PhD Program

We do not accept transfer students in our graduate programs, nor do we accept transfer credits from other institutions. If you wish to study at UGA, you must start at the beginning of your course work to complete your degree here.

Students admitted from another UGA graduate program may be allowed to use two courses to satisfy cognate requirements. The decision is up to your advisor and/or major professor.

Our program does not defer applications to the next year; if you are accepted but unable to enroll the next fall, you’ll need to reapply.

You must reapply, following the same procedure and submitting the same admission materials.

The length of the MA degree program will depend on your undergraduate degree and the courses taken to complete that degree.

It takes from 3 to 5 semesters to finish the MA program assuming registration for a full credit load fall, spring, and summer semesters. The typical MA student spends 3 to 5 semesters taking courses and writing a thesis; the typical MA non-thesis student spends 3 to 4 semesters taking courses.

An additional semester is normally required if prerequisites are required. MA students without courses in journalism and mass communication-related areas will most likely have to satisfy prerequisite courses, which will require additional time.

For planning purposes, it is best to think about the MA as two-year degree program.

Our Ph.D. degree takes a minimum of three years to complete. The first two years are spent taking courses. The third year of the program is spent doing dissertation work. Comprehensive exams and the dissertation proposal are completed during the student’s second summer or third fall semester.

Most graduate students are admitted for fall semester entry. Emerging Media master’s students start in the summer. An accepted student may begin his or her studies summer semester; however, a limited number of undergraduate and graduate courses are offered each summer. Most students begin classes in the fall.

The Grady College offers a Ph.D. in Mass Communication. However, students in this program can focus on a variety of concentrations, including journalism, public relations, advertising, mass media studies, entertainment industry studies, virtual and augmented reality, information processing, and media history.  

Grady College is able to offer Graduate Assistantships to a limited number of accepted Ph.D. students each year. In most years, we are able to offer Assistantships to 5-6 incoming Ph.D. students. Almost all Grady College doctoral students are on assistantship, but it is possible to be admitted without assistantship support. In such cases, students are responsible for the tuition and other costs associated with pursuing doctoral studies.

When it comes to Ph.D. student graduate assistantships, we usually provide 9-month assistantships, which include a monthly stipend based on hours of weekly work (typically 16 hours) and a reduction of tuition to $25 per semester. At present, our Ph.D. student graduate assistantships provide a minimum of $19,500 in financial support for an academic year, and these assistantships are renewable for up to four years. We also seek to provide all Ph.D. students with some travel and research support, with the amount contingent on available budgets. 

You are responsible for checking the progress of your application. Once your application has been accepted by the UGA Graduate School, you will receive an email from gradadm@uga.edu with a link to the Check Application Status portal. You will login with the email and password you used to create the application. 

You are encouraged to submit your application in advance of the deadline. You should be aware that letters of recommendations, transcripts, and test scores will usually arrive at UGA a few weeks after you request that they be sent to us. You should take this into account when applying. A completed application file by January 1st can only be assured in two ways: (1) getting all admissions materials to us before January 1 (for PhD),  March 1 (for MA), or April 1 (for MFA) and (2) using the UGA Tracking System to monitor your application.

It is not necessary to have a Journalism and/or Mass Communication degree for our Ph.D. program. Many of our students have undergraduate or graduate degrees in other areas and majors — from the humanities to the physical sciences — but do quite well in our doctoral program. When it comes to applying to our Ph.D. program, we consider your undergraduate and graduate grade point averages, your letters of recommendation, and your Statement of Purpose for information about your experiences, expertise, motivations, and career goals.

Yes, you must have a graduate degree from an accredited institution to enroll in our doctoral program.

Extensive information about our Ph.D. degree program is posted online, with much of the information available in printer-friendly versions. (Ph.D. Degree Program)

You should also visit the UGA Graduate Studies website. There you will find information on UGA, degree programs, and UGA Graduate School rules, policies, and regulations. Of special interest to you should be the admissions section, where you can begin the application process by completing and submitting an electronic application.

Deadlines for admissions purposes are the dates by which your application file, with all needed materials, should be complete and submitted to the University of Georgia Graduate School. Applications can be completed and submitted in advance of the deadlines.

The application deadline for starting the Grady Ph.D. program in August is January 1 of each year. The application deadline for starting the Ph.D. program in January is November 15 of each year. 

More information on University of Georgia graduate program application deadlines can be found at https://grad.uga.edu/admissions/application-deadlines/  

The application process begins by submitting your application and materials to the UGA Graduate School, at their website Graduate Studies website. Your online application will include your completed application form, all transcripts from every institution of higher learning at which you were enrolled for one or more courses, current resume, 2-3 page-long statement of purpose, three letters of recommendation, and writing sample.

The SOP should provide information about your educational background and interests, your reasons or interests in pursuing a graduate degree in a journalism or mass communication area, and the reasons Grady College’s graduate program is a good match for you and your professional, academic, or research interests. It helps to indicate which Grady College faculty have expertise in areas in which you are specifically interested in. You do not need to contact faculty in advance. Rather you can visit the Grady College faculty page to learn more about the research interests and expertise of individual faculty members. https://grady.uga.edu/faculty/ 

In addition, you should submit a writing sample that provides evidence of scholarly potential or achievement. This can include thesis abstracts, conference papers, or published articles. 

Yes, there is an application fee. The application-processing fee is collected by the University of Georgia to help offset the cost of processing application materials. The fee is non-refundable and cannot be deferred or credited toward tuition. The current fee to apply for graduate programs at the University of Georgia is $75 for all applicants. If at all possible, you should pay by credit card as soon as you submit the application. Applications are not reviewed until you have submitted and paid the application fee. If you must pay by check or money order, please email gradadm@uga.edu for further instructions.

The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication is not responsible for graduate program application fees. Application fees are handled by the University of Georgia Graduate School.

In general, it is not possible to waive the application fee for applying to University of Georgia graduate programs, including the Grady College Ph.D. program. This is particularly true for international applicants. The UGA Graduate School has a list of programs under which it is possible to apply for application fee waivers. This can be found at https://grad.uga.edu/admissions/application-fee/ 

Applicants whose primary language is not English may need to submit official TOEFL or IELTS scores that are not more than two years old. Applicants who have received degrees from accredited institutions in the U.S. or from institutions in countries where English is the primary language (e.g., the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand) usually are not required to submit the TOEFL (or IELTS) scores. The UGA Graduate School Admissions English Proficiency Requirement Policy can be found here: https://grad.uga.edu/admissions/requirements/international-applications/english-language-proficiency-requirement/  Country-specific requirements regarding English Proficiency requirements can be found here: https://grad.uga.edu/admissions/requirements/international-applications/country-specific-requirements/

As of Fall 2024, GRE scores are optional for both MA and Ph.D. applications. As such, Grady College does not require Ph.D. program applicants to provide GRE scores, but applicants can do so if they would like. We do not accept nor use GMAT or LSAT scores for the application and admission process. 

All Ph.D. applicants are automatically considered for assistantship support. Those who are selected to receive an assistantship will be notified in the e-mail and/or offer letter that notifies applicants if they have been admitted to the Ph.D. program.