NCA's Doctoral Program Guide

University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism

Ph.D. candidates at USC Annenberg are at the scholarly forefront of the communication revolution. Graduates are prepared for careers in academia as well as in other endeavors that benefit from research skills and expansive knowledge of communications processes, institutions and impact on society. USC graduates excel as university instructors, conducting original research and scholarship that advances knowledge in the field and contributes to the success of public and private sector enterprises ranging from media and entertainment industries to governmental and non-governmental organizations.  

Association of American Universities Member

 

Carnegie "Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity"

 

Communication doctorates conferred between 2010-19: 181

 

Areas of Study

  • Rhetoric, Politics, & Public
  • Media, Culture & Community
  • Health Communication & Social Dynamics
  • Groups, Organizations, & Networks
  • Information, Political Economy & Entertainment
  • Political Economy of Global Communication
  • New Media & Technology

Rankings

QS World University RankingsCommunication & Media Studies 

  • #3 of 200 World Universities

URAP University RankingsLanguage, Communication & Culture

  • #33 of 300 World Universities

 

Admission Requirements

  • Resume or CVStatement of Purpose
  • Writing Sample
  • Transcripts
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • GRE Scores

Graduate Faculty

  • Assistant Professor Mike Ananny, Ph.D., Stanford University
  • Professor Jonathan David Aronson, Ph.D., Stanford University
  • Professor Sandra Ball-Rokeach, Ph.D., University of Washington
  • Professor Sarah Banet-Weiser, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
  • Professor François Bar, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
  • Associate Professor Ben Carrington, Ph.D., Leeds Metropolitan University
  • Professor Manuel Castells, Ph.D., University of Paris
  • Professor Peter Clarke, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
  • Professor Michael Cody, Ph.D., Michigan State University
  • Professor Geoffrey Cowan, J.D., Yale University
  • Professor Nicholas J. Cull, Ph.D., University of Leeds
  • Assistant Professor Christina Dunbar-Hester, Ph.D., Cornell University
  • Associate Professor Robeson Taj Frazier, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
  • Professor Janet Fulk, Ph.D., Ohio State University
  • Professor G. Thomas Goodnight, Ph.D., University of Kansas
  • Professor Larry Gross, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Professor Tom Hollihan, Ph.D., University of Nebraska
  • Professor Andrea B. Hollingshead, Ph.D., University of Illinois
  • Professor Henry Jenkins, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
  • Assistant Professor Lian Jian, Ph.D., University of Michigan
  • Professor Josh Kun, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
  • Associate Professor Randall A. Lake, Ph.D., University of Kansas
  • Professor Doe Mayer, M.A., University of Southern California
  • Professor Margaret McLaughlin, Ph.D., University of Illinois
  • Professor Lynn Carol Miller, Ph.D., University of Texas
  • Professor Peter Monge, Ph.D., Michigan State University
  • Professor William Morgan, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
  • Professor Sheila Murphy, Ph.D., University of Michigan
  • Assistant Professor Safiya U. Noble, Ph.D., University of Illinois
  • Assistant Professor Allissa Richardson, Ph.D., University of Maryland
  • Associate Professor Patricia Riley, Ph.D., University of Nebraska
  • Professor Philip Seib, J.D., Southern Methodist University
  • Associate Professor Ken Sereno, Ph.D., University of Washington
  • Associate Professor Stacy Smith, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Associate Professor Pamela Starr, Ph.D., University of Southern California
  • Associate Professor Douglas Thomas, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
  • Assistant Professor Cristina Visperas, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
  • Associate Professor Jian (Jay) Wang, Ph.D., University of Iowa
  • Associate Professor Dmitri Williams, Ph.D., University of Michigan
  • Professor Ernest Wilson III, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

NCA Awards Received by Faculty and Students, 2000-present

  • Miller Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award, 2006, 2010, 2015