Communication and Media Studies PhD Program

Media Studies students having a discussion during class
Doctoral Degree in Communication and Media Studies

Communication and media are among the most powerful forces shaping the world today. In our Communication and Media Studies Doctoral program, you’ll work with some of the world’s top media and communication experts to research and contribute to this crucial field. Our school is one of the nation’s oldest accredited schools of journalism and communication, housed within an Association of American Universities R1 research institution.

Media Studies students having a discussion during class

Doctoral Degree in Communication and Media Studies

Communication and media are among the most powerful forces shaping the world today. In our Communication and Media Studies Doctoral program, you’ll work with some of the world’s top media and communication experts to research and contribute to this crucial field. Our school is one of the nation’s oldest accredited schools of journalism and communication, housed within an Association of American Universities R1 research institution.

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Apply » |  Degree Requirements » |  Sample Schedules » Courses » |  Faculty and Staff » |  Visit Us »

Tablet being used during social media class
Launch a Trailblazing Career in Media Research

In our doctoral program, you’re more than just a student. You’ll work as a co-author, scholar, and teacher and become part of a welcoming and inclusive community influenced by perspectives from across many disciplines and cultures around the world. You’ll also conduct impactful research that contributes to the field and your research portfolio under the guidance of SOJC faculty advisors.

Our faculty are internationally recognized experts in many mass communication and media research topics, including:

  • Science, health, and environmental communication
  • Technology and society
  • Game studies
  • Global media
  • Critical/cultural approaches to communication
  • Persuasion and media psychology
  • Media and public life

 

29+
Years of Academic Excellence
9–17
Students per cohort
93%
of 2022 Cohort Placed in Academic Jobs by Graduation
22
Nations Represented in Current Cohort

 

What You Can Do with a Communication and Media Studies Doctoral Degree

Students in our media studies graduate program develop the knowledge, skill, and research portfolios to claim teaching and research posts at top universities and think tanks around the world. But their analytic and research skills set them apart in any field. A communication and media studies degree offers a solid foundation that can springboard you into academia or a career in media, government, law, or nonprofit work. See what three of our graduates are up to:

Apply Now

Applications are open now! The deadline to apply for the 2024 cohort is January 1, 2024.

Questions? Reach out to us at sojcgrad@uoregon.edu.

Nearly 30 Years of Academic Excellence

For more than a quarter century, doctoral candidates at the SOJC have worked alongside our internationally recognized faculty to produce groundbreaking media research. And with our enviable job placement rate, they’ve launched trailblazing careers as professors, filmmakers, government and nonprofit researchers, data scientists, and more. Watch the video below to learn more about the past, present, and future of the SOJC’s communication and media studies doctoral program.

Waseq Rahman
Games as Tools for Social Change Communication

To Waseq Rahman, games are much more than mere child’s play. His work asks: How can playing games generate thought-provoking experiences that lead to greater insights about our purpose in life and our personal growth? Since joining the Communication and Media Studies Doctoral program, he has worked alongside colleagues to develop his ideas around entertainment education.

Learn More about Waseq’s Work

Waseq Rahman
Games as Tools for Social Change Communication

To Waseq Rahman, games are much more than mere child’s play. His work asks: How can playing games generate thought-provoking experiences that lead to greater insights about our purpose in life and our personal growth? Since joining the Communication and Media Studies Doctoral program, he has worked alongside colleagues to develop his ideas around entertainment education.

Learn More about Waseq’s Work

Hadil Abuhmaid
Exploring Palestinian Identity and Representation in Cinema
I’d like to highlight the uniqueness of the Palestinian cinema in the field of research and expose my future students to different points of views about identity and representations. As Palestinians, the media usually depicts us in a negative way. I want to change that.
Hadil Abuhmaid, Communication and Media Studies PhD student

Learn about Hadil’s Work

Beck Banks
PhD Research Explores How Rural Life Impacts Trans Individuals

At the intersections of geography, history, and lived experience, you’ll find Beck Banks’ research and documentary on the many ways living in a rural location impacts the lives of trans individuals. The communication and media studies doctoral student’s research is based on personal experience growing up as a gender nonconforming child in Appalachia.

Read Their Research

Beck Banks
PhD Research Explores How Rural Life Impacts Trans Individuals

At the intersections of geography, history, and lived experience, you’ll find Beck Banks’ research and documentary on the many ways living in a rural location impacts the lives of trans individuals. The communication and media studies doctoral student’s research is based on personal experience growing up as a gender nonconforming child in Appalachia.

Read Their Research

Fully Funded PhD

You bring the intellectual curiosity, we’ll take care of the tuition: Our doctoral candidates are fully funded for four consecutive years*, including health benefits and a stipend. We also offer resources for conducting research that contributes to the field while preparing you for a career in higher education or meaningful work in the public and private sectors.

$1,757
Monthly Stipend
16 hours/week
Teaching and Research Work

Find Out about Funding

*Eligibility for continued funding requires maintaining satisfactory academic progress.

 
Study in the Beautiful Pacific Northwest

Named for renowned journalist Eric W. Allen, who founded the SOJC over 100 years ago, Allen Hall sits at the heart of the tree-filled University of Oregon campus in Eugene. In our state-of-the-art classrooms, studios, and collaboration spaces, you’ll get expert guidance from leading researchers and teachers in the field.

Visit Us

Raul Reis
From Science Journalist in Brazil to an Academic Leader in the U.S

Raul Reis ’98 has always been curious. That quality led him to become a science journalist in his native Brazil, and it drew him to the United States to further his education. A member of the SOJC's inaugural PhD cohort, Reis's connections with supportive faculty such as Leslie Steeves and Janet Wasko confirmed his decision to start a new career as an academic. Since then, he has risen to the top of his field as dean of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina.

Read Raul's Story

 
What’s It Like to Be a Female Gamer?

In the post-Gamergate era, women represent a growing segment of the gaming community—despite frequent bullying in online spaces. Media studies assistant professor Amanda Cote wants to know why. A gamer herself, Amanda studies gender and representation in video game culture while developing the SOJC’s innovative game studies curriculum. She's also the co-founder of the SOJC's new Esports and Games Research Lab.

Read about Amanda's Research

Amanda Cote stands in front of a projector screen that includes the text "participatory culture" while lecturing to a class of students
What’s It Like to Be a Female Gamer?

In the post-Gamergate era, women represent a growing segment of the gaming community—despite frequent bullying in online spaces. Media studies assistant professor Amanda Cote wants to know why. A gamer herself, Amanda studies gender and representation in video game culture while developing the SOJC’s innovative game studies curriculum. She's also the co-founder of the SOJC's new Esports and Games Research Lab.

Read about Amanda's Research

Seth Lewis gestures to a student while seated in his office
Meet Seth Lewis
JOURNALISM AREA DIRECTOR AND SHIRLEY PAPÉ CHAIR IN EMERGING MEDIA

How does misinformation affect public perception of pivotal events like the pandemic or the U.S. presidential election? How do people experience news when AI algorithms decide what headlines they see? Technology is changing the relationship between journalists and their audiences, and Seth Lewis wants to understand how. His award-winning research explores the intersection between technology and journalism.

Read about Seth's Research

Meet the PhD Faculty

Seth Lewis gestures to a student while seated in his office
Meet Seth Lewis
JOURNALISM AREA DIRECTOR AND SHIRLEY PAPÉ CHAIR IN EMERGING MEDIA

How does misinformation affect public perception of pivotal events like the pandemic or the U.S. presidential election? How do people experience news when AI algorithms decide what headlines they see? Technology is changing the relationship between journalists and their audiences, and Seth Lewis wants to understand how. His award-winning research explores the intersection between technology and journalism.

Read about Seth's Research

Meet the PhD Faculty

Janet Wasko
Deconstructing Disney and Other Media Giants

How does Disney weave the fantasies that enthrall entire generations? Professor Janet Wasko critically examines the interplay of power and communication within the film industry and some of the world’s most influential media companies. The president of the International Association for Media and Communication Research, Wasko has written or edited 20 books and founded the annual What Is? conference, which explores media and communication through a variety of lenses.

Learn More about Janet