A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is preferred, and a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in major course work is required. Each graduate department may have additional “special admission requirements” which are noted on this page.

• Completed on-line application and signature page or
• Download the paper application (HTML) | (Acrobat)
• The non-refundable $45 application fee (Waivers accepted for FAMU Feeder Program and McNair Scholars)
• Official transcripts must be submitted directly from the Registrar’s Office from ALL colleges and universities attended
• GRE Scores (Only official score reports are accepted within 5 years of the test date) www.gre.org
• Statement of Academic and Research Interest
• Autobiographical Sketch (Personal biography)
• Resume
• Three letters of recommendation Word

For International Applicants

In addition to the requirements listed above you must meet the following:

• Official transcripts, certificates and/or mark/grade sheets must be sent directly from the college or university to the Office of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions, and must show proof of degree(s) earned, courses taken and marks/grades received. Also, ALL transcripts must be evaluated by World Education Services (www.wes.org) or AACRAO (www.aacrao.org) and be forwarded to Graduate Recruitment and Admissions.
• TOEFL Scores (Minimum computer-based score of 213 is required and only official score reports are accepted within 2 years of the test date) www.toelf.org

The COMC program is housed in the Department of Communication and Culture in the Howard University John H. Johnson School of Communications. The strength of the graduate program resides in the fact that its students develop specialized academic skills together with an orientation to apply these skills toward the analysis of and solution to practical communication related problems. The principal goal of the graduate program is to prepare highly trained and research competent professionals who will make major contributions to their respective disciplines as well as to the broader social and public domains.

In keeping with the legacy of Howard University , the Department of Communication and Culture is committed to educating and preparing academicians and professionals, particularly those of African descent, to assume positions of leadership and responsibility at all levels of academic and professional endeavor. Located in the nation's capital of Washington , DC , a center of international policy, leadership and communication, and a hub of cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity, the Department affords students the opportunity to benefit from the wealth of resources, activities and expertise of the Washington metropolitan area. Of special note is the proximity of the Library of Congress and the University's partnership with the regional Consortium of Universities.

The Department seeks to attract students who are intellectually rigorous and critical of mind, who respect human cultural diversity and, who will research, interpret, and ameliorate the conditions that confront historically under-served, under-represented, and marginalized populations everywhere. The Department seeks to produce graduates who are committed to social justice in theory and in practice and who are devoted to integrity and high ethical standards empowering them to use interpersonal and technically-driven communication in a multilayered and multicultural world.

Core (all courses offered annually)

COMC 700 Proseminar in Communication Theory
COMC 701 Quantitative Research Methods
COMC 702 Qualitative Research Methods
COMC 705 African American Issues in Comm.
COMC 706 Comm. Theory Building and Application (prereq: COMC 700)
COMC 707 Philosophical Foundations of Comm. Theory (prereq: COMC 700)

Methodology Core (departmental requirement for "Foreign Language")
Courses are offered every two years, annually if they are also listed as "cluster" courses (see cluster list).

Two courses in Quantitative Research Methods from the following:

SOCI 510 Experimental Research
SOCI 511 Survey Research Methods
POLS 257 Multivariate Data Analysis
SOCI 910 or 911 Readings in Research Methodology (Quantitative)

OR

Two courses in Qualitative Research Methods from the following:

SOC 910 or 911 Readings in Research Methodology (Qualitative)
ANTG 322 Ethnography
COMC 719 Qualitative Design and Analysis
COMC 717 Critical Approaches in Comm. Research
COMC 731 Afrocentric Research Methods in Comm.
HIST 200 Historiography

Cluster (Specialization) Courses

Students choose courses from an approved list of "clusters" (see cluster list). The s tudent creates and defends a program of study that reflects a disciplinary focus as well as primary and secondary "clusters" reflecting her/his particular research foci. This structure places responsibility of defining scholarly identity on the student, fostering scholarly independence to a greater degree. "Cluster" courses are offered on a two-year rotating cycle, which is distributed to students for program planning purposes (see cluster list) .

Cluster #1 (4 courses, 12 cr)
Cluster #2 (3 courses, 9 cr)

Cognate (6 cr)

Two courses outside the department in a focused area

Dissertation (12 cr)

There is a great deal of intentional overlap in our "clusters." This is intended to reflect theoretic themes in the departmental approach to our discipline. As such, courses may meet requirements of one, two, or all three "clusters." Some may also be cross-listed with the methods core. The students must defend, in their programs of study, how their scholarly work in the course content area reflects both their disciplinary identity in the field and their particular thematic "niche" in our department's approach to the discipline. The clusters are designed to require the development of students' independence in defining their own scholarly identities and disciplinary foci. Students are expected to individually focus their work for every course on the particular theme reflected by "cluster" requirement fulfilled by the course in question.

Courses are listed below by number only; please refer to course descriptions for full titles. 500-level courses are NOT credited toward doctoral degrees.