The graduate program in Communication at Oklahoma is designed to prepare students to conduct original research in one or more specialty areas exploring the process of human communication, with emphases on the social, psychological, political, and cultural effects of human interaction.
Given that the University of Oklahoma is one of only 115 Research One (R1) Doctoral Universities in the United States—designated by the Carnegie Classification System as engaging in the “Highest Research Activity"—our graduate program maintains a sharp focus on rigorous theory-driven research, and we encourage our graduate students to work closely in collaboration with our faculty as they explore and investigate areas of mutual research interest.
Most of our doctoral graduates apply their degrees toward careers in academic teaching and research, or communication-related fields making use of their research skills and expertise. Our students, both at the master's and doctoral levels, generally enter the program with interests focusing on one or a combination of our six areas of specialization:
Intercultural/International Communication
Interpersonal Communication/Social Influence
Political/Mass Communication
Health Communication
Organizational Communication
Communication Technology/CMC
Within our department, students tend to concentrate in one area while exploring and incorporating key empirical and theoretical concerns in other areas, often combining research objectives at the intersection of several sub-disciplines; for example, intercultural and health communication; social influence and mass media; or organizational communication and international health, to name but a few possibilities.