Graduate Programs
The study of human communication deals with the processes by which humans create and share meaning. It is an interdisciplinary field embracing literary study, speech communication, composition and rhetoric, foreign languages, media studies, visual design, and technical communication.
The Department of Language, Literature, and Communication (LL&C) emphasizes those communication processes involved in the creation of meaning in all media, including the new electronic media.
The M.S. degrees can lead to careers in technical communication, or provide a foundation for doctoral study. Graduates of the Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric find careers in business, government, and academia.
To learn about graduate study at Rensselaer, visit the program pages below or use our automated Inquiry Wizard. You can request further information be delivered to you as email attachments or by postal mail. You can also use the inquiry system to send an email directly to Kathy Colman, LL&C Recruitment Coordinator.
Also, LL&C faculty routinely travel to conferences and would be happy to talk with prospective graduate students who may be in the area. For more information, please refer to:
 Faculty Travel Schedule (.pdf, revised 11.20.2007)
The Department offers the following Ph.D. program:
- Communication and Rhetoric
This program has a unique focus on the design, uses, and effects of communication technologies.
 Doctoral Forms
(Nomination of Doctoral Committee, Plan of Study, Record of Candidacy Exam, Record of Thesis/Project Exam)
M.S. Programs and Certificates
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The Department offers M.S. programs in:
- Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
This program enables students to gain production and research skills for usability testing and interface design.
- Technical Communication
This program enables students to gain design skills that resist obsolescence and the capacity to generate content for several electronically-based communication media.
- Communication and Rhetoric
This program prepares students for applied research in industry or government, or for further study in a doctoral program.
Master's Forms
(Plan of Study, Record of Thesis/Project Exam)
To add depth to one's communication knowledge and skills, we highly recommend that a student in the M.S. in Technical Communication or M.S. in Communication and Rhetoric program include one of the following to the required M.S. coursework:
- Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Certificate
This certificate program, designed in cooperation with industry experts, provides those involved in the design of human-computer interactions with the knowledge and skills they will need to create new and better ways for people to communicate with and through computers.
- Graphics Certificate
This certificate program enables students to develop a special competency in the use of visual symbols by combining theory with practical applications, and treating both computer-displayed and paper graphics.
Travel grants are available through the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Language, Literature, and Communication. The purpose of these travel stipends is to allow current graduate students to travel to and participate in conferences, colloquia, group or solo exhibitions, or other external activities that represent achievement in a discipline.
For more information on travel grants and policy, please visit LL&C Financial Aid.
LL&C is an acknowledged leader in the study of scientific and technical communication. In addition, we have special strengths in rhetoric, communication, composition, graphics, and literary theory and criticism. Faculty and doctoral students are doing research in such areas as:
- Computer-mediated communication
- History and scientific and technical communication
- History and theory of rhetoric
- Human-computer interaction and usability
- Literacy and invention
- Media and popular culture
- Nature and development of communications technologies
- Science and literature
- Technological support for collaboration
- Visual and written communication
- Writing and reading in academic and nonacademic settings
Please visit LL&C Research for more information on research, facilities, and resources.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute admits qualified students without regard to gender, sexual orientation, age, race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, marital status, or disability.
For more information, or to apply online, visit Rensselaer's Graduate Admissions website.
Ph.D. Program
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- Application form and fee
- All post-secondary transcripts (courses for college credit) and Statement of Rank from B.S./B.A. college
- Verbal, quantitative, and analytical scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
- At least two letters of recommendation from people who can comment on the applicant's academic preparation and/or professional experience
- Background and Goals Statement (be sure to describe research interests)
- Resume
- Writing samples representative of your scholarly work
- Optional: Curriculum vitae
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M.S. Program
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- Application form and fee
- Transcripts of college-level courses previously taken or degrees completed
- Verbal, quantitative, and analytical scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); minimum score requirements apply
- At least two letters of recommendation from people who can comment on the applicant's academic preparation and/or professional experience
- A Background and Goals Statement that explains how our M.S. program relates to the applicant's prior experience and how the program fits with her or his long-range professional goals
- Resume
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