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Prospective Students

Letter from the Director of Graduate Studies

The Ph.D. program in Communication and Media at the University of Michigan is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on the structure, processes and impact of media and communication worldwide. Students are introduced to a variety of theoretical frameworks and research methods from a wide range of disciplines across the social sciences and the humanities. The program provides advanced knowledge of the latest research and theory in the field, an understanding of the major analytical approaches to media and communication studies, along with opportun ities to do original and collaborative research beginning in the very first year of the program.  In addition to providing a foundation in media and communication studies, the program permits a highly individualized program of study tailored to fit the student’s needs and interests. 

While some faculty take quantitative social science approaches to the study of media and communication, others take humanistic, qualitative, and critical-cultural approaches to studying media, culture and society. Overall, faculty and graduate students’ research and teaching interests are organized around five broad,  interconnected areas:
Critical Media Studies
Media Psychology
Political Communication

Sonya Dal Cin, PhD
Associate Professor of Communication and Media; Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology; Research Associate Professor, Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research.

Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, Communication and Media

University of Michigan