Application, Admission, and Financial Information: Ph.D.

APPLICATION AND ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admission to the graduate program in the Department of Communication Studies is competitive. The number of applicants far exceeds the number of spaces available, and many qualified applicants are denied admission because of the space limitation.  General requirements for admission to the doctoral program in Communication Studies are:

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Communication Studies or a related discipline from an accredited college or university in this country or its equivalent in a foreign institution.
• Evidence of superior academic ability
• Evidence of scholarly and educational objectives congruent with the objectives of the doctoral program

Application for Admission must be made using the  online application provided by the Graduate School. To be reviewed by the Department’s Graduate Admissions Committee, applications must include the following:

• Official transcripts from prior undergraduate and graduate work;
• Grade Record Examination (GRE) aptitude scores;
• A minimum of three letters of recommendation attesting to your academic and scholarly potential;
• A formal Statement of Purpose no more than two 12 pt. font single-spaced pages.  It should clearly demonstrate the prospective student’s concern with preliminary research questions and his/her interest in interdisciplinary approaches to graduate study.  It should give the review committee some sense of why the prospective student thinks that UNC is the right place to pursue advanced graduate study and of his/her capacity to do so.  The Statement of Purpose is the prospective student’s opportunity to convey to the Admissions Review Committee the passion, curiosity and intellectual commitment that will essentially define his/her graduate career.
• A list of five key terms that describe your research interests;
• A sample of scholarly writing (e.g. academic paper, thesis chapter, or other research-based, argumentative writing, under 30 pages) that shows you ability to conduct research and to write effectively;
• An abstract of no more than 500 words summarizing the argument of your writing sample;
• International students must also include a Financial Certificate and TOEFL scores.

Students are admitted for the fall semester only.

Please note that only applications received prior to December 13, 2011 will be considered for possible fellowship nomination.  It would be a wise course of action to complete your application materials well before the deadline, regardless.

Contact the Graduate School (http://gradschool.unc.edu/admissions/instructions.html)

for application forms and instructions. Please submit the following materials to the Graduate School by December 13:

1. online application
2. A non-refundable $78 application fee;
3. Transcripts from prior undergraduate and graduate institutions;
4. Official GRE scores from the ETS Center (institution code #5816)
5. A minimum of three letters of recommendation attesting to your academic and scholarly potential (Recommendation Form);
6. A formal statement of purpose as described above;
7. A list of five key terms that describe your research interests.
8. A sample of scholarly writing as described above;
9. An abstract as described above;
10. International Students Only: TOEFL Scores, 550 total score with a minimum of 50 in each subsection (institution code #5816) and a Financial Certificate.

NOTE: Please do not send any of your application materials to the department directly: all documents should be submitted online.

ASSISTANTSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID

Financial Aid Applicants and students in residence are eligible for Teaching, Graduate, and Research Assistantships; these have frequently been awarded on a semester basis. To indicate your desire for such an award, please check the appropriate space(s) on page three of the Application of Admission.

Many of those accepted into our program are awarded teaching assistantships beginning at $14,700 for the academic year for teaching one course each semester, or assisting with two large classes per semester. There is also the possibility of a waiver of the out-of-state portion of tuition, allowing a non-resident to pay resident rates. This is, however, dependent on yearly allocations to the department and is not guaranteed to all students.

The Office of Scholarship and Student Aid, CB# 2300, Vance Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-2300, has information about loans and work-study jobs; that office should be consulted as early as possible by those seeking such financial assistance.

TUITION AND FEES

Please see UNC’s Tuition and Fees Information Page.

*In addition, all new graduate students are required to pay an Orientation fee of $15.00 and an ID Card fee of $5.00.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Communication Studies

Graduate Program Information:

or

Financial Assistance
(Other than Departmental Assistantships):
Office of Scholarship and Student Aid
CB# 2300, 300 Vance Hall
UNC-CH
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-2300
919-962-8396

Graduate School Catalog:
Bull’s Head Bookstore
UNC Student Stores
CB# 1530, Daniels Bldg.
UNC-CH
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1530
or call 919-962-3567 to charge it.
The graduate school catalog may be purchased for approximately $8.00, including tax and shipping.

On-Campus Housing:
Single Students contact:
Assignments Office
CB# 5500, Carr Building
UNC-CH
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5500
919-962-5401

Married Students/Single Parents contact:
Student Family Housing
CB# 5500, Carr Building
UNC-CH
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5500
919-966-5661