Department of Journalism and Technical Communication at Colorado State University Launches Doctoral Program

The Department of Journalism and Technical Communication at Colorado State University enters a new phase in its long history with the launch of a doctoral program in Public Communication and Technology. Applications are being accepted now for fall 2008 classes.

"This Ph.D program offers an exciting opportunity not only for potential students who want to earn a doctorate in a cutting-edge program, but also for the department," said Greg Luft, chairman of the department. "We’re expanding with two new faculty positions to support the program and taking advantage of this new opportunity to enhance the graduate curriculum. We’re especially pleased that this program meets a significant emerging demand for studies about how new technology connects to the many venues and styles of communication in our society."

The new doctoral program focuses on two important concerns: the role of information in the public’s understanding of contemporary issues and the impact of new communication technologies in people’s lives.

The degree will include coursework in new communication technologies, communication theory and social science research methods, culminating in a comprehensive examination and dissertation. The program will prepare graduates for research and teaching positions in academia as well as research and development careers in private industry, government agencies and non-profit organizations.  

Program requirements will take a minimum of three years to complete, which includes two full-time years in residence to complete course work and one year to complete a dissertation.  

The Department of Journalism and Technical Communication, or JTC, was established in 1968 and operates one of the largest undergraduate programs on Colorado State’s campus. More than 500 students are enrolled in the department’s five undergraduate concentrations: computer-mediated communication, news-editorial, public relations, specialized and technical communication, and television news and video communication.   

The JTC department is one of 13 units in the College of Liberal Arts, the largest of eight colleges on campus. Graduate students represent 15 percent of Colorado State’s 25,000 students. Students come from every state and 85 nations. In 2005, the university’s 57 departments conferred 1,090 master’s degrees in 61 fields and 186 doctoral degrees in 34 fields.

The department’s 18 regular faculty members, affiliate faculty members and working professionals with special faculty appointments as instructors have been awarded more than $10 million in extramural research funding in recent years from agencies such as National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  

Applications are now being accepted for fall 2008 classes. For more information, contact Patrick Plaisance at (970) 491-6484 or Patrick.Plaisance@colostate.edu.

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