Communication Arts and Sciences (CAS)

Program Home Page

JAMES P. DILLARD, Head of the Department
234 Sparks Building
814-865-3461

Degrees Conferred: Ph.D., M.A.

The Graduate Faculty

Deborah F. Atwater, Ph.D. (SUNY, Buffalo) Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, and African and African American Studies
Thomas W. Benson, Ph.D. (Cornell) Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Rhetoric
Stephen H. Browne, Ph.D. (Wisconsin) Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
J. Louis Campbell III, Ph.D. (Minnesota) Associate Professor of Speech Communication
Rosa Eberly, Ph.D. (Penn State) Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, and English
Jeremy Engels, Ph.D. (Illinois--Urbana-Champaign) Assistant Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Dennis S. Gouran, Ph.D. (Iowa) Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, and Labor Studies and Industrial Relations
Michael L. Hecht, Ph.D. (Illinois) Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, and Crime, Law, and Justice
J. Michael Hogan, Ph.D. (Wisconsin) Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Lisa S. Hogan, Ph.D. (Indiana) Lecturer in Communication Arts and Sciences, and Women’s Studies
Ronald L. Jackson II, Ph.D. (Howard) Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Karen E. Johnson, Ph.D. (Syracuse) Professor of Applied Linguistics, and Communication Arts and Sciences
Christopher L. Johnstone, Ph.D. (Wisconsin) Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Tony M. Lentz, Ph.D. (Michigan) Assistant Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Wayne J. McMullen, Ph.D. (Penn State) Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Michelle Miller-Day, Ph.D. (Arizona State) Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Mary K. Mino, Ph.D. (Penn State) Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Jon F. Nussbaum, Ph.D. (Purdue) Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Roxanne L. Parrott, Ph.D. (Arizona) Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Judith L. Stephens, Ph.D. (Kent State) Professor of Humanities and Theatre
Susan G. Strauss, Ph.D. (California, Los Angeles) Assistant Professor of Communication Arts and
Sciences, and Applied Linguistics
Jane Sutton, Ph.D. (Colorado) Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Molly Wertheimer, Ph.D. (Penn State) Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Nancy J. Wyatt, Ph.D. (Penn State) Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, and
Women’s Studies

Students may specialize in communication theory (communication sciences) or rhetoric (communication arts).

Admission Requirements

Scores from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) are required for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to general Graduate School requirements stated in the GENERAL INFORMATION section of the Graduate Bulletin.

The minimum undergraduate preparation is 12 credits in communication studies/speech communication. Students who cannot meet this requirement in full may be admitted but must make up their deficiencies without credit toward the graduate degree.

Additionally, students with a 3.00 junior/senior grade-point average (on a 4.00 scale) and appropriate course backgrounds will be considered for admission. The best-qualified applicants will be accepted up to the number of spaces that are available for new students. Exceptions to the minimum 3.00 grade-point average may be made for students with special backgrounds, abilities, and interests. A student must have completed the master’s degree before being admitted as a doctoral candidate.

Master's Degree Requirements

Students pursuing the M.A. degree in Communication Arts and Sciences must schedule a review of their program of courses during the first year of residence and receive approval by a duly constituted advisory committee.

A total of 30 credits, including 6 for the master’s thesis and at least 12 other 500-level credits, is required. Candidates must schedule a proposal meeting in which their research plan for their thesis is approved by their committee. They are also required to present an oral defense before their committee.

Although typically discouraged, students in unique circumstances may apply to complete a nonthesis track. Students must apply in advance for acceptance in the nonthesis track and additional course credits will be required, among other differences from the thesis track.

Doctoral Degree Requirements

The communication and foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree may be satisfied by options selected from designated areas including, but not restricted to, foreign languages. Doctoral candidates must schedule a candidacy evaluation during their first year. Following completion of the language requirement and all courses from the program of study, doctoral candidates must take a comprehensive examination to determine their mastery and competence in the discipline of communication. After successful completion of the written and oral component of the comprehensive exam, doctoral candidates must schedule a proposal meeting at which the research plan for their dissertation is approved by their committee. Doctoral candidates must present a final oral defense of their dissertation before their committee.

Student Aid

In addition to the fellowships, traineeships, graduate assistantships, and other forms of financial aid described in the STUDENT AID section of the Graduate Bulletin, the following awards typically have been available to graduate students in this program:

EDWIN ERLE SPARKS FELLOWSHIPS IN THE HUMANITIES (8)
Available to beginning and continuing graduate students in one of the following graduate programs: Communication Arts and Sciences, Comparative Literature, English, French, German, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Spanish; stipend $15, 340 plus waiver of tuition. Apply to department before February 1.

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 599 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

COMMUNICATION ARTS AND SCIENCES (CAS) course list

The University reserves the right to change the requirements and regulations listed here and to determine whether a student has satisfactorily met its requirements for admission or graduation, and to reject any applicant for any reason the University determines to be material to the applicant's qualifications to pursue higher education. Nothing in this material should be considered a guarantee that completion of a program and graduation from the University will result in employment.

This electronic Graduate Bulletin is a version of the official bulletin of The Pennsylvania State University. It is suggested that users refer to this electronic bulletin when seeking the latest information about the University's academic programs and courses. Printed versions of the Bulletin are also official copies of the programs, courses, and policies in effect at the time of printing.

DATE LAST REVIEWED BY PUBLICATIONS: 7/9/07 (link check)