CHASS adds cutting-edge Ph.D. program

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS) has announced an innovative new Ph.D. program that will focus on the communication practices and problems of the digital age.

The Ph.D. in communication, rhetoric and digital media is designed to address the human dimensions of rapidly evolving information and communication technologies – changing work patterns, new modes of literacy, evolving cultural forms and relations.

The UNC Board of Governors approved the program on Nov. 12. Prospective students can apply now through Feb. 1, 2005, for admission in the fall 2005 semester. Details are available here.

A joint effort between the NC State communication and English departments, the Ph.D. is the first of its kind in North Carolina, and one of only a handful across the nation.

“The faculty who developed this program all saw a convergence of interests across many academic fields sparked by new technologies,” said Dr. Carolyn Miller, NC State professor of English and interim director of the Ph.D. program. “We also saw increasing demand from students for instruction in the uses and effects of these new technologies.”

Nationwide there is increasing demand for faculty with technology expertise to teach and lead in areas such as writing and speaking across the curriculum, organizational communication, technical communication and media studies. Graduates of the new Ph.D. program also will be prepared to join industry or government as researchers and analysts who will explore the uses and applications of new communication technologies, bringing that knowledge to bear on design and usability.

“This new Ph.D. program demonstrates the relevance of graduate degrees in the humanities and social sciences for technology-rich environments within universities, business, government, and the nonprofit sector,” said CHASS Dean Dr. Linda P. Brady. “Our location in the Research Triangle offers incredible resources for technology-related research and work opportunities for students enrolled in the program, as well as for program graduates.”

Students will take six interdisciplinary core courses and select additional courses to create a research specialization. These elective courses may be chosen from regular offerings in the departments of communication and English or from a variety of disciplines, such as computer science, graphic design and psychology. The interdisciplinary curriculum includes both quantitative and qualitative research methods, as well as a seminar on the special promises and problems of interdisciplinary work.

“Our program aims to have a long-term influence on the ways we communicate with each other – which include the ways we manage our work, entertain ourselves, engage in our communities, and develop as human beings,” Miller said. “Our goal is to have students in this program who will make a difference – across North Carolina and beyond.”

For more information about the program, contact Miller at 515-4126.

Posted December 17, 2004

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