Graduate Programs
Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric
For over 30 years, our Ph.D. graduates have been the leaders in the study of the relationship between communication and technology. As new forms of technologically mediated communication emerge, research and scholarship are needed to describe their nature and account for their unique effects.
The mission of the Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric at Rensselaer is to enable students to make a contribution with rigor, depth, and creativity on issues related to communication in technologically mediated contexts. Our approach draws on the insights of rhetoric, technical communication, composition, communication studies, human-computer interaction, game studies, and graphic design.
We are uniquely positioned to provide an environment for graduate study in communication and technology. We combine the resources of a premier technological university with a faculty strongly grounded in theory and research as well as technology and media.
Download a guide about the Ph.D. program:
 Doctoral Program Guide (.pdf, revised 08.18.2009)
To learn more about the Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric at Rensselaer, 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.
Degree Requirements
This website explains the requirements for the Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric at Rensselaer. Additional Institute policies applicable to graduate students are explained on the Graduate School's website.
The Degree Progress Timetables at the end of this document will help you plan your progress through the Ph.D. program. They list the milestones by which your progress will be measured through an ideal full-time study of eight to ten semesters.
The Ph.D. degree requires satisfactory completion of ninety credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree. Students who have completed (or are about to complete) an appropriate master's degree prior to entry into the Ph.D. program will ordinarily have completed thirty of the required ninety credit hours. Students who enter the Ph.D. program without an appropriate master's degree are required to fulfill the requirements for the master's degree. Students with an appropriate master’s degree are required to complete an additional thirty-six credit hours of course work at Rensselaer following completion of the master’s degree. Students without an appropriate master’s degree are required to complete either the M.S. in Communication and Rhetoric or the M.S. in Technical Communication. They are also required to complete an additional thirty hours of course work at Rensselaer following completion of the master’s degree. Students without an appropriate master’s degree are not permitted to fulfill the M.S. requirement by completing the M.S. in Human-Computer Interaction without prior approval of the Graduate Program Coordinator and the Graduate Policy Committee. Some plans of study may require additional course work beyond this thirty-six credit-hour minimum, typically not to exceed forty-two credits.
If you have taken additional graduate-level course work in an appropriate area prior to matriculating in the Ph.D. program, you may apply to the departmental Graduate Program Coordinator for additional transfer credit, up to the maximum of forty-five of the required ninety credit hours. All transfer credits beyond the thirty credit hours automatically granted for an M.S. or M.A. will be counted as electives in place of dissertation credits unless approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator as equivalent to one or more of the core courses or a specific elective course or courses as listed below. However the transfer credits are counted, you are still required to take a minimum of thirty-six credit hours of course work at Rensselaer. Credits taken as audits will not count toward fulfillment of the course requirement.
The Department admits qualified students with an appropriate bachelor's degree to the M.S./Ph.D. combination. In this case, ninety credits are required, with the first thirty credits counting as the M.S. degree. Beyond the initial thirty credits, the requirements are the same for students admitted directly to the Ph.D., as outlined above.
While specific plans of study will vary to meet individual needs and interests, all students must meet the program requirements outlined below. Note that a course applied to fulfill one requirement cannot be used to satisfy a second requirement.
To provide a foundation for contributions on issues related to Communication in Technologically Mediated Contexts, students are required to take two core courses, each combining a horizontal disciplinary base in communication and rhetoric with depth on issues of communication in technological contexts:
In addition, students pursuing academic careers are strongly encouraged to take an optional teaching core:
To enable the pursuit of dissertation work with rigor, students are required to take at least one of four foundational methods courses plus at least one additional course that (1) has a primary focus upon explicit methods and (2) requires a project or paper that uses those methods.
FOUNDATIONAL METHODS COURSES
Foundational Methods courses include:
ADDITIONAL METHODS COURSE
Additional methods course may be:
- a second foundational course,
- a methods course approved by the Department following the guidelines above, or
- an independent study with a focus on an explicitly-named methodology
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Approved methods courses currently include:
In general, the choice among methods options should be determined in consultation with your advisor.
Formal Presentation/Publication
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Ph.D. students are required to produce four public presentations or publications prior to completion of the Ph.D. degree. This requirement can be fulfilled making formal public presentations, publishing articles in academic or professional journals, or submitting proposals for internal or external grants or fellowships, with the further stipulation that at least two of the public presentations must be oral presentations and at least one must be external to Rensselaer (the other may be an internal departmental colloquium presentation).
For more information, please consult:
Request for Approval Form (.doc, revised 05.03.2005)
Presentation/Publication Guidelines (.doc, revised 04.21.2005)
To enable the pursuit of dissertation work in depth, students are required to take a coherent sequence of at least three 6000-level seminars that provide opportunity for in-depth work on a continuing topic that may lead to a thesis. Each seminar should culminate in the production of written work aimed at publication. Students are encouraged to choose seminars with the idea of identifying potential dissertation committee members.
To ensure that students are well grounded in the issues of a specific discipline, at least one course must be a theory course in a disciplinary area related to the dissertation.
To enable students to prepare for the independent work of the thesis, each student is required to take, under the direction of the thesis advisor, at least three credits of directed research of the sort that might enable a student to satisfy the requirement for Formal Presentation/Publication. These credits may be taken as a three-credit block in a single semester or as one- to two-credit blocks over several semesters.
If a student completes project work under one advisor and subsequently changes advisors, the project work must be repeated under the new advisor.
To support the breadth of perspectives required to study Communication in Technologically Mediated Contexts, students are required to take at least one course at Rensselaer outside of the Department of Language, Literature, and Communication. Students may use this course to identify an outside member of their dissertation committee.
Students may elect to take courses outside the Department as well, as long as at least twenty-seven of the thirty-six credit hours of course work beyond the master's degree required for the degree are taken within the Department.
To enable the creative study, practice, and teaching of Communication in Technologically Mediated Contexts, students are encouraged to take up to three courses aimed at applying theory and research to design and practice in areas such as graphics, human-computer interaction, hypermedia, web design and development, or writing.
The Ph.D. advising process is intended to assist students in their preparations for the qualifying examination and dissertation, both to ease them through the process and to ensure that they are well prepared.
- Each Ph.D. student is assigned an initial advisor upon admission into the Ph.D. program, usually the Graduate Program Coordinator. The student is encouraged to identify an appropriate advisor and is permitted a change of advisor upon request by the student and consent of the new advisor. Each student is required to complete a Nomination of Advisor form in March of the first year of Ph.D. study and may nominate an advisor of his or her choice, including either the initial advisor or a new advisor.
- Each student is required to develop a Plan of Study in consultation with his or her advisor, prior to the third full-time semester of coursework (see below).
- Each student is required to obtain approval of the proposed plan of courses from the entire dissertation committee before registering for the final six credit hours of courses (typically during the third semester of full-time study). The committee may stipulate additional courses, readings, or activities necessary to prepare the student to undertake original scholarship, research, and/or creative work for the Ph.D. Each student is encouraged to obtain committee approval of the proposed plan of courses as early as possible during his or her coursework but no later than the time of registration for the final six credit hours of courses.
- The Department each year conducts a thorough review of each Ph.D. student's progress toward completion of the degree, based upon students' self-reports of their progress and reports from instructors in graduate courses for each student in each course. The purpose of the review is to document good standing for the continuance of financial aid or failure to maintain good standing, to provide support and assistance as needed to ensure timely completion of the degree, and to help students to explore alternatives to degree completion if and when warranted by their individual situations. Issues that contribute to the determination of good standing include successful completion of coursework with at least a B average, significant progress toward the development of a dissertation topic and the formation of a dissertation committee, professional conduct, and any persistent issues that require monitoring and attention. The Department Head and Graduate Program Coordinator meet with each student who requires individual attention, along with his or her advisor, to address the student's needs and to identify appropriate courses of action.
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Nomination of Advisor Form (.doc, revised 08.21.2006)
Graduate School Plan of Study
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Prior to beginning your third semester of full-time Ph.D. study, you must meet with your advisor to fill out the Graduate School Plan of Study. The purpose of this Plan of Study is to help you to design a series of courses that will prepare you to complete a dissertation in your chosen area of study. Graduate students who completed the master’s degree at another institution should list the degree and institution for a total of thirty credit hours (and no more than thirty credit hours) plus all of the courses competed at Rensselaer, not to exceed the total of ninety credit hours required for the degree. Additional dissertation credits beyond the ninety hours should not be shown on the Plan of Study. Graduate students who completed the master’s degree at Rensselaer should list all of the courses that count toward the master’s and the Ph.D., plus any additional certificates, not to exceed the total of ninety credit hours required for the degree. It should also indicate any approved transfer credit.
The Plan of Study may be modified if your scholarly interests change. But these modifications may require that you take additional courses to ensure that you have completed the kinds of course work that are important for a dissertation in a given area. The Plan of Study must be signed by you, your advisor, and the departmental Graduate Program Coordinator. Any modifications are subject to the full approval process. The final Plan of Study must include your M.S./M.A. credits and must list all course titles and numbers, including dissertation credits and semester completed. The course titles and numbers must match your transcript precisely.
 Plan of Study
Research with Human Subjects/Institute Review Board
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All research involving human subjects must be reviewed and approved by Rensselaer's Institutional Review Board. Both faculty advisors and graduate student are obligated to review IRB policies and procedures and monitor research judiciously to ensure that these policies and procedures are followed in all instances and, specifically, in doctoral dissertations and other published work.
Failure to obtain IRB approval for the use of human subjects can result in administrative penalties, including formal reprimand, loss of funding for research, and/or rejection of theses and dissertations for student work.
For a detailed explanation of IRB proposal and renewal procedures, proposal guidelines, templates and timelines, please refer to irb.rpi.edu
The doctoral dissertation, including the candidacy examination and the dissertation prospectus, must be the work of each individual student and must meet the highest standards of academic integrity. Direct contributions by others, either in person or through electronic media, must be approved by the Doctoral Policy Committee prior to their use or implementation.
The Dissertation Committee
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Sometime toward the end of your second semester of study or early in your second year, you should enter into an agreement with the faculty member who will most likely chair your dissertation committee. The basis of the agreement will be mutual intellectual interests and the faculty member's willingness to guide you through the dissertation research that you have in mind. You should establish this informal relationship early because the dissertation advisor will need to review and possibly modify your Plan of Study.
You and your prospective dissertation committee chair will select the other members of your committee. You must then propose your committee to the Department Head for approval and formal appointment by the Chair and the Dean of the Graduate School. The dissertation committee must consist of at least four tenured or tenure-track Rensselaer faculty members, one of whom must be from outside the Department and at least three of whom must be members of the Department. The committee chair must be from the Department. If you wish to include a committee member from outside the Institute, then your committee must have five members, including the four from Rensselaer (see the Rensselaer Academic Catalog for a precise description of the committee makeup).
The dissertation committee will review your proposed plan of courses, conduct your candidacy examination, and later review and approve your dissertation prospectus and the completed dissertation. You may, however, elect to change some members of your committee between the candidacy examination and the dissertation. Such a change is subject to review and approval by the Graduate Program Coordinator, the Department Head, and the Graduate School. It is generally expected that you and your committee will meet, when it is appointed, to discuss your curriculum and to develop ideas on your remaining tasks.
The Candidacy Examination
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In consultation with your dissertation committee chair and the other members of your committee, you will declare a major area and two minor areas in which you will be examined. Your candidacy examination will consist of written and oral portions. Although only three of your committee members will pose questions for the written portion, all of your committee members read your written examination and participate in the subsequent oral part of the examination. You should keep your entire committee informed throughout your preparation for the examination. The purpose of the candidacy examination is not to test your memory of specific, isolated facts but to permit you to demonstrate that you can develop and defend an informed position on topics or questions that are important in your major and minor areas of study. You must successfully complete your candidacy examination before you submit a dissertation prospectus to your committee.
Candidacy Exam Procedures (.pdf, revised 07.07.2006)
WRITTEN PORTION
Your entire committee will explain to you the nature and purpose of the candidacy exam and will discuss with you and recommend appropriate options for the conduct of the exam. The exam will assess your ability to review, synthesize, and take ownership of three substantial bodies of literature related to your dissertation work. The exam will include a written and an oral portion, as specified below. In the standard format, you may choose to take all of the written examinations on a single day, on two days separated by a short interval, or on two or three consecutive days. The written portion of your examination:
- Includes a four-to-eight hour major area exam and two two-to-four minor area exams, the duration of the examination in each area to be determined prior to the exam by agreement between the candidate and the entire committee
- Does not permit you to use books or notes (though you may, with your committee's knowledge and consent, use an unmarked copy of your reading lists)
- Is monitored by the Department's staff
- May be written on a computer (if you want to use your own computer, you will have to make arrangements with the Department's Administrative Specialist)
- May, if you and your committee agree, be preceded by work on practice questions which differ significantly from the questions that actually appear on the exam (if you work on practice questions, you must indicate on your examination that you have done so)
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Alternatively, by agreement between you and your entire committee, one or two (but no more than two) of the written portions of the examination may be completed by:
- Submission and approval by the entire committee of an extended essay on the topic of a major or minor exam area, written within a time constraint of twenty-four to forty-eight hours; and/or
- Request for and approval by the entire committee of a waiver of one of the major or minor exam areas on the basis of a manuscript demonstrating a depth and breadth of knowledge on the topic of the major or minor exam area either published or accepted for publication in a major journal
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These options yield the following possibilities:
- One four-to-eight hour major area exam and two two-to-four hour minor area exams or
- Two major or minor area exams and submission and approval by the entire committee of an extended essay on the topic of a major or minor exam area, written within a time constraint of twenty-four to forty-eight hours or
- Two major or minor area exams and submission and approval by the entire committee of an extended essay on the topic of a major or minor exam area, written within a time constraint of twenty-four to forty-eight hours or
- One major or minor area exam and (a) submission and approval by the entire committee of an extended essay on the topic of a major or minor exam area, written within a time constraint of twenty-four to forty-eight hours and (b) request for and approval by the entire committee of a waiver of one of the major or minor exam areas on the basis of a manuscript demonstrating a depth and breadth of knowledge on the topic of the major or minor exam area either published or accepted for publication in a major journal
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Any exceptions to these options must be approved by the Graduate Policy Committee.
ORAL PORTION
The oral portion of the exam lasts for about two hours and is conducted approximately one to two weeks after you have completed the written portion. For the oral exam, you may be asked to clarify, defend, or elaborate upon your responses in the written examination, including the options of the extended essay or the published or accepted manuscript, to discuss other topics in the examination areas, and/or to discuss your plans for dissertation research.
The Dissertation Prospectus
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Before you begin work on your dissertation, your committee must formally approve your dissertation prospectus. The length and format of the prospectus may vary considerably in individual cases and should be determined in consultation with your committee. In this prospectus, you should answer the following questions:
- What thesis, hypothesis, or research question do you intend to explore in you research?
- What is currently known about this thesis, hypothesis, or research question?
- How do you plan to develop your thesis, test your hypothesis, or answer your research question?
- Of what consequence is your proposed research?
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As part of the answer to the second question (What is currently known...?), your prospectus should include a literature review or a working bibliography, that the committee considers sufficiently comprehensive. The full dissertation committee must meet with you to assess the prospectus and indicate any changes that are necessary. In the process of developing the prospectus, you are encouraged to discuss your ideas with your committee members, either individually or collectively. After they meet with you and after you have made any necessary changes to the prospectus, your dissertation committee must formally approve the prospectus. The committee must also approve any subsequent changes that committee members judge to be significant. The prospectus, accompanied by an approval sheet signed by all committee members, will be kept on file in the LL&C office.
The dissertation is a demonstration of your scholarly and research competence and thus must meet high standards of intellectual accomplishment and integrity. The dissertation committee chair has the primary responsibility for guiding you through the research and writing of the dissertation, but you should consult regularly with all of the members of your committee throughout the research and writing process. Ordinarily you should expect to submit individual chapters of the dissertation to all members of your committee for their review and approval before you submit the completed dissertation. If and when your committee considers your dissertation to be defensible, you must defend the dissertation publicly. At that time, your committee may ask for additional revisions of the dissertation. Every member of your committee must approve and sign your dissertation before you may submit it to the Graduate School for their approval.
Each year the Department is able to make a small number of awards for financial aid in the form of teaching or research assistantships. The awards are made on the basis of scholarly achievement and promise. The Department generally receives numerous applications for resources that are quite limited. Thus, a financial aid award represents a considerable investment in the career of a student. We expect in return that students who receive awards will pursue their studies with vigor and commitment. Students who are awarded assistantships generally receive a stipend of $16,000 per academic year and a full tuition scholarship for two years. A financial aid award in the form of an assistantship generally requires that the student provide teaching or research assistance equivalent to twenty hours per week.
It is our goal to financially support all Ph.D. students throughout their graduate work with fellowships or research assistantships. After two years, you will be eligible for further funding if you remain in good academic standing according to the rules established by the Department in this guide:
- Satisfactory performance in completion of duties associated with the assistantship,
- Satisfactory academic performance in the program of study, and
- Satisfactory progress toward the completion of the degree. In general, funded doctoral students are expected to take six to eight courses (eighteen to twenty-four credit hours) per academic year toward the completion of their doctoral coursework. Further, funded doctoral students are generally expected to pass their candidacy examinations within the semester following the completion of doctoral course work. Rensselaer Graduate Fellowship students are expected to complete eight to ten courses (twenty-four to thirty credit hours) during each year of the Fellowship.
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A range of funding options for advanced students are available. Students can be supported as research assistants to faculty who have external grants or by fellowships from external sources such as the U.S. National Science Foundation. Advanced students can also be supported by fellowship programs at Rensselaer including the prestigious Humanities, Arts, Architecture, and Social Sciences (HAASS) Fellowship Program.
Financial aid renewals and new decisions are made annually. Generally, all funded graduate students will be asked annually if they wish to apply for or renew their financial aid. Decisions are ordinarily announced on or before April 1 for incoming students and shortly thereafter for continuing students. Current students who are not presently receiving but wish to apply for financial aid should consider submitting updated materials in support of their request. These materials might consist of a revised and updated goals statement and/or new letters of recommendation.
Students who are currently receiving financial aid may be granted a deferral for one or two years provided that they request the deferral in a timely manner (that is, far enough in advance to allow the Department to make an alternative award). Students who wish to defer their financial aid should fulfill all other conditions for taking an approved leave of absence and should check with both the Graduate School and the Department to ensure that they have met these conditions.
Please visit LL&C Financial Aid for more information on funding options.
As you read this guide for the first time, you are just beginning the process it describes. Your goal in this process is to make a significant and original contribution to knowledge in communication and rhetoric, thereby achieving full collegial membership in an international community of scholars. This goal, which is itself only a beginning, may seem far off. The process of achieving it will be difficult and at times frustrating. But your work as a doctoral student should also prove satisfying in a way that makes it worth doing in itself, apart from the value of the outcome. We wish you the joy of good work in the Rensselaer community.
60-Credit Hour Degree Progress Timetable
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This timetable lists the milestones by which your progress will be measured through an ideal full-time study of eight semesters. Making good progress is a requirement for continuing good standing in our program.
First Semester
Graduate School Plan of Study
Work with your assigned advisor to complete a preliminary
Plan of Study that will allow you to complete your degree
requirements in a timely fashion.
Formal Presentation/Publication
Make plans for a public presentation or publication of your work by the end of
your first academic year. See the section on Formal Presentation/Publication.
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Second Semester
Degree Progress
Complete both the Graduate School's and LL&C's annual review forms in time for the annual review of doctoral students prior to financial aid decisions for the following year, at approximately the end of the Spring semester. See
the section on Financial Aid
for more details.
Nomination of Advisor
By the middle of the second semester, you should finalize your choice of dissertation advisor, the faculty member who has agreed to supervise your progress for the remainder of your program including your dissertation. You should begin having discussions with potential advisors early in this semester in order to have an agreement in place on time. Complete LL&C’s Nomination of Advisor Form no later than March 15. See the section on The
Dissertation Committee for more details.
Graduate School
Plan of Study
Complete the Plan of Study as specified in the section on Graduate School Plan of Study. This form should be completed at the initial advising session for Ph.D. students, regularly updated, and approved by the dissertation committee prior to registration for the final semester of coursework. |
| Third Semester
Doctoral Committee
Nomination
By the beginning of your third semester, complete the Doctoral
Committee Nomination Form to nominate the Doctoral Committee
that will supervise your candidacy exams and subsequent dissertation
work. See the section on The
Dissertation Committee for more details.
Directed Research
Make plans to complete directed research under the direction of
your dissertation advisor during your second year. See the section
on Directed Research for
more details.
Formal Presentation/Publication
Make plans for a public presentation or publication of your work by the end of
your second academic year. See the section on Formal Presentation/Publication. |
Fourth Semester
Degree Progress
Update both the Graduate School's and LL&C's annual review forms in time for the annual review of doctoral students prior to financial aid decisions for the following year, at approximately the end of the Spring semester. See the section
on Financial Aid for more details.
Graduate School Plan of Study
Revise your Plan of Study if necessary.
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| Fifth Semester
Doctoral Candidacy
Exam
Take and pass your Candidacy Exams by the beginning of your fifth
semester and complete (or request that the Administrative Specialist complete) the Record of Candidacy Examination form. See the section on The
Candidacy Examination for more details.
Formal Presentation/Publication
Make plans for a public presentation or publication of your work by the end of
your third academic year. See the section on Formal Presentation/Publication. |
Sixth Semester
Degree Progress
Update both the Graduate School's and LL&C's annual review forms in time for the annual review of doctoral students prior to financial aid decisions for the following year, at approximately the end of the Spring semester. See the section on Financial
Aid for more details.
Dissertation Prospectus
Approval
Working with your committee, draft the prospectus for your planned
dissertation work by the beginning of your sixth semester. The prospectus
along with an approval sheet signed by all committee members must
be filed in the Department office. See the section on The
Dissertation Prospectus for more details.
Thesis Research
Carry out thesis research. |
| Seventh Semester
Thesis Research
Complete your thesis research.
Formal Presentation/Publication
Make plans for a public presentation or publication of your work by the end of
your fourth academic year. See the section on Formal Presentation/Publication. |
Eight Semester
Thesis Defense
Draft and defend your dissertation thesis and complete the Thesis/Project
Examination Form as a record of your accomplishment. See section
on The Dissertation
for more details.
A Thesis
checklist is available from the Graduate School. |
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90-Credit Hour Degree Progress Timetable
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This timetable lists the milestones by which your progress will be measured through an ideal full-time study of ten semesters. Making good progress is a requirement for continuing good standing in our program.
First Semester
Graduate School Plan of Study
Work with your assigned advisor to complete a preliminary Plan of Study that will allow you to complete your M.S. degree requirements within your first three semesters of graduate study and your M.S. and Ph.D. requirements within your total five-year time limit for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Include a plan for completion of the MS in Communication and Rhetoric or Technical Communication, including the Graphics and/or HCI certificates. For the M.S. in HCI, prepare a plan and request approval from the Graduate Policy Committee.
Formal Presentation/Publication
Make plans for a public presentation or publication of your work by the end of
your first academic year. See the section on Formal Presentation/Publication. Complete the formal presentation form and secure signatures of your advisor, the Graduate Program Coordinator, and the Department Head.
Assistance and Support
For assistance with forms and procedures, contact the LL&C Administrative Specialist, Pat Marra.
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Second Semester
Degree Progress
Complete both the Graduate School's and LL&C's annual review forms in time for the annual review of doctoral students prior to financial aid decisions for the following year, at approximately the end of the Spring semester. See
the section on Financial Aid
for more details.
Nomination of Advisor
Complete and file the Nomination of Advisor Form in March of the Second Semester or by the end of the Third Semester at latest. See the section on The Dissertation Committee for more details.
Summer Work
Consider completing Directed Research or Independent Study credits, if necessary, to permit completion of the M.S. degree by the end of the third semester. Work on manuscript submissions for publication. |
| Third Semester
Graduate School Plan of Study
Work with your advisor to review and revise your preliminary Plan of Study, if necessary, to ensure that you will complete your Ph.D. degree requirements within your total five-year time limit for the 90-Credit-Hour Ph.D. degree.
Plan to complete the M.S. degree, including any certificates, for a December degree award. File paperwork with the Graduate School in time for December deadline. In addition, develop a plan for your dissertation committee chair and membership so that your entire committee will be prepared to sign off on your Plan of Study prior to registration for your final semester of courses.
Formal Presentation/Publication
Make plans for a public presentation or publication of your work by the end of your second academic year. See the section on Formal Presentation/Publication. Complete the formal presentation form.
Nomination of Advisor
If not yet completed, complete and file the Nomination of Advisor Form by the end of the Third Semester at latest.
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Fourth Semester
Degree Progress
Complete both the Graduate School's and LL&C's annual review forms in time for the annual review of doctoral students prior to financial-aid decisions for the following year, at approximately the middle of the Spring semester. See the section on Financial Aid for more details.
Dissertation Committee
Confirm or if necessary change your advisor and work with your advisor to select members of your Dissertation Committee. See the on The Dissertation Committee for more details.
Directed Research
Plan to complete the Directed Research requirement under the direction of your dissertation advisor during your third year. See the section on Directed Research for more details.
Summer Work
Consider completing Directed Research or Independent Study credits. Continue to work on manuscript submissions for publication.
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| Fifth Semester
Doctoral Committee Nomination
By the beginning of your fifth semester, complete the Doctoral
Committee Nomination Form to nominate the Doctoral Committee
that will supervise your candidacy exams and subsequent dissertation
work. Finalize your Plan of Study for your dissertation committee chair and membership and secure sign off from your entire committee prior to registration for your final semester of courses. See the section on The
Dissertation Committee for more details.
Directed Research
Complete the Directed Research requirement under the direction of your dissertation advisor during your third year. See section on Directed Research for more details.
Formal Presentation/Publication
Make plans for a public presentation or publication of your work by the end of your third academic year. See the section on Formal Presentation/Publication. Complete the formal presentation form.
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Sixth Semester
Degree Progress
Complete both the Graduate School's and LL&C's annual review forms in time for the annual review of doctoral students prior to financial-aid decisions for the following year, at approximately the middle of the Spring semester. See the section on Financial Aid for more details.
Doctoral Candidacy Exam
In preparation for your Candidacy Exams, formulate and revise your reading lists with your committee members and complete your readings, under dissertation and/or independent-study credits.
Plan and schedule your exams. Take and pass your exams by the end of the sixth semester or the beginning of your seventh semester at latest and prepare (or request that the Administrative Specialist (Pat Marra) prepare) and secure signatures on the Record of Candidacy Examination form. See the section on The Candidacy Examination for more details.
Dissertation Prospectus
Working with your dissertation committee, once you have completed your Candidacy Exam, draft the prospectus for your planned dissertation work by the end of your seventh semester at latest. See the section on The Dissertation Prospectus for more details.
Grant Proposals
Write grant proposals for research and writing phases of the dissertation.
Thesis Research
Begin your thesis research.
Summer Work
Continue proposal writing and thesis research. Continue to work on manuscript submissions for publication.
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| Seventh Semester
Grant Proposals
Write grant proposals for research and writing phases of the dissertation.
Dissertation Prospectus
Working with your committee, complete and defend your prospectus by the end of your seventh semester at latest. The prospectus along with an approval sheet signed by all committee members must be filed in the LL&C office. See the section on The Dissertation Prospectus for more details.
Thesis Research
Continue your thesis research.
Formal Presentation/Publication
Make plans for a public presentation or publication of your work by the end of your fourth academic year. See the section on Formal Presentation/Publication. Complete the formal presentation form.
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Eight Semester
Thesis Research
Complete your thesis research. Begin writing.
Summer Work
Continue writing with the expectation of completing at least two chapters of the dissertation by the beginning of the ninth semester in preparation for the job search. Continue to work on manuscript submissions for publication.
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| Nineth Semester
Thesis Research
Complete at least two chapters of the dissertation by the beginning of the ninth semester as preparation for the job search. Complete at least two more chapters by the end of the ninth semester.
Formal Presentation/Publication
By this time, you should have completed the public presentation requirement. Continue to work on manuscript submissions for publication.
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Tenth Semester
Thesis Defense
Draft and defend your dissertation thesis as early as possible but no later than the end of the tenth semester. See the section on The Dissertation for more details. Consult the Thesis Writing Manual.
Complete the Thesis/Project Examination Form as a record of your accomplishment.
Summer Work
Continue to work on manuscript submissions for publication.
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This rotation indicates the availability of courses for upcoming semesters. Note that some courses are only offered alternate years.
You may wish to refer to this course rotation grid while developing your personal plan of study.
Fall 2009
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CORE
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TEACHING CORE
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- Teaching with Communication Technologies (COMM-6xxx)
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METHODS
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SEMINARS
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APPLICATION
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DIRECTED RESEARCH
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- Directed Research (COMM-6xxx)
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Spring 2010
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CORE
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TEACHING CORE
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METHODS
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- Research Methods in HCI (COMM-6xxx)
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SEMINARS
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- Rhetoric, Conflict, and Community (COMM-6xxx)
- Social and Emotional Context of HCI (COMM-6xxx)
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APPLICATION
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DIRECTED RESEARCH
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- Directed Research (COMM-6xxx)
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"My years in LL&C shaped me into the researcher and teacher that I am today. I consider myself an interdisciplinary thinker -- surely a result of the nature of LL&C... Just as important to me are the personal and professional relationships that I formed at RPI and that I continue to form with RPI graduates from other years. I cannot imagine my career without these relationships, which keep me connected to the profession."
Beth Britt '97
Associate Professor of English
Northeastern University
"Much of my professional identity and success and many of my most cherished personal relationships reside in the growing community of people I joined when I began my studies in LL&C."
Greg Clark '85
Associate Dean in the College of Humanities
Brigham Young University
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