Ph.D. COM Concentration

Ph.D. COM Concentration

Getting to Know the Communication Area

The Communication area of the interdisciplinary doctoral program in the School of Communication and Information has faculty with research interests in five interconnected areas:

  • Communication and Technology
  • Health Communication
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Language and Social Interaction
  • Organizational Communication

Our world class faculty have been recognized nationally and internationally with various awards for their scholarship, including top paper awards, article awards, book awards, and career awards.

Doctoral students in Communication conduct problem-oriented research at the intersection of these areas that focuses on a variety of prominent contemporary topics, such as social networks, social media, online privacy and anonymity, children's media use, community health programs, health campaigns, medical provider-patient interaction, interaction on emergency and emotional support telephone lines, family involvement in palliative care, global teams, organizational change, corporate social responsibility, and institutional leadership. 

For more information contact COM area coordinator, Matthew Matsaganis.

Communication and Technology

Sample Course Offerings:

  • Mediated Communication Theory
  • Social Media
  • Social Networks
  • Work and Technology
  • Children and Media

Affiliated Faculty: 

Mark Aakhus, Marya Doerfel, Jeffrey Lane, Katherine Ognyanova

Health Communication

Sample Course Offerings:

  • Health Communication
  • Interpersonal Health Communication
  • Communication and Community Wellness
  • Community Health
  • E-Public Health
  • Health Message Design
  • Communicating about Sexual Health and Relationships
  • Mental Health
  • Communities and Health
  • Applied Interaction Research in Health and Wellness
  • Provider-Patient Communication

Affiliated Faculty:

Galina Bolden, Kathryn Greene, Alexa Hepburn, Lisa Mikesell, Jonathan Potter, Brent Ruben, Lea Stewart, Jennifer Theiss, Itzhak Yanovitzky

Interpersonal Communication

Sample Course Offerings:

  • Interpersonal Communication Theory
  • Interpersonal Health Communication
  • Uncertainty and Communication
  • Relational and Family Communication
  • Communicating about Sexual Health and Relationships

Affiliated Faculty:

Kathryn Greene, Alexa Hepburn, Jenny Mandelbaum, Jennifer Theiss

Language and Social Interaction

Sample Course Offerings:

  • Communication Processes in Organizations
  • Studying Talk in Social Interaction
  • Relationships and Identity
  • Qualitative Research Methods
  • Introduction to Conversation Analysis
  • Applied Interaction Research in Health and Wellness
  • Provider-Patient Communication

Affiliated Faculty:

Mark Aakhus, Galina Bolden, Alexa Hepburn, Jenny Mandelbaum, Lisa Mikesell, Jonathan Potter

Organizational Communication

Sample Course Offerings:

  • Organizational Communication Theory
  • Leadership in Groups and Organizations
  • Organizational Networks
  • Dynamics of Global Organizations
  • Organizational Culture
  • Communication Processes in Organizations
  • Organizational Decision Making
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Communication & Organizational Change
  • Interorganizational Relationships and Stakeholder Communication

Affiliated Faculty:

Mark Aakhus, Marya Doerfel,  Brent Ruben