The goal of this report is to provide a comprehensive look at our graduate program so we can continue providing world-class training for COMM scholars in the years ahead.

Specifically, we use data from Department and University records related to:

  1. Stated program outcomes

  2. Grad student body composition

  3. Advising loads

  4. Course enrollment patterns

We have also collected data on peer doctoral programs in order to establish norms and points of comparison for programs of study. Analyses of these data are combined with grad student/faculty feedback to produce a set of potential changes that specifically address persistent and emergent challenges facing our program.

I. Topline Insights & Recommendations

Overall Program Composition

  • Starting AY25 we have a projected 50 active graduate students

    • 50.20% (n = 26) - Digital/Media

    • 32.00% (n = 16) - Interpersonal

    • 16% (n = 8) - Org/Group

  • Student:Faculty Ratios (based on students within time to degree)

    • Digital/Media - 2.36
    • Interpersonal - 2.67
    • Org/Group - 1.6

  • These ratios look good, though org/group has a notably lower ratio

<<< Jump to Full Grad Student Composition Data

Current Curriculum Insights/Challenges

Insights from Enrollment Data

  • Rotation of survey courses has been effective, 2 offered yearly

  • Uneven distribution of courses by area across years (e.g., some students can pass their entire coursework with 1 or 2 topical course in their area). Last strategic plan helped address this a little, but still some notable unevenness.

  • Bulk of FTE allocation for grad courses goes to topical courses, often on relatively narrow topics of faculty expertise.

  • Few methods courses offered. Qualitative methods offered < yearly.

<<< Jump to Grad Enrollment Data

Graduate Student Feedback

*gathered via student meetings and online survey

  • Course requirements are not flexible enough, particularly for students in the Org area who routinely need to take in-department courses out of their area just to fulfill the requirements.

  • More units of coursework are required for UCSB Comm compared to other majors on campus. Desire for less coursework in general

  • Some students want more flexibility to place out of stats courses

  • Challenges with 204C

    • Desire for better R integration

    • Desire for more emphasis on conceptual understanding

    • Desire for support

Faculty Feedback

Themes from Close-ended Feedback

*gathered via online survey (n = 15)

  • Faculty rated program strengths as….

    • General knowledge of COMM and theory

    • Critically evaluate published research

    • Follow ethical guidelines

  • Faculty rated program areas for improvement as….

    • Identify and describe the range of quant/qual methods

    • Design sound empirical studies

    • Structure coherent arguments

    • Manage time effectively

<<< Jump to Close-Ended Faculty Feedback

Themes from Open-ended Feedback

Strengths:

  • We provide strong theory training, with good breadth

  • Close Grad-Faculty collaboration

  • Good opportunities for grads to publish

Weaknesses:

  • Stats and methods training is lacking, including preparation for doing independent analysis, integration of R, and more advanced methods

  • Weakness in basic skills of writing and thinking

  • Shallowness in reading

<<< Jump to Open-ended Faculty Feedback

Comparison to Competitor Programs

  • Our program is typical of other programs, requiring courses in theory and methods. Several programs have very little in the way of requirements, allowing students to choose their own course of study.

  • Our program is on the higher end of course unit requirements, but not out of the norm (high variance in program structure). See comparison table.

  • Our program has comparable methods requirements/foundation courses to other programs (2-3 courses). Some programs have higher requirements (Univ Mich, Rutgers). While some programs require specific methods courses, we only have 204A as a survey of methods. Besides 204A, students select their own methods courses.

  • Our program has two required in-house stats courses (204b and 204c). The only other program that does something similar is UC Davis. Most other programs have either no specific stats requirements or open-ended requirements.

  • Our program requires theory courses in two or three specific topical areas. No other program requires this besides UC Davis. Other programs appear to require more general theory courses that cut across areas (e.g., “Introduction to Communication Theory”).

<<< Jump to Program Comparison

Potential Program Changes

Changes to over all coursework requirements:

  1. Reduce total units required from 74 to 66. Reduce number of electives needed from 32 units (8 courses) to 24 units (6 courses).

  2. Reduce in-department elective requirements from 16 units to 8 units (2 courses).

  3. Eliminate specific methods/tools requirement and allow students to customize use of electives.

  4. Require a stats/data analysis for all qualifying exams to ensure/incentive appropriate stats/methods preparation.

Specific changes to curriculum

  1. Add a required first year course on “How to do Grad School” or “Hidden Curriculum.” Already instituted in > 4 competitor programs… could help solve many of the basic skills issues experienced later in the program. Could be combined with COMM 500 so teaching is included as a topic.
  2. Revise methods/stats sequence:

  • Re-think COMM 204A to be a more practical hands on methods course. Currently the course is a survey of methods in communication, but no methods skills are taught.

  • More coordination across 204B and 204C to standardize core stats knowledge and introduce the right amount of overlap

  • Teach all basic stats courses in R

  • Double-down on extra R training to prep students prior to 204B

  • Add more basic methods courses (e.g., experimental design, survey research)

  • Make 204C optional and instead allow students to take Qual methods

  1. Move away from a large number of highly specialized topic courses toward a smaller set of cross-cutting courses (offered more regularly). These could be theory courses (e.g., psychological theories of communication) or cross-cutting areas we know are popular (e.g., social media, emotion). UC Davis offers a nice example of this.

  2. Another option would be to simply have “Advanced Topics” seminars for each area that are customized to the students in that area. Offered every 2 years in rotation with the basic topical course.

  3. Re-think COMM 200 (Theory Construction) to focus less on construction & more on principles of theory or maybe even basic psychological/sociological theories that underlie COMM theories.

Sample Yearly Grad Curriculum Plan

Assumes 12 Courses (5 Year Average)
Category Fall Winter Spring
Core • Intro to Grad Studies
• Intro to COMM Methods (204A) 		• COMM Stats #1 (204B)
• Theory Construction (200) 		• COMM Stats #2 (204C)
Survey • Survey Course (none) • Survey Course
Methods (none) • Advanced Quantitative Methods (e.g., experiments, survey, content analysis) OR
• Specialized Quantitative Methods (e.g., computational, advanced content analysis) 		• Qual Methods
Topic • Cross-cutting Topical Course • Area Topical Course (Rotate 3 Areas) • Area Topical Course (Rotate 3 Areas)

II. Grad & Faculty Feedback

Close-Ended Ratings

Themes from Open-ended Feedback

Strengths:

  • We provide strong theory training, with good breadth

  • Close Grad-Faculty collaboration

  • Good opportunities for grads to publish

Weaknesses:

  • “Many students aren’t reading widely and deeply to benefit from their time in our grad program. In fact, I sense many students don’t do the majority of the readings for classes. Rarely do students really benefit from the reading quarter.”

  • Weakness in writing ability

  • Many methods comments:

    • Range or stats preparedness makes it difficult to get everyone up to the same standard

    • Students are often unprepared to conduct their own analyses

    • 204C needs a major overhaul, including teaching it in R

    • “our students are woefully behind the training many other quantitative programs provide”

    • “I would like more remedial work available for students that come without a Masters.”

    • “I think the most pressing concern is addressing why students are not learning in their methods courses. We claim to be a rigorous grad program, yet our students who have taken our methods courses cannot identify simple design and analytics steps in research.”

Suggestions:

  • Need to provide grads with a list of classes in advance for their planning

  • We need to speak to critical research and broader approaches (e.g., community engagement)

  • Offer Qual and Mixed-methods more often

  • “I would like more methods courses like experimental methods, survey design, or dyadic analysis.”

  • “could add a qual requirement or allow students to choose their own methods portfolio without requiring stats”

  • Are there ways to help students learn more about applying for grants? That seems to be necessary for many faculty now.

  • I think we need to ease our requirements on topic-related courses and ask students to take more methods/analysis courses. Alternatively, we can provide more specialized workshops that address these specific concerns if the current methods courses cannot be modified.

  • “Another possible option is to create a peer-led ‘methods clinic’ where senior grad students or postdocs host drop-in sessions for junior students to bring design/analysis problems for feedback.”

  • “We will need to be creative in addressing our grads’ needs with fewer resources. Will also need more support for non-academic career paths.”

  • “find some way to get the grad students to avoid stereotypical projections on to faculty about power, openness, etc. Faculty were all grad students too.”

III. Program Learning Outcomes

The following is from our official program learning outcomes document. This reflects the stated goals of our graduate program.

Students graduating with a PhD in Communication should be able to:

I. Core Knowledge

  • Demonstrate general knowledge of communication research and theory with specific command of at least two general areas including mass media, organizational, and interpersonal communication.

  • Critically evaluate published theory & research in the field of communication and related fields.

II. Research Methods and Analysis

  • Identify and describe the range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies typically used in communication research.

  • Critically evaluate the methodologies used in published empirical research in the field of communication and related fields.

  • Design sound empirical studies to investigate communication phenomena, using appropriate methods, measures, and analytic strategies.

  • Follow ethical guidelines in the handling of research subjects and the collection and dissemination of research.

III. Pedagogy

  • Communicate effectively to groups of undergraduate students.

  • Demonstrate the basics of classroom management.

  • Create appropriate assessment tools, including exams and assignments.

  • Design a course in their area of communication specialty with clear goals, appropriate readings, assignments, and sequencing of topics.

IV. Scholarly Communication

  • Synthesize and critique existing theoretical literature and empirical evidence.

  • Make unique theoretical and empirical contributions to existing bodies of literature.

  • Structure a coherent argument (orally and in writing) based on evidence.

  • Present ideas orally in a convincing manner.

  • Produce high quality writing able to meet the standards of the journals in the field of communication.

  • Clearly communicate scholarly ideas to audiences beyond disciplinary boundaries.

V. Professionalism

  • Present themselves with authority at conferences.

  • Be responsive to constructive feedback.

  • Manage time effectively.

  • Conform to appropriate standards of conduct in interactions with students and co-workers.

  • Contribute to the service endeavors of an academic department.

  • Contribute to the service endeavors of the discipline at large.

  • Pursue funding to support research.

Vi. Independent Research

  • Develop research projects independently that meet the standards of the discipline

IV. Our Curriculum

MA Requirements (9 Core/Survey/Content Courses, typically over 4 quarters)

  • Core Courses: Comm 200, 204A, 204B, 500

  • 1 Survey Course (Comm 207, 213, or 222)

  • 3 Elective Content Courses in the Department

  • 1 Elective Methods/Tools Course

  • 2 quarters (8 units) of Comm 598 MA Thesis Prep

  • 1 unit of Comm 505 (Department Colloquium) every quarter

Phd Requirements (10 Core/Survey/Content Courses, typically over 6 quarters)

  • Core Courses: Comm 204C and a Second Survey Course (Comm 207, 213, or 222)

  • 4 Elective Courses in the Department

  • 2 Elective Courses Outside the Department

  • 2 Elective Methods/Tools Courses

  • 1 quarter (4 units) Directed Research (Comm 596)

  • 12 units of Qualifying Exams Preparation (Comm 597)

  • 12 units of Dissertation Research and Writing (Comm 599)

  • 1 unit of Comm 505 (Department Colloquium) every quarter

Core Course Descriptions

204A

  1. conduct literature reviews on a theory of interest to you as a foundation for your research inquiry;

  2. develop an understanding about how to collect data that permit strong scientific inferences;

  3. select a method to analyze data to reach appropriate conclusions;

  4. interpret findings and identify implications;

  5. understand the cyclical nature of research by planning your next study by building on your last to develop expertise on a topic and contribute to general knowledge.

204B

  1. The Role of Statistics in Research (how statistics is related to research designs)
  2. Measurement (levels, reliability, validity)
  3. Describing Distributions (descriptive statistics, means, standard deviations, etc.)
  4. Estimating Parameters (i.e., estimating the population mean from a sample; logic of statistical inference)
  5. Testing Hypotheses with z-tests (one- and two-sample z-tests)
  6. The t-test
  7. single-factor ANOVA
  8. multiple-factor ANOVA (factorial designs, logic and interpretation of interactions)
  9. Nonparametric tests and chi square (mostly just chi square goodness-of-fit test and chi square test of association)
  10. Correlation (bivariate, partial, multiple)
  11. Bivariate Linear Regression
  12. Multiple Regression

204C

  1. Conceptually understand correlation, regression, ANOVA, mediation, and moderation;

  2. Know when it is appropriate to use different statistical techniques;

  3. Know how to extract and interpret statistical information using software (I focus on SPSS);

  4. Know how to communicate statistical information to a scientific audience; and,

  5. Know how to persuasively critique your own and others’ statistical decisions.

COMM 200 - Theory Construction

  1. How to construct, modify, and evaluate social scientific theories
  2. Read & Critique Scholarly Literature

V. Grad Student Composition

  • Past 3 years: 22-26 students/year were active in coursework each quarter

VI. Faculty Composition

  • Starting AY25 we have a projected 22 active research faculty advisors (excludes Mastro, Potter, Linz)

    • 52.17% (n = 11) - Primarily Digital & Media

    • 30.43% (n = 6) - Primarily Interpersonal

    • 17.39% (n = 5)- Primarily Org & Group

Advising Load

(includes only advisees whose time to degree > Spring 2026)

VII. Comparison to Peer Programs

UCSB Comparisons

  • Communication Phd has 19 required courses

  • Psych & Brain Science Phd has 12 required courses

  • Political Science Phd has 24 required courses

  • Sociology Phd has 5 required courses

Comparison w/ Peer Programs at Outside UCSB
Program Required Courses Theory Methods Stats Electives Intro Seminar? Link
UCSB
(MA only) 		9 1 course 2 courses 1 course, in dept 3 Electives Link
UCSB
(Phd only) 		10 1 course 4 courses 1 course, in dept 6 Electives
UCSB Total 19
UC Davis
(MA & Phd) 		14 2 courses 2 courses 3 courses, out of dept 5 Electives Link
Michigan State
(MA only) 		10 1 course 2 courses None Required 5 Electives Link
Michigan State
(Phd only) 		9 2 courses 2 courses None Required 6 Electives Link
Michigan State Total 19
Univeristy of Michigan
(MA & Phd) 		15 2 courses 4 courses None Required 7 Electives Link
UT Austin
(MA Only) 		9 None Required None Required None Required 7 Electives x Link
UT Austin
(Phd Only) 		15 None Required None Required None Required 15 Electives x
UT Austin Total 24
Illinois
(MA & Phd) 		10 Minimum of two courses of students choice None Required 10 Electives Link
Northwestern - Media Tech & Society
(MA & Phd) 		13 7 Electives x Link
Rutgers
(MA & Phd) 		12 1 course 3 courses Competency Encouraged 5 Electives Link
Univ. Wisconsin
(MA & Phd) 		19-21 None Required None Required None Required All Electives Link
Ohio State
(MA & Phd) 		23 3 Courses 2 Courses 2 Courses 16 Electives Link
Penn State
(MA) 		9 None Required 1 course None Required 8 Electives Link
Penn State
(Phd) 		12 None Required 1 course None Required 11 Electives
Penn State Total 21
Note: Data compiled from publicly available program information

VIII. Enrollment

AY2015-2025

  • 12-13 courses were offered per year

  • Core courses (all offered every year): COMM 204A, COMM 204B, COMM 204C, & COMM 200

  • Survey courses (2 offered each year): COMM 213, COMM 222, COMM 207

10 Year Summary

Topical Course Offerings by Area Over Time

Enrollment by Course Category

Courses with an average enrollment < 7 in bold

Core Courses

Area Course Title Average Enrollment
Common COMM 204B Introduction to Applied Statistics 6.3
Common COMM 204A Research Methods in Communication 7
Common COMM 204C Advanced Topics in Research Methods and Statistical Analysis 7.1
Common COMM 200 Communication Theory Construction 8.1

Methods Courses

Area Course Title Average Enrollment
Common COMM 594CE Community-Engaged Communication Research 7
Common COMM 280 Qualitative Methods in Communication 8.3
Common COMM 204M Mixed Methods in Communication Research 9
Common COMM 212 Content Analysis 9.7
Common COMM 594CT Computational Textual Analysis for Communication Research 11

Survey Courses

Area Course Title Average Enrollment
Org/Group COMM 222 Organizational Communication 6.8
Digital/Media COMM 213 Mass Media, the Individual, and Society 10.6
Interpersonal/Intergroup COMM 207 Interpersonal 11

Topic Courses

Area Course Title Average Enrollment
Interpersonal/Intergroup COMM 211 Nonverbal Comm 4
NA COMM 594QM Unknown 4
Org/Group COMM 206 Group Comm 5
Org/Group COMM 594TO Collaborative Technology and Organizing 5
Org/Group COMM 253 Corporate Social Responsibility: A Communication Perspective 5.3
Digital/Media COMM 234 Cognition and Mass Communication 6
Digital/Media COMM 594DD Digital Divide 6
Org/Group COMM 594GC Global Comm 6
Digital/Media COMM 594MS Media & Stereotyping 7
Org/Group COMM 236 Membership: Organization and Group Socialization and Identification 7
Interpersonal/Intergroup COMM 224 Family Communication 7.2
Digital/Media COMM 594EM Emotion and Media Effects 7.5
Digital/Media COMM 594MD Media Representation of Diversity 8
Interpersonal/Intergroup COMM 229 Intergenerational Communication and Aging 8
Interpersonal/Intergroup COMM 594SC Risk Comm 8
Digital/Media COMM 214 Social Media 8.2
Digital/Media COMM 217 Theories of Persuasion 8.2
Digital/Media COMM 594CM Computer Mediated Communication 8.8
Interpersonal/Intergroup COMM 205 Evolution and Human Communication 9
Interpersonal/Intergroup COMM 255 Survey of Health Communication 9
Interpersonal/Intergroup COMM 594RC Risk Comm 10
Interpersonal/Intergroup COMM 251 Relational Communication 11

Courses Offered by Year

2014/15

Course Title Type
COMM 200 Communication Theory Construction Core
COMM 204A Research Methods in Communication Core
COMM 204B Introduction to Applied Statistics Core
COMM 204C Advanced Topics in Research Methods and Statistical Analysis Core
COMM 280 Qualitative Methods in Communication Methods
COMM 213 Mass Media, the Individual, and Society Survey
COMM 211 Nonverbal Comm Topic
COMM 214 Social Media Topic

2015/16

Course Title Type
COMM 200 Communication Theory Construction Core
COMM 204A Research Methods in Communication Core
COMM 204B Introduction to Applied Statistics Core
COMM 204C Advanced Topics in Research Methods and Statistical Analysis Core
COMM 204M Mixed Methods in Communication Research Methods
COMM 207 Interpersonal Survey
COMM 217 Theories of Persuasion Topic
COMM 234 Cognition and Mass Communication Topic
COMM 594GC Global Comm Topic

2016/17

Course Title Type
COMM 200 Communication Theory Construction Core
COMM 204A Research Methods in Communication Core
COMM 204B Introduction to Applied Statistics Core
COMM 204C Advanced Topics in Research Methods and Statistical Analysis Core
COMM 213 Mass Media, the Individual, and Society Survey
COMM 222 Organizational Communication Survey
COMM 214 Social Media Topic
COMM 224 Family Communication Topic
COMM 229 Intergenerational Communication and Aging Topic
COMM 594MS Media & Stereotyping Topic
COMM 594QM Unknown Topic
COMM 594SC Risk Comm Topic

2017/18

Course Title Type
COMM 200 Communication Theory Construction Core
COMM 204A Research Methods in Communication Core
COMM 204B Introduction to Applied Statistics Core
COMM 204C Advanced Topics in Research Methods and Statistical Analysis Core
COMM 204M Mixed Methods in Communication Research Methods
COMM 207 Interpersonal Survey
COMM 205 Evolution and Human Communication Topic
COMM 217 Theories of Persuasion Topic
COMM 253 Corporate Social Responsibility: A Communication Perspective Topic
COMM 594CM Computer Mediated Communication Topic

2018/19

Course Title Type
COMM 200 Communication Theory Construction Core
COMM 204A Research Methods in Communication Core
COMM 204B Introduction to Applied Statistics Core
COMM 204C Advanced Topics in Research Methods and Statistical Analysis Core
COMM 212 Content Analysis Methods
COMM 280 Qualitative Methods in Communication Methods
COMM 594CE Community-Engaged Communication Research Methods
COMM 213 Mass Media, the Individual, and Society Survey
COMM 222 Organizational Communication Survey
COMM 224 Family Communication Topic
COMM 594EM Emotion and Media Effects Topic

2019/20

Course Title Type
COMM 200 Communication Theory Construction Core
COMM 204A Research Methods in Communication Core
COMM 204B Introduction to Applied Statistics Core
COMM 204C Advanced Topics in Research Methods and Statistical Analysis Core
COMM 204M Mixed Methods in Communication Research Methods
COMM 207 Interpersonal Survey
COMM 211 Nonverbal Comm Topic
COMM 214 Social Media Topic
COMM 234 Cognition and Mass Communication Topic
COMM 253 Corporate Social Responsibility: A Communication Perspective Topic
COMM 594MS Media & Stereotyping Topic

2020/21

Course Title Type
COMM 200 Communication Theory Construction Core
COMM 204A Research Methods in Communication Core
COMM 204B Introduction to Applied Statistics Core
COMM 204C Advanced Topics in Research Methods and Statistical Analysis Core
COMM 213 Mass Media, the Individual, and Society Survey
COMM 222 Organizational Communication Survey
COMM 251 Relational Communication Topic
COMM 255 Survey of Health Communication Topic
COMM 594CM Computer Mediated Communication Topic

2021/22

Course Title Type
COMM 200 Communication Theory Construction Core
COMM 204A Research Methods in Communication Core
COMM 204B Introduction to Applied Statistics Core
COMM 204C Advanced Topics in Research Methods and Statistical Analysis Core
COMM 204M Mixed Methods in Communication Research Methods
COMM 212 Content Analysis Methods
COMM 207 Interpersonal Survey
COMM 213 Mass Media, the Individual, and Society Survey
COMM 217 Theories of Persuasion Topic
COMM 224 Family Communication Topic
COMM 594CM Computer Mediated Communication Topic
COMM 594MD Media Representation of Diversity Topic

2022/23

Course Title Type
COMM 200 Communication Theory Construction Core
COMM 204A Research Methods in Communication Core
COMM 204B Introduction to Applied Statistics Core
COMM 204C Advanced Topics in Research Methods and Statistical Analysis Core
COMM 280 Qualitative Methods in Communication Methods
COMM 594CE Community-Engaged Communication Research Methods
COMM 213 Mass Media, the Individual, and Society Survey
COMM 222 Organizational Communication Survey
COMM 206 Group Comm Topic
COMM 255 Survey of Health Communication Topic
COMM 594DD Digital Divide Topic
COMM 594TO Collaborative Technology and Organizing Topic

2023/24

Course Title Type
COMM 200 Communication Theory Construction Core
COMM 204A Research Methods in Communication Core
COMM 204B Introduction to Applied Statistics Core
COMM 204C Advanced Topics in Research Methods and Statistical Analysis Core
COMM 204M Mixed Methods in Communication Research Methods
COMM 207 Interpersonal Survey
COMM 213 Mass Media, the Individual, and Society Survey
COMM 214 Social Media Topic
COMM 217 Theories of Persuasion Topic
COMM 224 Family Communication Topic
COMM 236 Membership: Organization and Group Socialization and Identification Topic
COMM 253 Corporate Social Responsibility: A Communication Perspective Topic
COMM 594RC Risk Comm Topic

2024/25

Course Title Type
COMM 200 Communication Theory Construction Core
COMM 204A Research Methods in Communication Core
COMM 204B Introduction to Applied Statistics Core
COMM 204C Advanced Topics in Research Methods and Statistical Analysis Core
COMM 212 Content Analysis Methods
COMM 594CT Computational Textual Analysis for Communication Research Methods
COMM 207 Interpersonal Survey
COMM 222 Organizational Communication Survey
COMM 211 Nonverbal Comm Topic
COMM 255 Survey of Health Communication Topic
COMM 594CM Computer Mediated Communication Topic
COMM 594EM Emotion and Media Effects Topic
COMM 594MD Media Representation of Diversity Topic