How many courses do I need to take and what is expected time for finishing the Ph.D?
The minimum course requirement for the Ph.D. is 20 courses, a core of which will be distributed over 3 areas: Communication Institutions, Influence of Communication, and Communication and Culture. Students with a master’s Degree may request transfer of up to 5 courses. All transfer requests are considered on a case-by-case basis by the student’s advisor and the Graduate Studies Committee. Students who receive credit for five transfer courses must complete the remaining 15 courses at the University of Pennsylvania. Transfer credit requests may not be submitted until the student has completed a full academic year at the school. The normal course load is three courses per term, so students entering with a bachelor’s degree will need 3 ½ years (or 7 semesters) to finish their coursework. Students transferring courses can shorten their time in coursework by 1 or 2 semesters.
The minimum course requirement for the Ph.D. is 20 courses. All Ph.D. students must take at least one separate course with each of at least five different ASC standing faculty members. The intent of this is to foster students’ knowledge of a diverse range of approaches to communication. Students with a master’s Degree may request transfer of up to 5 courses. All transfer requests are considered on a case-by-case basis by the student’s advisor and the Graduate Studies Committee. Students who receive credit for five transfer courses must complete the remaining 15 courses at the University of Pennsylvania. Transfer credit requests may not be submitted until the student has completed a full academic year at the school. The normal course load is three courses per term, so students entering with a bachelor’s degree will need 3 ½ years (or 7 semesters) to finish their coursework. Students transferring courses can shorten their time in coursework by 1 or 2 semesters.
