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Areas of Study
Although graduate
study in communication at OSU is very flexible and tailored to the
individual, coursework and individual study will take place within the
context of theoretical perspectives grounded in empirical social
science.
Both the Master's and Doctoral programs are flexible at
OSU. We encourage students to interact with professors on current
issues and topics and to customize the program to fit their particular
needs. Students who wish to specialize in an area that is not listed
below should contact the chair of the Graduate Studies Committee about
the program they'd like to pursue. He'll direct you to discuss your
interests with appropriate faculty members. Program Fundamentals: Theory and Methods One
cannot understand current thinking about the nature of communication
without an understanding of a range of theoretical approaches and the
methods used to test and refine theories. Both the master's and Ph.D.
programs begin with an examination of the basic research methods and
theories that serve to guide students in selection of a particular area
of study and the choice of an adviser. This set of courses provides
students with an understanding of contemporary theory and methods that
span the broad field of communication. After gaining a foothold in the
current state of the field, students specialize in the area of their
choice. Faculty in the Graduate Program of the School of Communication
offer particular expertise in one or more specializations:
Communication Technology, Health Communication and Social Influence, Public
Opinion and Political Communication, or Strategic Communication. After
mastering the basic research methods and theory courses, students begin
to develop their own expertise and knowledge through specialization in
a particular area.
Teaching and research in these areas are centered on the complex relationships between audiences, communicators and media.
Master's
students focus on the relationship psychological processes involved in
communication, or the relationship between communication and society.
In addition to courses directly related to their communication
interests, students may take some courses in sociology, psychology or
other social sciences. Many of our M.A. students pursue a
Ph.D. at the completion of their M.A.
Doctoral students focus on the theoretical and
methodological study of communication, including understanding
communication processes and effects by individuals and organizations. Most
doctoral students in this area enter academic careers and go on to
teach and research in communication programs around the world, some
enter media or entertainment industries as research directors, and some
work in government agencies as communication specialists. Communication Technology
The
study of audience interactions with traditional and developing
communication media provides a context and theoretical framework for
understanding the current communication environment in addition to
developing skills needed for communication specialists in the new
century.
A number of faculty
members are interested in the study of communication and technology,
including Professors Appiah, David, Dimmick, Eveland, Garrett, Kim,
Kline, Knoblock-Westerwick, Mahood, McDonald, Nathanson, Pingree, Sohn, and Westerwick. Health Communication and Social Influence
Health
Communication and Social Influence includes the study of efforts to change personal and social behaviors through use of the mass and interpersonal means, media effects
on health behavior (including advertising, news, new media and
entertainment), provider-patient communication, social support, media
and health policy, patient disclosure and compliance, and health
information-seeking, among other topics.
Faculty
who typically work with students in this area
include Cegala, David, Ewoldsen, Krieger, and Slater. Political Communication and Public Opinion
Research
and course work in this area focus on the the role of communication, both mass and interpersonal, in civic and political life. Students will explore political and
social contexts for understanding the nature and impacts of aggregate
opinion as well as the perception and expression of those opinions. The will learn to evaluate the role of mediated and interpersonal processes for the health of democracy in the U.S. and abroad.
Faculty who typically work with
students interested in political communication and public opinion
include Eveland, Garrett, Glynn, Hayes, Holbert, Kim, Kosicki, McCluskey, Nisbet, and Pingree. Strategic Communication While
much of our communication includes a social function, individuals,
organizations and governments often have an intended objective to reach
through communication. We refer to this intentional use of
communication as the area of strategic communication. It
encompasses all types of persuasive communication, from an advertiser’s
attempt to get people to buy a product, to attempts to borrow
something from a friend.
Faculty interested in strategic communication include Appiah, David, Dervin, Kline, Pingree, Sohn, and Westerwick.
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