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Graduate Programme in Communication & Culture
A Partnership of Ryerson University and
York University
PhD Degree Requirements
PhD candidates normally must complete six one term courses, including the
PhD Core Courses and the Research Methods Workshop [unless they can demonstrate
previous mastery of these topics*], as well as approriate courses in a major and
minor field. Upon completion of the courses, candidates must pass Qualifying
Examinations and present an acceptable Dissertation Proposal.
The Doctoral Dissertation must make an original contribution to knowledge in
the field.
The Programme Seminar is a non-credit pro-seminar in which faculty and students
discuss new work in the field, analyze current issues in Communication and Culture,
and pursue topics in professional development. All MA and PhD candidates are
required to attend.
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PhD Degree Requirements
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Courses (normally six one term courses)
(1) All Candidates are required to take the PhD core course.
(2) All Candidates must take the Research Methods Workshop [unless they
can demonstrate equivalent background*]
(3) Candidates must select a Major field (minimum of two one term courses)
and Minor (minmum of one one term course), which may be in a related programme.
Candidates will be required to take the foundation course for the Major
and Minor, unless they can demonstrate equivalent background.
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Other (required)
PhD Pro-Seminar in Communications Research and Practice [non-credit]
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Qualifying Examination
PhD students must demonstrate an overall command of the field and of the major and
minor areas of concentration by passing a written comprehensive examination. The examination
is normally taken by end of the second year of registration (or by the end of the
third year for part-time students). The examination will test the studentıs grasp of the history
of the field, its central themes and major debates, and the key theoretical and methodological
issues. The examination will reflect the diversity of perspectives in the field and its
transdisciplinary nature.
The successful completion of the examination indicates that the
student is qualified to teach at the university level and has the level of knowledge in his/her
area of specialization needed to begin work on the dissertation.
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Dissertation Proposal
As part of the preparation for the qualifying examination, the student will prepare a dissertation
proposal, under the direction of an advisory committee of Programme faculty, consisting
of:
(1) a description of and rationale for the research question or problem;
(2) a survey of relevant literature and a discussion of the debates to which the research will contribute;
(3) a discussion of research design, plans, and methods;
(4) a proposed table of contents;
(5) a select bibliography;
(6) a work plan or timetable.
The proposal will be defended in the pro-seminar and formally approved as part of the qualifying exam.
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Language/Cognate Requirement
Students will be required to demonstrate competence in those
languages and research techniques essential to their research
and preparation of their dissertation. Supervisors will
be required to write to the Associate Director confirming the
student's proficiency in necessary language or research techniques.
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Candidates who do not have a strong course-work foundation at the master's
level in Cultural Studies and Communication Studies will be required to take an
additional one or both of the two MA core courses as a condition of admission:
CC8900/COCU 6000 3.0 Core Issues in Cultural Studies, and CC8901/COCU 6001 3.0
Core Issues in Communication Studies.
* A doctoral student may apply for exemption with substitution for the Research
Methods Workshop if taken at the Master's level. If the exemption is approved he/she
must take a one-term programme elective course to fulfill the credits requirement of
the doctoral programme.
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