
c. Two CMJ seminars in a Communication or Mass Communication “area of emphasis” (6 credits): See list of courses under “Electives” below. Tracked courses to be approved by Advisory Committee.
d. Teaching Pro-seminar [required only for CMJ Teaching Assistants] (1 credit)
CMJ 602* Teaching Communication in College (Credit: 1)
*All Graduate Teaching Assistants are required to enroll in CMJ 602 in their first Fall semester.
2. Electives (15 credits):
a. Departmental Electives
CMJ 503 Critical Historiography of Rhetoric (Credits: 3) [if not used as methods requirement]
CMJ 506 Rhetorical Theory: Civic Tradition (Credits: 3)
CMJ 510 Critical Studies in Mass Communication (Credits: 3)
CMJ 520 Media History (Credits: 3)
CMJ 525 Propaganda and Political Communication (Credits: 3)
CMJ 540 Social Media and Digital Cultures (Credits: 3)
CMJ 545 Media Ecology (Credits: 3)
CMJ 580 Environmental Communication (Credits: 3)
CMJ 593 Topics in Communication (Credits: 3) [may be repeated with new content]
CMJ 602 Teaching Communication in College (Credit: 1) [if not used as a TA requirement]
CMJ 603 Seminar in Rhetorical Criticism (Credits: 3) [if not used as methods requirement]
CMJ 604 Qualitative Communication Research Methods (Credits: 3) [if not used as methods requirement]
CMJ 605 Communication in Organizations (Credits: 3)
CMJ 606 Rhetorical Theory: Critical Tradition (Credits: 3)
CMJ 610 Risk Communication (Credits: 3)
CMJ 695 Graduate Internship (up to 3 credits; approval required)
CMJ 698 Contemporary Issues in Human Communication (Credits: 3)
b. Outside Electives: Up to 6 credits of elective course work outside of CMJ may replace Departmental electives:
- if the courses are applicable to the student’s research interests, and
- if the student receives unanimous approval from the student’s Advisory Committee
3. Thesis Credits (Optional): If the MA thesis option is selected, 6 credits replace Elective course work.
CMJ 699 Graduate Thesis (1-6 credits per term, repeatable for 6 credits total)
4. Final Project: Students’ thesis or research paper will reflect their area of emphasis.
Doctorate
Doctoral students have flexibility in designing their program of study. A student must take a minimum of 90 hours of graduate coursework (including approved transfer credits from his or her Master’s degree), with at least 60 hours beyond the Master’s. At least 48 of those 90 hours must be in primary Communication graduate courses, and at least 18 hours must be in an external concentration area. Across the major and concentration, students are also required to take a minimum of 12-15 credit hours each in appropriate theory and methods coursework, to complete a comprehensive examination, and to write a dissertation that draws on and synthesizes the program coursework.
There are two ways to break down the credit hours for the doctorate. The first way is by major and concentration. Note that the 66 minimum hours of coursework includes up to 30 hours from the MA degree.
Coursework by Degree & Discipline
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Credits from MA
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30 maximum
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Hours in Communication
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48 minimum (including MA)
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Hours in Concentration Area
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18 minimum (including MA)
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Sub-total of Degree & Discipline Hours
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66 credit hours minimum
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Dissertation Hours
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12-24 credit hours
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Total Hours in the Ph.D. Program
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90 credits minimum
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The second way to break down the credit hours for the doctorate is by course type. Note that students are required to take an appropriate number of theory and methods courses in their concentration so as to be conversant and competent in the forms of research particular to that concentration. The student’s advisory committee will help determine what “appropriate” means in his or her case.
Coursework by Course Type
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Methods:
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Communication
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12-15 credit hours
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Theory:
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Communication
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12-15 credit hours
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Content:
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Communication
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36-42 credit hours
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Sub-total of Method, Theory and Content Hours
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66 credit hours minimum
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Dissertation Hours
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12-24 credit hours
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Total Hours in the I.Ph.D. Program
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90 credit hours minimum
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General Information
In the first semester, a temporary advisor will be appointed; for all MA students, this advisor is the Graduate Coordinator. Students work with this faculty member in developing their plans for their program of study. The official program must be turned in to the Graduate School after completing 12 hours of course work or prior to the third registration (i.e., during the second semester of a two-year or four-semester program). During the first year (semesters one and two) students select their official advisory committee. For Master’s students choosing the thesis or research paper options, three faculty members are required for the official committee; at least two must be members of the Graduate Faculty in Communication. (Students choosing options other than the research paper or thesis do not require advisory committees; see below.) For doctoral students, five faculty members are required for the official committee; three Graduate Faculty in Communication are required, as well as two Graduate Faculty from the student’s external concentration. All members of a student’s official committee must approve the program of study. The official committee must also approve changes to the program of study once it has been submitted. Students may change members of the committee as necessary and appropriate.
Master’s Program Options
Thesis. Students electing the thesis option will enroll in CMJ 699 for a maximum of six (6) credit hours. The student’s official advisory committee must approve a written thesis prospectus prior to the student undertaking the research. After the thesis is completed, the student defends the research in an oral examination.
Research Paper. Though the research paper is not as extensive as a thesis, the manuscript must evidence the ability to carry out research independently. This can either be in the form of a theoretical paper where the student demonstrates critical thinking and synthesizes material from more than one class, preferably classes taken from advisory committee members, or a research report, where the student describes the research project they carried out independently. After the research paper is completed, the student defends the research in an oral examination.
Praxis. Students selecting this option will write an internship proposal, which must be approved by the Graduate Coordinator and Chair. They will complete six credits of internship (preferably two semesters, 3 credits each, or a combination of summer and fall semester). They must also complete a final report which receives a passing grade from the Graduate Coordinator and Chair.
Research Collaboration. Students selecting this option will identify a faculty member with whom they will collaborate on a new or ongoing research project, and who will function as their advisor. The Chair and Graduate Coordinator, in consultation with the individual faculty members, will complete these assignments. Students will submit a research proposal, which must be approved by the Chair, Graduate Coordinator, and Advisor. They will complete a final report which must receive a passing grade from the Chair, Graduate Coordinator, and Advisor. Finally, they will complete a poster describing the research collaboration, to be presented at a CMJ Spring Colloquium talk and/or the annual CMJ Spring Showcase event.
Doctoral Program Research Option
Dissertation. After completing a comprehensive examination, doctoral candidates enroll in CMJ 699 for a maximum of twenty-four (24) hours. The comprehensive exam is a timed essay exam based on questions developed by the committee in consultation with the student. Post-exam, the student’s official advisory committee must approve a dissertation prospectus prior to the student undertaking the research. After the thesis is completed, the student defends the research in an oral examination.
Graduate Faculty
Amelia Couture Bue, Ph.D. (University of Michigan, 2020), Assistant Professor. Media psychology, body image, empowerment, eye-tracking and psychophysiological methods.
Paul Grosswiler, Ph.D. (University of Missouri, 1990), Professor. International mass communication, culture and technology, media ecology
Liliana L. Herakova, Ph.D. (University of Massachusetts, 2014), Assistanat Professor and Graduate Teaching Coordinator. Health communication, food studies, pedagogy, social justice.
Bridie McGreavy, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 2012), Associate Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator. Environmental communication, argument and critical thinking, communication research, sustainability science.
Laura N. Rickard, Ph.D. (Cornell University, 2012), Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator. Risk communication, strategic communication, environmental communication, sustainability, policy.
Judith E. Rosenbaum, Ph. D. (Radboud University, The Netherlands, 2007), Associate Professor and Department Chair. Social media, media entertainment, selection and enjoyment, media psychology, health communication.
Haley Schneider, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University, 2022), Assistant Professor. Environmental communication, digital rhetoric, community and collective identity.
Michael J. Socolow, Ph.D. (Georgetown University, 2001), Professor. History of mass communication, broadcast journalism, sports broadcasting, propaganda.
Nathan E. Stormer, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota, 1997), Professor. Rhetorical theory and criticism, medical rhetoric, visual communication.
Claire F. Sullivan, Ph.D. (University of Washington, 1991), Associate Professor. Interpersonal communication, health communication, sport communication
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