Communication

The Department of Communication and Journalism offers an M.A. and an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Communication with two major areas of study: Communication and Mass Communication. Doctoral students also choose an external concentration from areas such as Business, Disability Studies, English, History, Psychology, Women’s Studies, and more. Both Communication and Mass Communication tracks provide students with a) a broad understanding of historical and contemporary theories; b) the research skills necessary to explore and contribute knowledge; and c) the ability to apply their knowledge in varied 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 tracks 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 profession; b) conduct research utilizing theories and methods blended from different disciplines; and c) make linkages between disciplines and professions.
Our faculty expect students to develop active research independent of class projects, and to rigorously, creatively challenge knowledge presented by instructors and other students in class. Master’s students may choose to pursue either a thesis or a research paper and exam option as part of their program of study. Doctoral students complete a dissertation and comprehensive exam as part of their program. UMaine 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 and Mass 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 three 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 teach six credit hours a semester (three hours during the first semester of teaching) in basic interpersonal communication, public communication, or oral communication of literature courses, introduction to mass communication, journalistic writing and editing, journalism across platforms, digital media production, or advanced digital media production. Teaching assistants are carefully supervised and must take a course in communication pedagogy so that they develop instructional skills 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 and complete the graduate assistantship form that is available on the Department of Communication and Journalism’s graduate web page. Additional information about departmental graduate work can be found in the CMJ Graduate Student Handbook, also available from the department.

MASTER OF ARTS

1. Communication Area

A broad understanding of communication requires a thorough grounding in theory and research. Students receive training in humanistic and social scientific theories of communication and in ways of conducting research and criticism.

Core Requirements:

Students are required to complete:

CMJ 600 - Introduction to Graduate Study in Communication Credits: 1
CMJ 506 - Rhetorical Theory: Civic Tradition Credits: 3
OR
CMJ 606 - Rhetorical Theory: Critical Tradition Credits: 3
CMJ 608 - Communication Theory Credits: 3
One research methods course from:
- CMJ 601 Seminar in Research Methods Credits: 3 OR
- CMJ 503 Critical Historiography of Rhetoric Credits: 3 OR
- CMJ 603 Seminar in Rhetorical Criticism Credits: 3 OR
- CMJ 604 Qualitative Communication Research Methods Credits: 3

Area Concentration

In addition to core requirements, students develop areas of interest by selecting courses from their area concentration and from electives. Students must complete 15 credit hours from the following courses:

CMJ 506 - Rhetorical Theory: Civic Tradition Credits: 3
(if not used in core requirement)
CMJ 510 - Critical Studies in Mass Communication Credits: 3
CMJ 524 - Seminar in Interpersonal Communication Credits: 3
CMJ 566 - Seminar in Aesthetic Communication Credits: 3
CMJ 593 - Topics in Communication Credits: 3
CMJ 601 - Seminar in Research Methods Credits: 3
(if not used in core requirement)
CMJ 603 - Seminar in Rhetorical Criticism Credits: 3
(if not used in core requirement)
CMJ 604 - Qualitative Communication Research Methods Credits: 3
(if not used in core requirement)
CMJ 605 - Communication in Organizations Credits: 3
CMJ 606 - Rhetorical Theory: Critical Tradition Credits: 3
(if not used in core requirement)
CMJ 698 - Contemporary Issues in Human Communication Credits: 3
CMJ 699 - Graduate Thesis/Research Credits: Ar

Program Electives

Students must complete an additional 6 credit hours of elective course work by taking any CMJ graduate (500 or 600) level courses including CMJ 690 Directed Research (for 1-3 credits) and CMJ 695 Internship (for 1-3 credits) and may, with the approval of the student’s advisory committee, include up to 3 credits of a non-CMJ graduate level course.

2. Mass Communication Area

Core Requirements:

Students must complete 13 credit hours in:

CMJ 515 - Mass Communication Theory Credits: 3
CMJ 520 - Media History Credits: 3
CMJ 530 - Mass Communication Law and Policy Credits: 3
CMJ 600 - Introduction to Graduate Study in Communication Credits: 1
One research methods course from:
- CMJ 601 - Seminar in Research Methods Credits: 3 OR
- CMJ 503- Critical Historiography of Rhetoric Credits: 3 OR
- CMJ 603 - Seminar in Rhetorical Criticism Credits: 3 OR
- CMJ 604- Qualitative Communication Research Methods Credits: 3

Area Concentration

In addition to the core requirements, students further refine their interests by selecting courses from their area of concentration and from electives. Students must complete 12 credit hours from the following courses, including at least 9 credits from:

CMJ 510 - Critical Studies in Mass Communication Credits: 3
CMJ 525 - Propaganda and Political Communication Credits: 3
CMJ 545 - Media Ecology Credits: 3
CMJ 593 - Topics in Communication Credits: 3
(may be repeated with new content)
CMJ 601 - Seminar in Research Methods Credits: 3
(if not used in core requirement)
CMJ 603 - Seminar in Rhetorical Criticism Credits: 3
(if not used in core requirement)
CMJ 604 - Qualitative Communication Research Methods Credits: 3
(if not used in core requirement
CMJ 698 - Contemporary Issues in Human Communication Credits: 3
CMJ 699 - Graduate Thesis/Research Credits: Ar

Program Electives

DOCTORATE

Doctoral students have flexibility in designing their program of study. A student must take a minimum of 90 hours of graduate coursework (including his or her Masters degree), with at least 60 hours beyond the Masters. At least 48 of those 90 hours must be in primary Communication or Mass 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 your MA degree.

Coursework by Degree & Discipline

Credits from MA	30 maximum
Hours in Comm/Mass Comm	48 minimum (including MA)
Hours in Concentration Area	18 minimum (including MA)
Sub-total of Degree & Discipline Hours	66 credit hours minimum
Dissertation Hours	12-24 credit hours
Total Hours in the I.Ph.D. Program	90 credits minimum

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

Methods:	Comm/Mass Comm + Concentration	12-15 credit hours
Theory:	Comm/Mass Comm + Concentration	12-15 credit hours
Content:	Comm/Mass Comm + Concentration	36-42 credit hours
Sub-total of Method, Theory and Content Hours		66 credit hours minimum
Dissertation Hours		12-24 credit hours
Total Hours in the I.Ph.D. Program		90 credit hours minimum

General Information

In the first semester, a temporary advisor will be appointed. Students work with this faculty member in developing their plans for the 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 either a thesis or non-thesis program. For Master’s students, three faculty members are required for the official committee; at least two must be members of the Graduate Faculty in Communication. 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 Research Options

Research Paper Option. This option requires:

The student must prepare and present a research project. Although the non-thesis project is not as extensive as the thesis, the research paper must evidence critical thinking. A synthesizing exam and an oral defense will be scheduled during the student’s final semester.

Thesis Option. Students electing the thesis option enroll in CMJ 699 for a maximum of six (6) hours. The student’s official advisory committee must approve a thesis prospectus prior to the student undertaking the research. After the thesis is completed, the student defends the research in an oral examination.

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

Paul Grosswiler, Ph.D. (Missouri, 1990), Professor. International mass communication, culture and technology, media ecology

Kristin M. Langellier, Ph.D. (Southern Illinois, 1980), Professor. Performance studies, narrative and storytelling, phenomenological and feminist methods.

Laura Lindenfeld, Ph.D. (University of California, Davis, 2003), Associate Professor. Environmental and sustainability studies, food studies, media studies, and public policy.

Jennifer Moore, Ph.D. (Minnesota, 2012), Assistant Professor. Mass communication, history of mass communication, visual culture.

Eric E. Peterson, Ph.D. (Southern Illinois, 1980), Professor and Graduate Coordinator. Media consumption, weblogs and online narrative, semiotics, and qualitative methods.

John Sherblom, Ph.D. (Maine, 1986), Professor. Organizational communication, computer-mediated communication, complex systems and quantitative research methods.

Michael J. Socolow, Ph.D. (Georgetown, 2001), Associate Professor, History of mass communication, broadcast journalism, and American Studies, and propaganda.

Jeffrey St. John, Ph.D. (Washington, 2000), Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Assessment. Rhetorical studies, argumentation, and theories of the public and public intellectuals.

Nathan E. Stormer, Ph.D. (Minnesota, 1997), Associate Professor and Chair. Rhetorical theory and criticism, medical rhetoric, and visual communication.

Claire F. Sullivan, Ph.D. (Washington, 1991), Associate Professor. Interpersonal communication, health communication, and sport communication.