Institute of Communications Research
Doctor of Philosophy in Communications and Media
Admissions
Any student with a bachelor's or master's degree and with a substantial background in the humanities, social sciences or physical sciences is eligible to apply to the doctoral program. All candidates for admission must submit an application for admission along with a credentials fee, transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate courses taken and grades earned, three letters of recommendation and Graduate Record Examination scores.
Our application process is now conducted primarily via the Web, using the University of Illinois' Web-based application through the Graduate College Web site. (See link below.)
International students from nonEnglish-speaking countries are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) before they come to the University. Depending on the results, they may be required to take further instruction in English after their arrival.
Students are normally admitted to start the program during the fall term. Only under exceptional circumstances are they allowed to begin it in the spring or summer term. All material for fall admission should be submitted by January 15.
Important information for applicants
The admissions process in the Institute of Communications Research is competitive; that is, all applications are considered at the same time for fall admission (the Institute does not ordinarily admit students at the Spring term). The Admissions Committee members typically begin individually reviewing application files after January 1. Several University of Illinois fellowship deadlines occur in January. Therefore, applications should be received before the January 15 deadline for consideration with regards to these lucrative scholarships. The Committee strives to notify applicants by March 1 of their decisions. Since we do not have a rolling admissions process, it is very important that applicants adhere to the January 15, 2008 application deadline.
Applications submitted electronically at the aforementioned website are accessible by ICR as soon as the application fee has been paid. Applications for which the fee has not been paid, whether paper or electronic, are not released to ICR by the Office of Admissions and Records.
A complete application consists of:
- Completed application form (submit electronically)
- Application fee (Pay by credit card if applying electronically or mail credit card information or check to the Office of Admissions and Records with your paper application form.)
- Statement of plans, including relevant education, experience, research interests, goals and career plans (Mail to ICR.)
- Transcripts from all previous colleges/universities attended. Two official transcripts are required from each institution the applicant has attended (Mail to ICR.)
- Letters of recommendation. Three confidential letters are required from persons who can evaluate the applicant's academic ability and prospects for success in graduate study (Mail to ICR.)
- GRE scores (Institution code 1836.)
Writing samples are not required.
Mailing addresses
University of Illinois
Institute of Communications Research
228 Gregory Hall
810 S. Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801
University of Illinois
Office of Admissions and Records
901 W. Illinois St.
Urbana, IL 61801
ICR does not have the resources to send periodic notices of the status of applications. Please feel free to contact us to check the status of your application file: E-mail icr@illinois.edu, Telephone 217-333-1549, Fax 217-244-7695.
Financial aid
Financial aid is available in the form of assistantships, fellowships and tuition and fee waivers. Students of color underrepresented in communications research are eligible for University fellowships. Most Institute students eventually receive some kind of financial support. The application for admission includes a section to be completed if you wish to be considered for financial aid. Insofar as possible, the Institute makes financial aid and admission decisions simultaneously.
Teaching assignments are also periodically available in other University departments or programs ‐ for example, Advertising, Journalism, Speech, English, Business and Technical Writing, Unit for Cinema Studies, and Agricultural Communications — and in the communications program at Parkland College. Students with editing, writing, computer programming, keypunching, tutoring or other skills often can find support in other units of the University. Usually these positions must be obtained once you are on campus and can arrange interviews. A few students also find parttime employment with the local media.
Residency requirement
The doctoral degree requires a minimum of 96 hours of credit: 64 coursework hours and 32 thesis hours. At least 64 of these hours must be earned as a graduate student in courses meeting on the Urbana-Champaign campus. After the residency requirement has been fulfilled, a student may petition the Graduate College for permission to register in absentia for thesis credit. Students entering with a master's degree (or its equivalent in graduate course work) may be given credit for part of it in completing the required 96 hours, but this does not waive the residency requirement.
Housing
The two campus residence halls for unmarried graduate students are Sherman and Daniels. In addition, there are University-approved residences, as well as private apartments and houses in Champaign-Urbana. For further information, write to the Housing Information Office, 2 Fred H. Turner Student Services Building, 610 E. John St., Champaign, IL 61820, and the Champaign-Urbana Tenant Union, Room 298A Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801.
For married students, with or without children, the University has a number of apartments available in Family Student Housing. Write to the apartments manager, 1842A Orchard Place, Urbana, IL 61801.
Health care and insurance
For students at the University of Illinois, two fees paid at registration cover services that should meet many health care needs:
The Health Service Fee is pre-payment for services provided by McKinley Health Center and the Counseling Center. This fee is mandatory for most students and optional for several categories of parttime students.
The Student Health Insurance Fee pays for the University sickness and accident insurance program for health care received outside of McKinley Health Center. Students are required either to pay this fee or to document that they have other health insurance coverage equivalent to the University plan.
Tuition and service fee waivers that accompany teaching and research assistant appointments do not cover the Health Service Fee or the Student Health Insurance Fee.