Graduate students are encouraged to select their specialization coursework in our program that most closely matches their areas of interest. The coursework selected should match the areas of expertise of our graduate faculty, thus ensuring good programmatic fit. Although certainly not an exhaustive list, the primary areas of specialization of faculty are listed below.
Primary Areas of Specialization
To view course descriptions, please visit the UK Graduate Bulletin.
Overview
University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information faculty and students promote inquiry into the field of health communication. Our faculty members engage in a wide range of health communication research, including patient-provider and healthcare team communication, classroom- and community-based interventions and health promotion/disease prevention campaigns. We host the biennial Kentucky Conference on Health Communication. Our Health Communication Research Collaborative provides faculty and graduate students research opportunities and formal support networks across the university for health communication scholarship, education and service. During the last 15 years, the graduate faculty have obtained more than $30 million in federal grants in health communication, the doctoral program has been ranked sixth in the country in health communication (applied communication) by the National Communication Association and the National Research Council’s 2010 report ranks our program as high as seventh among 83 communication doctoral programs in the nation.
Students interested in health communication may also consider the Graduate Certificate in Health Communication. Click here for more information.
Suggested Coursework
Course |
Credits |
| CI 671 Proseminar in Health Communication | 3 |
| CI 771 Seminar in Health Communication | 3 |
| CI 775 Seminar in Health Communication Campaigns | 3 |
| CI 780 Special Topics in Communication | 3 |
| CI 790 Research Problems in Communication | 3 |
| Graduate-level course in Medical Informatics | 3 |
Overview
Instructional Communication centers on interactions in instructional contexts—whether it’s communication-related training for employees in an organization, communicating to the public during a crisis, instructing patients to engage in proper healthcare procedures or teaching students in a traditional classroom environment.
Instructional communication scholars use a social scientific approach to understand how instructors can best communicate with their students; how students communicate with each other, with content and with their instructors; and how instructional messages can be crafted to be most effective. Graduates with an instructional communication focus obtain careers in both academia and industry, where they help shape the communication of generations of learners and teachers.
Students interested in instructional communication may also consider the Graduate Certificate in Instructional Communication. Click here for more information.
Suggested Coursework
Course |
Credits |
| CI 616 Foundations of Instructional Communication | 3 |
| CI 636 Instructional Communication Assessment and Research Methods | 3 |
| CI 646 Interpersonal Communication and Instruction | 3 |
| CI 656 Instructional Communication and Technology | 3 |
| CI 723 Training and Consulting | 3 |
| CI 726 Communication Leadership Studies | 3 |
| CI 780 Special Topics in Instructional Communication | 3 |
Overview
Our Ph.D. and M.A. coursework prepares students for teaching, research and practice in communication management, consulting, public relations, advertising, sales, human resources, operations management, conflict resolution and crisis communication. Faculty members mentor students in research and instructional opportunities in students’ disciplinary areas of interest.
For graduate students in the College of Communication and Information, a national alumni and community advisory board is willing to help students procure internships and industry connections. Faculty members mentor students in research and instructional opportunities in students’ disciplinary areas of interest.
Students enrolled in the Ph.D. and M.A. Programs in Communication can take coursework to meet the following learning outcomes for the specialization:
- Students will be able to plan and implement multichannel strategic communication to internal and external stakeholders.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to collect and analyze data from multiple sources to develop organizational and strategic plans.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to use appropriate technologies to communication with internal and external audiences.
Suggested Coursework
Course |
Credits |
| CI 610 Participatory Communication | 3 |
| CI 625 Proseminar in Organizational Communication | 3 |
| CI 682 Communication and Persuasion | 3 |
| CI 721 Risk Communication | 3 |
| CI 722 Crisis Communication | 3 |
| CI 723 Training and Consulting | 3 |
| CI 725 Advanced Topics in Organizational Communication | 3 |
| CI 726 Communication Leadership Studies | 3 |
| CI 765 Advance Methods: Social Network Analysis | 3 |
| CI 780 Special Topics: Strategic Communication and Consumer Behavior | 3 |
| CI 780 Special Topics: Social Marketing Communication | 3 |
| CI 780: Special Topics: Social Media | 3 |
| ISC 543 Regulation and Social Issues | 3 |
Overview
Media and Mass Communication focuses on the study of mediated forms of communication including news media, advertising, entertainment media and interactive/social media. Scholars in this area explore how media functions in our culture and its impact on individuals and society as a whole using a variety of methodological approaches and theoretical frameworks drawn from both the social sciences and the humanities.
Graduate students in this discipline may choose from a variety of focuses including media effects and the psychology of media, strategic communication and persuasion through the media and the critical/cultural analysis of media texts, audiences and industries. Graduates in this area are prepared for careers in academia, the media industry, marketing, audience research and writing/media criticism.