The interdepartmental Information and Media Ph.D. Program prepares students to become scholars, teachers and leaders. Three highly ranked academic units of MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences participate in the academic training: the Department of Advertising + Public Relations, the School of Journalism and the Department of Media and Information.
Ph.D. in Information and Media
Our Program
Further information about the program
We invite you to join an exciting interdisciplinary field of study at the intersection of the social sciences, humanities, and technology. We develop and apply transformative knowledge about all media systems, society and evolving information and communication technologies. This STEM designated program (09.0702 Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia) engages students to become leaders in academia, government, and industry in the media and information fields.
Our approach is multidisciplinary, combining faculty members with degrees in communication, advertising, public relations, journalism, economics, information studies, sociology, law, marketing and computer science, all pursuing teaching and research opportunities in three participating departments.
Benefits to an interdisciplinary program vs. a traditional program
- Students are exposed to a wider range of theories and schools of thought which facilitates complex problem-solving from multiple perspectives
- Students gain a broader toolkit of research methods and analytical tools, including both quantitative and qualitative research methods
- Enhances communication skills because students learn the “language” of multiple disciplines
I&M PhD Virtual Open House
Interested in applying to Michigan State University’s Information & Media PhD Program? Join us for a brief overview of the application process and requirements, followed by an open Q&A. Everyone is welcome to attend either session.
Tuesday, September 29
9–10 a.m. ET
Register for the 9 a.m. session
2–3 p.m. ET
Register for the 2 p.m. session
Ph.D. Ranking
QS World University rankings place MSU 13th in the world and 8th in the U.S. in communication and media studies. The National Communication Association (NCA), in their most recent doctoral program reputation study, ranked MSU’s Ph.D. programs as No. 1 in educating researchers in communication technology, and in the top four in mass communication. Michigan State University ranked third in frequency of faculty publication in communication in a study reported in The Electronic Journal of Communication in 2012.
Faculty Research Areas
Research areas that faculty are a part of
Faculty in the three participating departments have complementary skills and research interests. Students typically participate in one or more research groups and design a dissertation to take advantage of the interdisciplinary environment offered by the program. One of these 3 departments/schools will become your home department. Research in our departments currently focuses on the following areas:
Advertising + Public Relations
- Media Psychology and Persuasion
- Neuroscience and Social Influence
- International Advertising and Public Relations
- Effects of Media on Child and Family Development
- Political Communication
- Social Media and Advertising
Journalism
- Media Sociology
- International and Comparative Media systems
- Political Communication
- Visual Communication
- Science, Health, Environment, and Crisis Communication
- News Content and Effects
- Cultural, Critical, and Historical Perspectives on Journalism and Media
Media and Information
- Social Media and Social Computing
- Human-computer Interaction, Games and Meaningful Play
- Management Info System (policy and economics)
- Health (media, ICT and development)
Doctoral Students and Their Work
Questions?
Additional information about the Information and Media Ph.D. program may be obtained from:
Perry Parks, Ph.D.
Information and Media Ph.D. Program Director
parksp@msu.edu
College of Communication Arts and Sciences
404 Wilson Road, Room 304
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan 48824