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Department of Speech Communication
Terrell Hall


UGA Department of Speech Communication

Graduate Program Handbook

2009-2010

 

This handbook includes information and policies relevant to pursuing graduate studies in the Department. Any questions or suggestions for improvement should be directed to the Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Samp.

 

Table of Contents

  1. Departmental Operations & Policies
    1. Rooms in Terrell Hall
    2. Equipment
    3. Photocopying
    4. Colloquium
    5. Summer Meetings and Defenses
    6. Teaching
    7. Staff Meetings
    8. Additional Graduate Student Funding
    9. Feedback to You
    10. SPCM Graduate Forum
    11. Listservs
    12. Mental Health and Stress Control
    13. Professional Associations
    14. Other Opportunities for Professional Development
    15. Research Pools: Soliciting Participants
  2. University Policies
    1. Academic Honesty Policy
    2. Sexual Harassment Policy
    3. Sexual Orientation Policy
    4. Campus Emergencies: UGA Alert
    5. More
  3. The M.A. Program: Procedures, Requirements & Timelines
    1. Coursework Requirements
    2. Advising and Registration
    3. Major Professor (Advisor) and Committee
    4. Graduate School Paperwork and Deadlines
    5. Thesis Requirements
    6. Oral Examination Requirements
    7. Colloquium Presentation Requirement
    8. Residency, Time, & G.P.A. Requirements
    9. M.A. Timeline
  4. The Ph.D. Program: Procedures, Requirements & Timelines
    1. Coursework Requirements
    2. Advising and Registration
    3. Major Professor (Advisor) and Committee
    4. Graduate School Paperwork and Deadlines
    5. Ph.D. Preliminary Examinations
    6. Dissertation Requirements
    7. Dissertation Oral Examination Requirements
    8. Colloquium Presentation Requirement
    9. Residency, Time, & G.P.A. Requirements
    10. Ph.D. Timeline


  I.      Departmental Operations & Policies

 

A. Rooms in Terrell Hall

1. The Main Office

 

The Department's Main Office is located in Room 110. But our support staff and your resources are dispersed throughout the building, including:

 

Staff:


Faculty with Administrative Responsibilities:


2. The Lounge (Room 117)

The Department lounge is available to faculty, staff, and graduate students. Graduate student mailboxes and the graduate student copy machine are also in this room. Sometimes meetings and classes are held in this room. Please use this space to meet other people in the Department. You can reserve the space by signing up on the calendar posted on the door. If the calendar isn't on the door, contact Amanda. Please respect the "Do Not Disturb" sign whenever it is posted.

Please clean up after yourself when eating in the lounge. There is a refrigerator, sink, and microwave in the lounge. If you put anything in the fridge, be sure to write your name and the date on it. If you need to discard any old or spoiled food or drinks, be sure to only put them in the trashcan under the kitchen counter during Laura's working hours (M-F, 7 am to 4 pm).

3. The Conference Room (Room 116)

Most graduate seminars and faculty meetings are held here. Classes have first priority for use of the conference room. To reserve the conference room, contact Amanda. The conference room is not available when the main office is closed. If you bring food or drink into the conference room, be sure to clean up after yourself.

Dissertations and theses written by former UGA Speech Communication students are kept in the conference room. If you wish to view one of these, you can sign it out in the black binder (see Amanda).

4. The Grad Lab (Room 139)

The grad lab has four PC computers with a variety of programs installed, networked to one printer. There are also two computers and a printer in each graduate student office. Do not install any software onto the computers unless Dr. Biesecker or Carrie has given you permission. The computers in your office and the lab are for Departmental and school work only and not for personal use. Undergraduates are not permitted to use these computers. If there is a problem with one of the computers, do not try to fix it yourself. If you have a problem or need any help using the software on the computers, feel free to ask Carrie.

Do not use the grad lab printers for making multiple copies such as tests and exams.

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B. Equipment

We own several laptops, digital recorders, and cameras that you may check out for instructional or research use. See Carrie to check out equipment.

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) also provides instructional equipment and a large media catalog of audio/visual programs available for graduate students. CTL is located in the Instructional Plaza beside the Journalism Building on central campus. They deliver and pick up equipment to classrooms on campus. There is also another office housed in the Miller Learning Center (MLC), where you may go to get keys for classrooms and instructor lounges in the MLC.

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C. Photocopying

Photocopying is a substantial expense for the Department. If copying work is for a research project that you are doing with a professor, or if you are a teaching assistant for a professor, Amanda will make the copies for you with the faculty and staff copy machine. To do so, fill out a copy request form (located in the main office near the copier) at least 3 days prior to when you need the copies.

Please use Central Duplicating for large copy jobs. This includes copying surveys and instruments, as well as for large sets of instructional copying such as syllabi and exams. You must meet Central Duplicating's requirement for lead time, which is usually a week. See Amanda for details. You should not copy full articles for students. Photocopied packets can be made available at services such as Bel-Jean or the University Bookstore.

For your own teaching-related copies, the graduate student copy machine is in the lounge. Please notify Amanda or Carrie whenever the copier needs toner or isn't working correctly.

Please do not use the computer printers to make multiple copies. This is far too expensive. It shortens the life of the printers and therefore imperils the ability of all of the graduate students to have a working printer available when needed, not to mention that it is ecologically unsound.

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D. Colloquium

The Department holds colloquium most Tuesdays from 12:30-1:30 and often once a month on Fridays from 4:00-5:00. Dr. Stahl arranges the colloquium schedule and he should notify the Department of the schedule early in a given semester. All graduate students are expected to attend every colloquium meeting, except in the case of a direct conflict in your teaching or course schedule. If you have a conflict, inform Dr. Samp.

As part of the Departmental graduation requirements, Ph.D. and M.A. students are required to present at a colloquium at least once before their dissertation or thesis defense.

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E. Summer Meetings and Defenses

Many of the faculty rely on summer to write and work off campus. Further, many faculty are not paid over the summer and are therefore not expected to fulfill committee roles that are part of the fall and spring semesters. Therefore, exams, prospectus meetings, and defenses are not routinely scheduled during the Summer term. Please plan accordingly.

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F. Teaching

1. Assignments

Dr. Biesecker is responsible for all teaching assignments. Some teaching assistantships will entail assignment to free-standing sections of the basic courses, for example: SPCM 1100 and SPCM 1500 under the supervision of the Instructor of Record for the large lecture course (Dr. Lessl and Dr. Hale, respectively for the fall, and Dr. Lessl and Dr. Samp respectively for the spring). Other course assignments include assisting in large-enrollment classes such as Introduction to Human Communication (SPCM 1010), Pop Culture (SPCM 2360), or Business and Professional Communication (SPCM 2300). Doctoral students may also have an opportunity to teach other 2000-level and 3000-level classes primarily for Speech Communication majors. Teaching assignments will be made by Dr. Biesecker, in consultation with Dr. Samp, Dr. Monahan, and the Rhetoric or Communication Studies Area Chair, when appropriate. The teaching preferences of experienced graduate students will be solicited via a Teaching Request/Preference Form distributed by the Rhetoric or Communication Studies Area Chair during the proceeding semester. Generally speaking, these assignments are based on the following criteria (more-or-less in order of importance):

  1. Is the GTA qualified to teach this class by virtue of academic preparation and demonstrated exceptional capacity to teach?
  2. Is the GTA making satisfactory progress toward the degree?
  3. Is the GTA able to work within the constraints of the class schedule?
  4. What is the seniority of the GTA? If possible, assignments will be based on seniority within the department, with a consideration of teaching experiences within the department.


Students with excellent teaching evaluations (by their students and the faculty) will generally be given preference for repeat teaching of advanced courses when other criteria are equal. In some cases the major professor may recommend that a new course not be assigned in order to ensure that the student completes his or her own research. These decisions are therefore generally complicated and multi-factored. In exceptional cases, priorities may have to be changed to respond to what has become a shifting resource environment. If you believe that you have been unfairly overlooked for an assignment, you should submit a request in writing to the Department Head detailing your case.

Criteria for assignment to summer teaching are similar to criteria for advanced teaching; summer teaching is often open only to Ph.D. students returning in the next fall semester and only to students who are not supported on research assistantships during the summer.

2. TA Supervision and Evaluation

Like faculty, all GTAs are required to have their classes evaluated by the students. The faculty member in charge of any large lecture course is responsible for supervising both assistants to that course as well as teachers of additional stand alone sections. GTAs teaching any other stand alone courses will be supervised by a faculty member designated by Dr. Monahan.

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G. Staff Meetings

Those with teaching and research assistantships are required to attend staff meetings. The time and frequency of the meetings are determined by the faculty members supervising the course. These meetings provide a time in which any housekeeping issues can be addressed and questions may be answered. If you cannot attend a staff meeting, you must make sure you contact your supervisor, as these meetings are mandatory.

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H. Additional Graduate Student Funding

1. Travel Money

You are encouraged to attend regional and national conferences. The Office of the Vice President for Research and/or the Graduate School offer travel funds in some years. Students seeking travel assistance must be registered during the semester in which the request is submitted and for the semester for which the trip is scheduled. Assistance will not be granted in those instances where travel was undertaken prior to receiving written approval from the Office of the Vice President for Research. Contact Dustin for more information about applying for Graduate Student Funds for travel. All requests require completing a "Travel Authority" and departmental requests are to be forwarded to the Graduate School business office at one time.

The Department sometimes has a highly variable, but always small, amount of travel support available to graduate students. If the Department is able to offer some financial support, you may be eligible for funding if: (1) you have applied for graduate school funding in a timely fashion and (2) you will participate enthusiastically in department events at the conference, reception, and graduate student and faculty recruitment. When scarcity dictates, priority will be given to those students on the job market. Graduate students will be asked to apply for travel funding each fall and spring semester; Dr. Samp will provide the details and the application deadlines via e-mail notification.

2. Scholarships, Fellowships, Awards

a. Research. There are a variety of resources available for you to help support your research, although all of these are competitive resources with varying success rates. For a listing of awards, see the Graduate School web page under Financial Aid and Awards. Dr. Samp will also forward all announcements about awards that she receives.

b. Teaching. Each year the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) recognizes outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants across the campus. A committee composed the supervisors of a given course (i.e., ,1100, 1500, 2300, etc.) and Dr. Monahan will select from the pool of non-first year teaching assistants the nominee(s) from the Department for the Graduate Teaching Assistant Award. Particularly exemplary nominees may be further eligible for the University's Excellence in Teaching award and the ICA Graduate Teaching Award.

c. Service. Every year the Department recognizes one graduate student with the Jerold. L. Hale Graduate Student Service Award. This cash award is designated to a student elected by the faculty to have demonstrated exemplary service and dedication to the Department of Speech Communication.

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I. Feedback to You

a. Feedback about Teaching. Each term, your teaching skills will be evaluated by your teaching supervisor and your students.

Teaching Supervisor. If you are a GTA for a large lecture class, the instructor of record will evaluate your teaching.  If you are the instructor of record for a class, you will be evaluated by your teaching supervisor or by a faculty member assigned by your teaching supervisor.  Typically, your academic advisor will not evaluate your teaching; this is in your long-term interest since it will help you to build a strong teaching portfolio over the course of your graduate career.  Every effort will be made for doctoral students to be evaluated by members of their committees so that their committee members can write about a student's academic and teaching prowess.

Dr. Monahan will compile a list of faculty evaluators matched to GTAs. Dr. Monahan will then email the list to all relevant faculty and graduate students.  It is your responsibility to contact the faculty evaluator, provide him/her a copy of your syllabus for the course, and arrange a time for a classroom observation.  Within two weeks of the observation, the faculty evaluator will prepare a written evaluation of your performance.  Copies of the evaluation will be given to you as well as Dr. Monahan and Dr. Samp, who will put it in your permanent file.

M.A.- level GTAs will be evaluated every fall and spring semester they teach at UGA, whether as a teaching assistant or as the instructor of record. Ph.D.-level  GTAs are evaluated every fall and spring semester for their first two years.  Subsequently, doctoral level GTAs are evaluated when (a) they teach a new course for the first time or (b) if the undergraduate coordinator or teaching supervisor believes that additional evaluation is warranted.

b. Overall Evaluation of Progress in the Program. At the end of the Spring semester, all continuing M.A. and Ph.D. students have the quality of their teaching, research activities, and course work assessed by the faculty. New graduate students will also be evaluated at the end of the Fall Semester.

Each student will receive a letter from Dr. Samp summarizing the faculty feedback. Fall letters are distributed during Christmas break, and spring letters are distributed at the beginning of summer. This feedback will let you know if you are "on course" for successful graduation and development as a teacher/scholar, or whether there are areas you might want to attend to with more intensity or reflection.

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J. SPCM Graduate Forum

You are encouraged to become an active member of the SPCM Graduate Forum. Some of the objectives of the Forum are: (a) to address specific concerns of graduate students regarding the many aspects of the M.A. and Ph.D. programs, including relationships with the faculty, and to bring these concerns to the attention of the department, (b) to develop, in conjunction with the department, colloquia involving both graduate students and faculty and guest speaker series on topics relevant to the field and of interest to graduate students, and (c) to foster a sense of community among the graduate students, to aid new graduate students in their transition to the program and the University, and to promote interaction between students and faculty.

Officers are elected from the active members in the spring. This year's President is Bethany Keeley. Also, one member of the Forum is elected to attend Graduate Faculty meetings as a non-voting member and report back to the members any information that might be of interest to or affect the graduate students, as well as to share the intents and perspectives of the graduate students.

In the fall of each year, dues are collected. These dues are used for various activities sponsored by the Forum during the year.

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K. Listservs

The Graduate School contacts students via a listserv to remind students of deadlines, to provide information about seminars, and to share other pertinent news. Students are not excused from meeting Graduate School deadlines because they "didn't get the email". Archives are here.

We also have in-department listservs that are addressed to the entire Department, to graduate students only, or to the members of the Graduate Forum. The first two listservs are managed by Amanda and the Graduate Forum listserv is managed by Bethany. If you are not on any of these listservs make sure you contact the appropriate person in order to get onto mailing lists.

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L. Mental Health and Stress Control

The Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Department is located at the University Health Center. Students who wish to meet with a counselor for the first time may walk-in, or call 542-2273 to schedule an appointment. CAPS also provides stress management programs such as mediation and massage therapy. CAPS is located on the third floor of the University Health Center, on the corner of College Station and East Campus Roads. All students registered for credit at The University of Georgia are eligible to use the CAPS services.

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M. Professional Associations

The National Communication Association (NCA) and the International Communication Association (ICA) are the two major professional associations for the discipline of Speech Communication. Both organizations have student rates and each hosts a yearly conference - NCA in November and ICA in May - to which graduate students can submit research for presentation. NCA also hosts a listserv which includes a substantive amount of information relevant to the field, as well as current job listings. To subscribe to the list, go here. You should also watch "SPECTRA", the newsletter for NCA, for job announcements which are also available online through NCA's career center.

In addition, the Southern States Communication Association (SSCA) hosts a smaller yearly conference in the southern region during the springtime.

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N. Other Opportunities for Professional Development

Becoming a scholar is not a process that occurs exclusively, or even primarily, within the walls of the classroom. You should expect to spend a substantial amount of time in other types of professional development activities. In addition to participating in the Department colloquium and attending lectures on campus, it is a normal expected practice of scholars and apprentice scholars to attend academic conferences and deliver papers. You may also want to form discussion groups with your fellow graduate students. Depending on your area, you are likely to want to work on a research team with one of the faculty members in the Department, or to work with a faculty mentor on research in addition to your advisor. In the year before your dissertation you may also want to apply for an NCA Doctoral Honors Seminar. We encourage you to be proactive in seeking out opportunities for professional and personal growth, and we'll try to keep you apprised of new opportunities that arise.

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O. Research Pools: Soliciting Participants

Students in our basic courses are given the option of participating in departmentally sponsored research studies. All graduate students should read the University of Georgia's Policies on Human Subjects. As an instructor, you are responsible for ensuring that the options you provide to students meet these ethical guidelines. As a researcher, your obligations are more specific. You must first have your research project approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University.

Student research participants enrolled in Public Speaking (SPCM1100), Interpersonal Communication (SPCM1500), and Communication in Human Society (SPCM1010) are commonly referred to as the "Research Pool." Other courses may also offer students the opportunity for research participation as a course requirement or in exchange for extra credit. Please note that students must complete a separate research project for each course in which they hope to receive credit (therefore, stress to your students that there is no "double dipping").

1. Students and Research Participation

By participating in a research endeavor, students can receive either course or extra credit. Please note that a "research endeavor" is not restricted to participation in a research study. We have three alternatives that students may choose to consider. One option is research participation. A second option is to summarize a research article. A third option is to attend a department colloquium and write a summary of the talk. These three choices should be explained in detail in your syllabus. In addition, all students should receive a copy of the document entitled: UGA Speech Communication Research Participation: Information for Students at the beginning of the semester. Please make sure you have read this document and are able to discuss the alternatives with students.

2. Guidelines for Conducting Research Using the Research Pool

Conducting research in our department involves a multi-stage process. It is expected that you will adhere to all of the following guidelines while conducting your research. Failure to follow any of the following guidelines will result in the immediate cessation of your project. Further, if you receive 3 separate complaints during a study, the research project will be suspended until you appear before the Executive Committee and are granted permission to continue the study.

Note for New Users: Students enrolled in SPCM 8020 will receive an introduction to UGA�s Institutional Review Board/Human Subjects Office and the Speech Communication Department�s Research Pool Procedures. New students will not be allowed to access the research pool until they have attended this meeting.

Step 1: IRB and Department Notification

  1. Submit Your IRB Application.

  2. Dr. Shen, the Research pool Coordinator, will receive notification once your application is approved.

Step 2: Schedule Research Facilities

See Amanda to schedule room 214. If you use the lab facilities you must take responsibility to write the times/dates you will be using the facilities on the lab door.

Student cancellation policy. It is the student's responsibility to cancel if he or she cannot attend. We do not have a punitive system for those who do not attend. However, if someone has stood you up without letting you know in advance, you are under no obligation to schedule that person again and can notify the instructor to that effect.

Researcher cancellation policy. If for any reason you cannot keep your appointment with a research participant, it is your responsibility to contact him or her at least 24 hours in advance. If you are unable to contact the research participant, have someone keep the appointment for you to sign the research participants in so they can get credit.

If you cancel a session without first contacting the students and finding another time for them to participate, you must award credit to all those who signed up for that session. You must also communicate to those who signed up for that session and explain 1) you are canceling the session 2) they will receive credit for the session. No exceptions.

Step 3: Sign-Up Sheets

  1. Create Your Sign-Up Sheets to Solicit Participants. Each sign-up sheet should contain all of the following information, in this order.

    1. Study title

    2. The researcher's name, phone number and email address

    3. If there is a supervisor, his or her name and phone number

    4. Who is eligible to participate

    5. Approximate amount of time it takes to complete the study

    6. A short description of what students will do during the study

    7. Where students must go to participate

    8. Spaces for each student to write his or her name, phone number, and e-mail address

  2. Submit sign-up sheets to Dr. Shen for approval at least 1 week before you seek to solicit respondents. Dr. Shen must sign-off on your sign-up sheets before they are posted.

  3. Post approved sign-up sheets on the "Research Opportunities" bulletin board in Terrell Hall. You may also wish to send out an e-mail to the Department notifying everyone of your research opportunity.

Step 4: During Data Collection: Sign-Ins, Consent Forms & Debriefing

  1. Provide a sign-in sheet for your respondents, where each student lists his or her name and the class (with instructor's name) for which the student wishes to receive research participation credit.

  2. Sign all of your consent forms before administering them to your respondents. Sign the forms in ink, in any color but black.

  3. Administer 2 consent forms before you collect any data. Make sure respondents retain one copy and that you inform them that this is their proof that they participated in your study.

  4. Insure that participants are able to stop participating if they wish. Respondents have the option of not participating in a study or terminating participation at any point during the session. If a student refuses to participate, give the participant the full amount of credit for participating in the study. Participants should not be penalized in any way for deciding not to participate in a study. For example, if a student shows up, reads the consent form, and subsequently decides that he or she does not want to participate or signs the consent form and later changes his or her mind, the student still should receive credit.

  5. After the completion of your study, all respondents must be debriefed. At a minimum, distribute a hard copy debriefing form. You may also wish to orally debrief your respondents (this is particularly encouraged if your study involves deception). Your debriefing should include a full explanation of everything that happened during the session, what was being studied, and a summary of your hypotheses. If deception was used in the study, you must explain three things to the participants: 1) what you did not tell them, 2) why you did not tell it to them, and 3) your hypotheses/predictions.

Step 5: After (or During) Data Collection: Notifying Instructors of Respondent Participation

  1. Distribute a hard-copy list of research participants to each instructor who had students participate in your study within 48 hours of completing data collection. Place a separate copy in each relevant instructor�s mailbox. If you wish to send an e-mail list as well, that is fine, but an email list alone is not sufficient. Note: If your study is going to be conducted for more than 3 weeks, submit a partial list to instructors. This way, students can confirm with their instructor that their research participation is completed.

  2. Keep the sign-in sheets and a copy of the lists that you give to instructors for at least one semester after data collection is complete.

  3. If students have any problems or concerns about course credit received (or not received) by research participation, they should e-mail Dr. Monahan, the Undergraduate Program Coordinator.

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II. University Policies

A. Academic Honesty Policy

Students at UGA are responsible for maintaining and adhering to the strictest standards of honesty and integrity in every aspect of their lives. Honesty in academic matters is a large part of this obligation. �As such, you should familiarize yourself with UGA's Academic Honesty Policy.

Students and faculty who suspect that an act of academic dishonesty has taken place should follow the procedures for reporting outlined by the Office of the Vice President for Instruction.

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B. Sexual Harassment Policy

The University of Georgia is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for living, work, and study. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law and Board of Regents' policy, the University prohibits any member of the faculty, staff, administration, student body, or visitors to campus, whether they be guests, patrons, independent contractors, or clients, regardless of the sex of the other party, from sexually harassing any other member of the University community.

1. Definition of Sexual Harassment

Pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, "sexual harassment" is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, when; 1) submission to such conduct is made either implicitly or explicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment or status in a course, program or activity; 2) submission or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment or educational decisions affecting such individual; or 3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of interfering with the individual's work or educational performance; of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working and/or learning environment or of interfering with one's ability to participate in or benefit from an educational program or activity.

2. Consensual Relationships

When one party has a professional relationship toward the other, or stands in a position of authority over the other, even an apparently consensual sexual relationship may lead to sexual harassment or other breaches of professional obligations. The University prohibits all faculty and staff, including graduate teaching assistants, from pursuing sexual relationships with undergraduates whom they are currently supervising or teaching. The University also strongly discourages sexual relationships between faculty or administrators and graduate students, as well as between staff members and any subordinates whose work they supervise. Anyone involved in a sexual relationship with someone over whom he or she has supervisory power must recuse himself or herself from decisions that affect the evaluation, employment conditions, instruction, and/or the academic status of the subordinate involved.

3. Responsibility of Students and Employees

All students and employees should report any sexual harassment that they experience, observe, hear about, or believe may be occurring, to the Sexual Harassment Prevention and Compliance Officer. No student or employee should assume that an official of the University of Georgia knows about your situation. Students and employees should report all incidents of sexual harassment.

The Board of Regents has established an ethics and compliances reporting system for University System institutions. The University has therefore established an anonymous hotline to report any incidents of wrongdoing on campus, including incidents of sexual harassment. If you wish to contact the hotline, you may call 1-877-516-3467 or make a report online here.

4. Prohibition against Retaliation

Students and employees who, in good faith, report what they believe to be sexual harassment, or who cooperate in any investigation, will not be subjected to retaliation. Any student or employee who believes he/she has been the victim of retaliation for reporting sexual harassment or cooperating in an investigation should immediately contact the Sexual Harassment Prevention and Compliance Officer. Go here for further information on this policy.

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C. Sexual Orientation Policy

The University of Georgia strives to maintain a campus environment where all decisions affecting an individual�s education, employment, or access to programs, facilities, or services are based on merit and performance. Irrelevant factors or personal characteristics that have no connection with merit or performance have no place in the University's decision-making process. Accordingly, it is the policy of the University of Georgia that an individual's sexual orientation is an irrelevant factor and shall not be a basis for making decisions relating to education, employment, or access to programs, facilities, or services.

Any employee of the University of Georgia who believes that he/she has been harassed or discriminated against because of sexual orientation should contact his/her immediate supervisor or the Equal Opportunity Office for appropriate action. Any member of the University community may also call upon the Equal Opportunity Office for counseling and advice.

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D. Campus Emergencies: UGA Alert

UGA is committed to keeping you as safe as possible through effective communication prior to, during, and following emergencies. UGA Alert allows you to receive emergency messages on multiple devices. You may identify as many as three phone numbers and two email addresses for receiving emergency notifications. To register, opt in/out, or update your information, you must have a valid UGA MyID.  Proceed to registration/update your information on the MYID homepage to register.

For more information on the Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness, please go here.

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E. More

For an exhaustive list of all University policies and procedures go here.

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III.           The M.A. Program: Procedures, Requirements & Timelines

A.       Coursework Requirements

All M.A. students at UGA must complete a program of study which constitutes a logical whole and is defined by at least 24 semester hours of graduate credit, exclusive of thesis and research hours. At least 1/2 of this credit must be in UGA courses open only to graduate students. Further, at least 12 hours of course work must be in courses offered by the Speech Communication Department, exclusive of research or thesis hours. M.A. students may not count more than one independent study course toward the requirements for their degree.

Any graduate student funded by the University must be enrolled in 12 hours each Fall and Spring semester. If you are funded in the summer, you must also enroll in 9 hours over the summer. The Department does not advise that most students take more than 9 "content" hours. Thus, each semester, you may need to enroll in SPCM 7000 (Master's Research) in order to reach a total of 12 hours.

Coursework required for the M.A. in Speech Communication includes: (1) SPCM 8200 (Rhetorical Theory), SPCM 8500 (Interpersonal Communication Theory), SPCM 8020 (Introduction to Graduate Studies) during the Fall semester of the first year of study, (2) SPCM 8010 or SPCM 8011 (Seminar in Communication Education) during both years (when relevant), (3) either SPCM 8300 (Rhetorical Criticism) or SPCM 8700 (Empirical Research Methods) during the Spring semester of the first year of study, and (4) two hours of SPCM 8050 (Research Practicum).

Research Practicum: 8050 Requirements

The research practicum is a unique feature of the graduate program at UGA and is designed to ensure that every graduate student gets the chance to work with a faculty member on a research project before reaching the stage of independent research in his or her own thesis. M.A. students take 2 hours of SPCM 8050, usually in their first through third semesters. You should expect to spend about 20 hours of time on a one credit hour 8050. The number of semesters that a student works with any given faculty member will depend on the character of the project, and should ideally be negotiated in advance. You may only take one hour of 8050 credit with any one professor in any given semester and you may not take 8050 credit with your major professor. Some models for the 8050 include:

Coursework Plan of Study (Sample)

First year

Fall Semester Spring Semester
SPCM 8200 (3 hrs.)
SPCM 8500 (3 hrs.)
SPCM 8010 or 8011* (3 hrs.)
SPCM 8020 (1 hr.)
SPCM 8050 (1 hr.)
SPCM 7000 (1 hr.)
Electives (6 hrs.)
SPCM 8050 (1 hr.)
SPCM 8300 or 8700 (3 hrs.)
SPCM 8010 or 8011* (3 hrs.)

Second year

Fall Semester Spring Semester
Elective (3 hrs.)
SPCM 7000 (3 hrs.)
SPCM 7300 (3 hrs.)
SPCM 8010 or 8011* (3 hrs.)
SPCM 7300 (9 hrs.)
SPCM 8010 or 8011* (3 hrs.)
   
   

*Note: If you are not enrolled in 8010 or 8011 (due to the nature of your teaching or research assignment, you will enroll in SPCM 7000).

You must be registered for 3 hours of credit in any semester when you are using University facilities - including the semester that you graduate.

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B. Advising and Registration

The academic calendar is available here. The schedule of classes for each semester is available online. Dr. Samp is responsible for advising all first-semester graduate students. In the spring semester of the first year of study, each graduate student should work with a relevant faculty member (unless the student has already identified an advisor/major professor) in making decisions about his or her Program of Study.

In-department seminars and courses are generally determined at least a year in advance; sometimes schedule adjustments will occur the semester before the course is offered. As for out of the Department seminars, the best way to shop for them is by using OASIS. You may also want to check the websites of other departments to locate sample syllabi.

You will be permitted to register after a relevant faculty member, your major professor/advisor, or Dr. Samp has signed the yellow advisement form and you have submitted it to Dustin. Yellow advisement forms can be obtained from Dustin. After he clears you to register, you will then register online, using OASIS. It is important to remember that getting advising slips, making an appointment with your advisor, and registering are all your responsibility. Also, don't forget that you must register for classes in advance or you will not get paid.

Graduate students must register for at least 3 credit hours for two of the three semesters during the academic year, with some exceptions for some UGA employees. If you cannot enroll for two of three semesters, you should seek a leave of absence. If you seek a leave of absence from the program, such a request must be approved by Dr. Samp and the Graduate School Dean on or before the last day of classes for the semester for which the leave is to begin. A leave of absence cannot be more than 12 months. If leave of absence is not taken without approval, you must pay a reinstatement fee equivalent to registering for 3 credits at the current in-state tuition rate for each term missed since last semester of enrollment, including summer.

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C. Major Professor (Advisor) and Committee

Students enrolled in the M.A. program are strongly encouraged to select a major professor ("advisor") no later than the week after spring break of the first year. This person must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member within the Department of Speech Communication.

In consultation with the major professor, the student will form a committee of two other faculty members. All members of the committee must have the appropriate standing on the Graduate Faculty. The committee, in consultation with the student, plans and approves the student's program of study, advises the student on required research skills, guides the thesis research, reads and approves the thesis, and administers the thesis defense and the final examination over the program of study. The committee experience should promote scholarly discussion and generally be a constructive experience.

Changing the Composition of Graduate Committees

Changing the composition of graduate committees is generally discouraged, but may be warranted in unusual circumstances. Those circumstances include, but are not necessarily limited to instances where, a) a faculty member has engaged in unprofessional conduct directed toward the student so that the ability of the student to work with the faculty member could be impeded, b) a student's academic interests have changed substantively so that the expertise of the faculty member is no longer useful in completing the committee task, or c) a major epistemological or methodological difference of opinion exists between the student and the faculty member which cannot be resolved. Circumstances which would not warrant a change in the composition of the committee include, but are not limited to, a) scheduling concerns, b) a negative evaluation of the student's work by the faculty member, unless that evaluation is overturned by an appropriate University body, or c) a desire to avoid substantial revisions.

Changes Initiated By A Committee Member: A committee member may elect to stand down from a graduate committee. If the student has met all deadlines for submitting work to members of the committee, then a committee member must resign from the committee at least two weeks prior to any scheduled meeting so that a replacement member may have adequate time to prepare for the meeting. If the student has not met all deadlines for submitting work to the committee, then the two week requirement shall be waived.

Changes Initiated By A Student: Before a student asks a committee member to stand down from a graduate committee, the student should seek advice regarding the decision from his or her major professor. If the major professor�s removal is sought, then advice should be sought from the Dr. Samp or Dr. Biesecker. If a student decides to ask a committee member to stand down from a committee, the two parties are expected to meet informally so the request can be made. A committee member may choose to stand down from a committee as a result of the informal meeting. In that case, prompt notification to Dr. Samp is required. Students may also ask either the major professor or Dr. Samp to mediate informal discussions between the student and committee member. If a committee member declines to stand down from a graduate committee, then the student may ask Dr. Samp to convene a Special Graduate Panel to resolve the dispute. This panel will be composed of Dr. Samp and two randomly chosen faculty members who are not serving on the student's committee. The student and the committee member may each submit to Dr. Samp the name of one faculty member who will not be selected to serve on the Panel. If the Graduate Coordinator is a member of the examining committee then her functions in resolving the dispute will be assumed by the Department Head.

Panel Procedure: The Panel will hear arguments from the student and the committee member. Both the student and the committee member may attend any meeting of the Panel, except deliberations, and may present evidence, or rebut evidence that has been presented. The Panel may also request input and information from other members of the Department (faculty or student) or the graduate committee. Absent a compelling argument in favor of change, the composition of the graduate committee will not be altered. A majority vote is required to resolve the dispute.

Ownership of Ideas: The ownership of data may become an issue when modifying the composition of a graduate committee. In such circumstances, the Panel shall decide the issue of ownership.

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D. Graduate School Paperwork and Deadlines

You are responsible for meeting a large number of deadlines for the Graduate School and the University. If you do not make a deadline, you may not receive your degree. All paperwork needs to be submitted to Dustin when you have completed it. Dustin will then give it to Dr. Samp for her signature. Then Dustin will send it to the graduate school. Do not send it to the graduate school yourself.

The forms for the M.A. program are found here. You are responsible for downloading, completing, and printing these forms. You are also responsible for obtaining appropriate approval from your committee, as needed. After you have obtained appropriate signatures, please submit forms and all copies to Dustin who will then submit them to Dr. Samp for review and approval. Dustin will then make copies of your forms and submit the originals to the Graduate School.

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E. Thesis Requirements

As part of the M.A. degree you must complete a thesis, which is a written product reflecting a systematic study of a significant question, problem, or issue relevant to the communication discipline. The exact nature of the thesis will be negotiated with the student�s major professor and his or her committee.

It is expected that the student will defend his or her prospectus no later than the last day of classes of the fall semester of the second year of study, or by the end of final exam week of the same semester, with permission of the student�s committee. No thesis prospectus or thesis draft should be distributed to committee until the major professor has approved the whole document as ready for defense unless committee members explicitly agree to review drafts. Committee members must be given two weeks to read the thesis prospectus and thesis draft.

UGA requires a particular format for theses.

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F. Oral Examination Requirements

After it has been determined that a student has produced a thesis ready to be defended, a two-hour oral examination will be held. The oral examination is intended to be an inclusive examination within the student's field of study. Therefore, a portion of the oral examination may not solely focus on a student's thesis. The oral exam is graded on a pass/fail basis, with 2/3 of committee members required for an overall pass. A student who fails an oral exam will have one opportunity to retake the exam within a time frame and following conditions agreed upon by a majority of the committee. The Oral Examination must be scheduled with the Graduate School two weeks in advance, and must be scheduled through Dustin three weeks in advance.

Note: Exams are not routinely scheduled during the Summer term.

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G. Colloquium Presentation Requirement

As part of the M.A. degree you must present a research project (not restricted to your thesis) in a Department colloquium. M.A students commonly present for 15-20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of questions.

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H. Residency, Time, & G.P.A. Requirements

As per UGA guidelines, you must engage in at least 2 consecutive semesters of full-time coursework on campus. All program requirements must also be completed within six years of your first registration. You must also have a 3.0 G.P.A. to graduate.

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I. M. A. Timeline

Here is a list of tasks you should accomplish in the indicated semesters. All forms must be submitted to Dustin, to be approved by Dr. Samp.

Year 1

Semester 1 Become acquainted with the faculty
Semester 2 Select a Major Professor/Advisor and notify Dr. Samp
Compose Advisory Committee (Advisor + 2 other faculty members)
Submit Advisory Committee form
Submit Application for Graduation form (if you need to change the graduation date later, fill out this form)

Year 2

Semester 1 Complete 24 hours of required course work, exclusive of research and thesis hours. At least 12 semester hours of credit open only to graduate students (not including SPCM 7000)
Present thesis prospectus to Advisory Committee
Submit Program of Study form
Schedule your colloquium
Semester 2 Enroll in at least 3 hours of 7300
Present colloquium
Complete thesis. See formatting instructions here
Complete oral examination/thesis defense
Submit Approval form for Master’s Thesis, Defense, and Final Examination for Master’s of Arts Candidates
Submit thesis and approval form electronically

 

*Note: If any of the forms needed for graduation are between 1 and 45 days late, submit relevant form with the Late Submission form along with a late fee of $50. If forms are more than 45 days late, you will not graduate that semester.

Every time you complete or revise a form, submit it to Dustin so that he can have Dr. Samp review it. Dustin submits all forms to the Graduate School.

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IV.            The Ph.D. Program: Procedures, Requirements & Timelines

A.    Coursework Requirements

All Ph.D. students at UGA must complete a program of study which constitutes a logical whole and is defined by at least 36 hours of graduate credit, exclusive of dissertation and research hours. Further, at least 18 hours of course work must be in courses offered by the Speech Communication Department, exclusive of research or thesis hours. You cannot count more than 2 independent study courses and you cannot count more than 2 courses below the 7000 level toward the requirements for the doctorate. As a reminder, UGA does not transfer graduate credit from other institutions. However, with the permission of the advisory committee, transfer students may be allowed to reduce their total number of course hours. Please note that the actual number of hours is set by the major professor and advisory committee and may involve substantially more than 36 hours of content hours.

Any graduate student funded by the University must be enrolled in 12 hours each Fall and Spring semester. If you are funded in the summer, you must also enroll in 9 hours over the summer. The Department does not advise that most students take more than 9 �content� hours. Thus, each semester, you may need to enroll in SPCM 7000 (Master�s Research) in order to reach a total of 12 hours.

Coursework required for the Ph.D. in Speech Communication varies according to area. During the first year of study, students in the Communication Studies track are required to take SPCM 8500 (Communication Theory), SPCM 8010 or 8011 (Communication Education) when relevant, SPCM 8020 (Introduction to Graduate Studies), an additional seminar in the fall, and SPCM 8700 (Empirical Research Methods), plus two additional seminars in the spring. Students in the Rhetorical Studies track are required to take SPCM 8200 (Rhetorical Theory), SPCM 8010 or 8011 (Communication Education) when relevant, SPCM 8020 (Introduction to Graduate Studies), and an additional seminar during the Fall. During the spring, Rhetoric students take SPCM 8300 (Rhetorical Criticism) plus two additional seminars. In addition, both Communication Studies and Rhetorical Studies students are required to: (1) take SPCM 8010 or 8011 every year (when teaching), (2) take 6 hours of research tools, (3) demonstrate competence in two concentrated areas of scholarship, (4) complete three hours of SPCM 8050 (Research Practicum), (5) complete at least 18 hours of course work in the department exclusive of research hours, dissertation hours, and SPCM 8050s.

Research Practicum: 8050 Requirements
The research practicum is a unique feature of the graduate program at UGA and is designed to ensure that every graduate student gets the chance to work with a faculty member on a research project before reaching the stage of independent research in his or her own dissertation. Ph.D. students take 3 hours of SPCM 8050, usually in their second, third, and fourth semesters. You should expect to spend about 20 hours of time on a one credit hour 8050. The number of semesters that a student works with any given faculty member will depend on the character of the project, and should ideally be negotiated in advance. You may only take one hour of 8050 credit with any one professor in any given semester and you may not take 8050 credit with your major professor. Possible models for 8050s that have been used in the past include:

  • A faculty member has a project and needs help collecting data. You learn about writing questionnaires, collecting data, coding results. Also, possibly learn about data analysis and write-up.
  • A faculty member is writing a research grant/proposal/paper. Needs help with library research. You might search for documents, read and give 1 page summaries.
  • You and the faculty member start a new project (You probably should assume 2-3 8050 hours to complete). You go through all phases of a research project from initial idea, human subjects, forms, writing questionnaires, collecting data, coding results, data analysis and write-up.
  • A faculty member has a project "in process." You come into the project and help get it out the door. This option is more typical for Ph.D. rather than M.A. candidates. Examples of this include: A project half-written that needs someone to 'take charge' and finish it. Data that have been collected but no one has looked at it or thought about it. Faculty member is asked to write a book chapter but doesn�t have the time to devote to it, you help out and become co-author.
  • You started a project in a class with a faculty member. You use the 8050 as a way to finish the project with some one-on-one guidance.


Areas of Concentration & Outside Coursework
You are required to declare two concentrated areas of scholarship in your program of study, each of which should be defined by at least 3 courses (courses may not be counted in both areas). It is helpful if one of the areas is more general (e.g., Rhetorical Theory or Communication Theory) and the other is more specific (e.g., Gender and Culture or Health Communication).

Ph.D. Requirements for Methodology
All doctoral students are required to complete a minimum of 6 hours of research tools, although Communication Studies and Rhetorical Studies students have different options for how to do this. Courses taken to satisfy the research skills requirement cannot be included elsewhere in a student's Program of Study. The six hour requirement represents a minimum; more coursework may be required.

Communication Studies Students:

  1. Must receive a grade of "B" or better in the final course of the sequence of ERSH 8310-8320, the final course of the sequence of STAT 6210-6220, or an equivalent course. Alternatively, must receive a grade of "B" or better in a course where ERSH 8320, STAT 6220, or an equivalent course is a prerequisite.
  2. Must satisfactorily complete at least one additional tool course to be determined in consultation with your advisor and committee. The completion of ERSH 8320, STAT 6220, or equivalent and one additional tool course represent the minimum research methodology requirement.
  3. Ideally, Communication Studies students will acquire competencies in quantitative multivariate techniques such as factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and logistic regression, or they will acquire competencies in qualitative analytic techniques such as conversation analysis, manipulating complex relational databases, or ethnography. Examples of courses or course sequences where such skills can be acquired may be found in statistics (STAT), education (ERSH), sociology (SOCI), psychology (PSYC), and journalism (JRMC).

Rhetorical Studies Students:

Most Rhetorical Studies students complete their methodology requirements via classes offered outside of the Department. Some classes that recent students have used for the methodology requirement include (but not restricted to):

SPCM 8340 Topics in Methodologies of Rhetorical Criticism
SPCM 8360 Feminist Rhetorical Theory and Criticism
HIST 7900 Historiography
ERSH 8410 Qualitative Research Methods in Education
JRMC 9030 Qualitative Research in Mass Communication
ERSH 8420 Advanced Qualitative Methods in Education Research
SOCI 6750 Qualitative Methods in Social Research
WMST 8010 Women and the Construction of Knowledge

Coursework Plan of Study (Sample)

First year

Fall Semester Spring Semester
SPCM 8200 or 8500 (3 hrs.)
SPCM 8010 or 8011* (3 hrs.)
SPCM 8020 (1 hr.)
Electives (6 hrs.)
SPCM 8300 or 8700 (3 hrs.)
SPCM 8050 (1 hr.)
Electives (6 hrs.)
SPCM 8010 or 8011* (3 hrs.)


Second year

Fall Semester Spring Semester
Electives (9 hrs.)
SPCM 8050 (1 hr.)
SPCM 8010 or 8011* (3 hrs.)
Electives (9 hrs.)
SPCM 8050 (1 hr.)
SPCM 8010 or 8011* (3 hrs.)


Third year

Fall Semester Spring Semester
Electives (9 hrs.)
SPCM 8010 or 8011* (3 hrs.)
Electives (9 hrs.)
SPCM 8010 or 8011* (3 hrs.)


Fourth year

Fall Semester Spring Semester
SPCM 9000 (3 hrs.)
SPCM 9300 (3 hr.)
SPCM 8010 or 8011* (3 hrs.)
SPCM 9300 (9 hrs.)
SPCM 8010 or 8011* (3 hrs.)


*Note: If you are not enrolled in 8010 or 8011 (due to the nature of your teaching or research assignment, enroll in SPCM 9000).

You must be registered for 3 hours of credit in any semester when you are using University facilities - including the semester that you graduate.

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B. Advising and Registration

The academic calendar is available here. The schedule of classes for each semester is available online. Dr. Samp is responsible for advising all first-semester graduate students. In the spring semester of during the first year of study, each graduate student should work with a relevant faculty member (unless the student has already identified an advisor/major professor) in making decisions about his or her Program of Study.

In-department seminars and courses are generally determined at least a year in advance; sometimes schedule adjustments will occur the semester before the course is offered. As for out of the Department seminars, the best way to shop for them is by using OASIS. You may also want to check the websites of other departments to locate sample syllabi.

You will be permitted to register after a relevant faculty member, your major professor/advisor, or Dr. Samp has signed the yellow advisement form and you have submitted it to Dustin. Yellow advisement forms can be obtained from Dustin. After he clears you to register, you will then register online, using OASIS. It is important to remember that getting advising slips, making an appointment with your advisor, and registering are all your responsibility. Also, don't forget that you must register for classes in advance or you will not get paid.

Graduate students must register for at least 3 credit hours for two of the three semesters during the academic year, with some exceptions for some UGA employees. If you cannot enroll for two of three semesters, you should seek a leave of absence. If you seek a leave of absence from the program, such a request must be approved by Dr. Samp and the Graduate School Dean on or before the last day of classes for the semester for which the leave is to begin. A leave of absence cannot be more than 12 months. If leave of absence is not taken without approval, you must pay a reinstatement fee equivalent to registering for 3 credits at the current in-state tuition rate for each term missed since last semester of enrollment, including summer.

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C. Major Professor (Advisor) and Committee

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program are strongly encouraged to select a major professor ("advisor") no later than the week after spring break of the second year. This person must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member within the Department of Speech Communication.

In consultation with the major professor, the student will form a committee of four other faculty members. All members of the committee must have the appropriate standing on the Graduate Faculty. Further, at least three members of the advisory committee must be faculty in Speech Communication and at least one member must be from another department.

The committee, in consultation with the student, plans and approves the student's program of study, advises the student on required research skills, guides the dissertation research, reads and approves the dissertation, and administers the dissertation defense and the final examination over the program of study. The committee experience should promote scholarly discussion and generally be a constructive experience.

Changing the Composition of Graduate Committees

Changing the composition of graduate committees is generally discouraged, but may be warranted in unusual circumstances. Those circumstances include, but are not necessarily limited to instances where, a) a faculty member has engaged in unprofessional conduct directed toward the student so that the ability of the student to work with the faculty member could be impeded, b) a student's academic interests have changed substantively so that the expertise of the faculty member is no longer useful in completing the committee task, or c) a major epistemological or methodological difference of opinion exists between the student and the faculty member which cannot be resolved. Circumstances which would not warrant a change in the composition of the committee include, but are not limited to, a) scheduling concerns, b) a negative evaluation of the student's work by the faculty member, unless that evaluation is overturned by an appropriate University body, or c) a desire to avoid substantial revisions.

Changes Initiated By A Committee Member: A committee member may elect to stand down from a graduate committee. If the student has met all deadlines for submitting work to members of the committee, then a committee member must resign from the committee at least two weeks prior to any scheduled meeting so that a replacement member may have adequate time to prepare for the meeting. If the student has not met all deadlines for submitting work to the committee, then the two week requirement shall be waived.

Changes Initiated By A Student: Before a student asks a committee member to stand down from a graduate committee, the student should seek advice regarding the decision from his or her major professor. If the major professor�s removal is sought, then advice should be sought from the Dr. Samp or Dr. Biesecker. If a student decides to ask a committee member to stand down from a committee, the two parties are expected to meet informally so the request can be made. A committee member may choose to stand down from a committee as a result of the informal meeting. In that case, prompt notification to Dr. Samp is required. Students may also ask either the major professor or Dr. Samp to mediate informal discussions between the student and committee member. If a committee member declines to stand down from a graduate committee, then the student may ask Dr. Samp to convene a Special Graduate Panel to resolve the dispute. This panel will be composed of Dr. Samp and two randomly chosen faculty members who are not serving on the student's committee. The student and the committee member may each submit to Dr. Samp the name of one faculty member who will not be selected to serve on the Panel. If the Graduate Coordinator is a member of the examining committee then her functions in resolving the dispute will be assumed by the Department Head.

Panel Procedure: The Panel will hear arguments from the student and the committee member. Both the student and the committee member may attend any meeting of the Panel, except deliberations, and may present evidence, or rebut evidence that has been presented. The Panel may also request input and information from other members of the Department (faculty or student) or the graduate committee. Absent a compelling argument in favor of change, the composition of the graduate committee will not be altered. A majority vote is required to resolve the dispute.

Ownership of Ideas: The ownership of data may become an issue when modifying the composition of a graduate committee. In such circumstances, the Panel shall decide the issue of ownership.

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D. Graduate School Paperwork and Deadlines

You are responsible for meeting a large number of deadlines for the Graduate School and the University. If you do not make a deadline, you may not receive your degree. All paperwork needs to be submitted to Dustin when you have completed it. Dustin will then give it to Dr. Samp for her signature. Then Dustin will send it to the graduate school. Do not send it to the graduate school yourself.

The forms for the Ph.D. program are found here. You are responsible for downloading, completing, and printing these forms. You are also responsible for obtaining appropriate approval from your committee, as needed. After you have obtained appropriate signatures, please submit forms and all copies to Dustin who will then submit them to Dr. Samp for review and approval. Dustin will then makes copies of your forms and submits the originals to the Graduate School.

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E. Ph.D. Preliminary Examinations

Preliminary exams are taken after your plan of study. The exam process may take one of two forms: papers option or comprehensive written exams.

1. Papers Option: Because of methodological differences, the papers process for Communication Studies and for Rhetoric students works somewhat differently.

a. Communication Studies Papers Process. Two papers, one in each substantive area. There are three possibilities for types of papers:

Two original data pieces
One theory piece and one original data piece
One secondary data analysis and one original data piece

Types of Papers:

Original Data Piece. Every student will have at least one original data piece. Student will submit a theory section, method/data analysis section and, if appropriate, instrumentation. By original we mean, this proposal did not originate in a class or an 8050. This piece is not based on a secondary analysis of another data set. Students cannot collect data until the proposal has been approved by committee.

What kind of help can the committee provide during the process?
1.  Student will receive substantive feedback on the proposal and following the initial submission of the paper to the full committee.
2.  As the student writes the paper, he or she can receive answers from committee members to technical questions (is this analysis right? Is this alpha high enough? What goes in a discussion? Etc.).
3.  The advisor must read IRB forms, check questionnaires before being printed.
4.  The student should not ask for or expect substantive feedback at any time other than at the proposal defense and when turning in the first full draft to committee. This paper is an exam process, meant to establish the student's competency.

Secondary Data Piece. A student may have written a research proposal for a class paper that they want to re-develop for their exam paper. Or, the student may have been working with a faculty member on an 8050 project and there may be a part of the data set he or she thinks might be appropriate for an exam paper.

In both of these cases, the student will write a formal proposal (theory, methods, instrumentation) and submit it to the committee. Students should also submit a paragraph describing the history of the proposal (e.g., was this a class project? Have any other manuscripts been written using this data set? etc).

A second type of secondary analysis draws on data that has not been directly collected by the student. This would involve data that has been collected by another person as part of a larger project.

Similar to the requirements for the original data piece, the student will submit a proposal that includes a theory section and method/data analysis section. The student will also include: (1) a letter of transmittal from the original researcher indicating the student has permission to use the data; (2) a list of unpublished manuscripts, conference presentations, and published articles/book chapters that have been based on this data; and (3) a section that clearly details how the research questions and/or hypotheses can be addressed given the nature of the data.

When using secondary data, the student must make a strong case in the proposal that the work they are proposing is original and different from previous analyses of the data and that the data and the way it was collected is sufficiently robust to address the purpose of the research (i.e., includes relevant moderating variables, uses interview protocols that obtain the need data). In the case of some kinds of qualitative field work, the student may also need to indicate whether it is possible to validate their interpretations using techniques such as member checks.

Theory Paper. This paper should add substantially to an existing theoretical position, to make a compelling case for doing so, and to suggest major avenues for research testing the major assumptions of the theory. The proposal for a theory paper is likely to be very different than for a data paper. It is expected that a theory proposal will describe the problem and outline the approach the student plans to take to address the issue.

Proposals

The student will submit a proposal for a paper to the full 5 person committee. All committee members have the opportunity to respond to the proposal, however the two committee members who are reading for a specific area must provide substantive feedback and must sign off on the proposal. The proposal feedback should be in the form of a letter with "have-to-dos" and "recommendations."

Usually, a meeting of the full committee will occur for each proposal. At a minimum, the two readers and the chair must attend the meeting. At the discretion of the committee, the meeting requirement may be waived.

Students are encouraged to submit proposals as soon as they are complete. Thus, for example, a student may submit one proposal in February and another in October. Students may submit a proposal at any point in their program but the final papers cannot be defended until program of study course work is completed.

Submitting Completed Papers

Once the program of study is complete and the two papers are written, both papers will be sent to all five committee members. Students will turn in their papers a minimum of 3 weeks before the scheduled oral examination date.

Committee members have 2 weeks to read the papers and respond. Each committee member should send substantive feedback to the chair and student. The substantive feedback must be clearly noted as to whether the proposed changes should be completed before the final defense or if they are recommendations for future publication or issues concerning the paper that the student should be ready to discuss in the meeting.

Faculty have the following options when reading the first draft of the full papers: (a) give extensive feedback (as detailed above), from which revisions are required, (b) let the advisor know that the papers are ready to defend as is, or (c) fail the student on the written portion of the exam.

The student has two weeks to make the necessary revisions to the manuscript. At the end of the 2 weeks, the student resubmits the revised manuscripts to all committee members. The committee members then have 1 week to read the revised papers and, if the manuscripts are approved, then the oral defense is held. If more than one member of the committee votes not to proceed to an oral examination on the second submission, the student will no longer be eligible for completion of the doctorate.

The oral defense should take approximately 2 hours. One half of that time is allocated to a defense of the papers, the other half is allocated to examine program of study.

Deadline: Students have one semester plus six weeks beyond the completion of the Program of Study to complete the paper option. Students not completing the paper option within that time will forfeit the paper option and must complete a written comprehensive exam.

b. Rhetorical Studies Papers Process

A student selecting this option will write one original research essay in each of his/her two areas of study. Each paper should be of a length that is suitable for publication in a scholarly journal, approximately twenty to thirty pages.

Each paper is expected to take form either as an original research study or as a conceptual review and synthesis of an area of study. The student will propose topics to his/her committee in the form of a two or three page prospectus for each area. Students will turn in their papers a minimum of 3 weeks before the scheduled oral examination date. Committee members will notify the advisor after 2 weeks whether or not they find the papers of sufficient quality to proceed to the oral examination. If more than one member of the committee does not vote to proceed, the oral examination will be cancelled, and the student will have one additional opportunity to submit papers. If more than one member of the committee votes not to proceed to an oral examination on the second submission, the student will no longer be eligible for completion of the doctorate.

Committee members will evaluate the student's ability to examine important questions pertaining to the chosen area of study. At the oral examination, the papers will be graded pass/fail on the exam as a whole. In the event of a failing grade on the oral examination, the student will have one opportunity to rewrite and resubmit the document(s) within conditions agreed upon by a majority of the committee.

A paper may be based on an assignment previously submitted for a course, but substantial revisions will probably be necessary for even an "A" paper to be an acceptable comprehensive examination paper, as the standards of a course assignment and the goals of publication are often quite different. Essays published subsequent to the completion of the masters degree may be submitted for the comprehensive examination, but they should not be based on the master's thesis. One, but not both, of the papers may be used as a section of the student's dissertation.

The level of consultation permitted between the student and the major professor and committee members will be determined by the committee. However, these projects should be substantially independent works. Co-authored essays may not be submitted, and published versions of examination papers should be solo authored, unless significant revisions are done for publication after their acceptance for the examination.

Students have one semester plus six weeks beyond the completion of the program of study to complete the paper option. Students not completing the paper option within that time will forfeit the paper option and must complete a written comprehensive exam.

2. Written Exam Option

The Written Comprehensive Exam will consist of two parts. Part I will be an open book exam in which the candidate will answer questions in each of his/her two major areas. Two committee members are assigned to prepare the questions for each area. While there is no fixed form or length for the question, the written exam in an area might consist of one global question with a number of sub-questions, or three separate questions which are somewhat more focused in nature. The intent of this part of the exam is to give the student the opportunity to display mastery of the literature of an area and the ability to synthesize, critique, and offer original insights and commentary. The student will be allowed 1 week in which to complete the open portion of the exam. The advisor and the student will agree in advance on the exact time allotted. The faculty shall have two weeks to grade the exam.

After the answers to Part I are graded (all committee members may read answers to all questions), committee members assigned to a given area may develop specific follow-up questions to be answered by the candidate in a closed-book Part II exam. In Part II of the examination process committee members may ask for elaboration on an answer that they regard as inadequate or in need of further development. Part II will be written in the Department within two weeks of the time Part I is graded. Students will be given a maximum of eight hours for their responses. At minimum, the committee members who wrote the questions will read and grade the answers. The answers to each question will be graded Pass or Fail.

A Ph.D. student must receive passing votes from four out of five members of the committee as a whole. In the event of a failing grade, the student will have one opportunity to retake part or all of the examination. A student who fails one written exam may elect, with committee approval, to switch between options. For both options, however, a student who fails two sets of written exams will be dismissed from the program.

Note: Exams are not routinely scheduled during the Summer term.

3. Oral Preliminary Examination

After a certified "pass" has been achieved in the Written Preliminary Examination, the oral comprehensive examination will be an inclusive examination within the student's field of study. At least one half hour of the examination will be spent on program of study questions. The oral preliminary exam is graded pass/fail, with a majority of committee members required for an overall pass. A student who fails an oral preliminary exam will have one opportunity to retake the exam�� within a time frame and following conditions agreed upon by a majority of the committee. The Oral Preliminary Examination must be scheduled with the Graduate School two weeks in advance, and must be scheduled through Dustin three weeks in advance.

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F. Dissertation Requirements

The dissertation is a written product reflecting a systematic study of a significant question, problem, or issue relevant to the communication discipline. The exact nature of the dissertation will be negotiated with the student's major professor and his or her committee.

No prospectus or dissertation draft should be distributed to committee until the major professor has approved the whole document as ready for defense unless committee members explicitly agree to review drafts. After your major professor has approved your prospectus or draft, copies will be distributed to your committee. Committee members must be given two weeks to read the dissertation prospectus and the dissertation draft. Ideally, you will be ready for your prospectus meeting no later than the Fall Semester of your fourth year of residence.

UGA requires a particular format for dissertations.

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G. Dissertation Oral Examination Requirements

After it has been determined that a student has produced a dissertation ready to be defended, a two-hour oral examination of the dissertation project will be held. The oral exam is graded on a pass/fail basis, with 2/3 of committee members required for an overall pass. A student who fails an oral exam will have one opportunity to retake the exam within a time frame and following conditions agreed upon by a majority of the committee. The Oral Examination must be scheduled with the Graduate School two weeks in advance, and must be scheduled through Dustin three weeks in advance.

Note: Exams are not routinely scheduled during the Summer term.

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H. Colloquium Presentation Requirement

You must present a research project (not restricted to your dissertation) in a Department colloquium. The colloquium is usually structured for 40-45 minutes of presentation, followed by 15-20 minutes of questions. Ph.D. students typically present their "job talk" in the fall of their last year.

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I. Residency, Time, & G.P.A. Requirements

As per UGA guidelines, you must engage in at least 2 consecutive semesters of full-time coursework on campus. 30 hours of your plan of study coursework must be completed on campus. All program requirements must also be completed within 6 years of your first registration and within 5 years of your admission to candidacy. You must also have a 3.0 G.P.A. to graduate.

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J. Ph.D. Timeline

Here is a list of tasks you should accomplish in the indicated semesters. All forms must be submitted to Dustin, to be approved by Dr. Samp.

Year 1 Become acquainted with the faculty
Year 2 Select a Major Professor/Advisor and notify Dr. Samp
Compose Advisory Committee (Advisor + 4 other faculty members, one of whom must be from out of the Department)
Submit Advisory Committee form
Year 3 Complete course work for plan of study
Submit Final Program of Study form (note that there is a preliminary program of study form; this is not required)
Take and defend preliminary exams
Submit Admission to Candidacy form
Present Dissertation prospectus to Advisory Committee
Submit Application for Graduation form (if you need to change the graduation date later, fill out this form)
Year 4 Work on dissertation
Schedule & Present colloquium
Enroll in at least 10 hours of 9300
Complete Dissertation. See formatting instructions here
Defend Dissertation
Submit Approval form for Doctoral Dissertation and Final Oral  Examination
Submit Dissertation electronically

 

*Note: If any of the forms needed for graduation are between 1 and 45 days late, submit relevant form with the Late Submission form along with a late fee of $50. If forms are more than 45 days late, you will not graduate that semester.

Every time you complete a form, submit it to Dustin so that he can have Dr. Samp review it. Dustin submits all forms to the Graduate School.

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