applying to the graduate program in communicaiton studies The Communication Studies program accepts application for the fall term only each year. The deadline is December 15th. Please submit all materials prior to the deadline. Although the Communication Studies department program in graduate studies is highly selective; the graduate studies committee carefully considers all aspects of a candidate's file in making its decision, and welcomes applicants of diverse backgrounds and interests. All applicants should read the Graduate School application thoroughly when applying. All completed applications will be reviewed and will receive a letter of decision from the UGA Graduate School in the Grad Slate application system. We hope to have most decisions released by April 15, most will be made much sooner. Note: Please check the graduate school's application site to see if your items have been received and checked in. Note: All graduate courses in communication studies are scheduled to be in person, fact-to-face classes. Frequently Asked Questions Application Deadlines All applications and application materials must be received by December 15th to receive full consideration for admission and assistantship opportunities. This includes letters of recommendation. Applications received after this deadline may not be reviewed due to program constraints. Admissions are considered for Fall semester enrollment only. Application Process Applications must be submitted through the University of Georgia Graduate School's online application. The required information and application materials detailed below will be collected through the online application. Your application will be forwarded to the Department of Communication Studies for review and recommendation. The Graduate School will provide the final determination. Application Materials All materials listed below must be present for the application to be considered complete. Please follow the guidelines below for specific criteria of the Communication Studies Graduate Program. Unofficial academic transcripts from each institution attended Electronic copy - uploaded as part of the online application. Students approved will be asked to submit Official Transcripts to finalize their admission. Three (3) Letters of Recommendation Names, affiliations, and email addresses for three recommenders will be requested as part of the online application. Your recommenders will receive a prompt via email to upload their letter. Current Résumé or Curriculum Vitae Electronic PDF or Word document - uploaded as part of the online application. Statement of Purpose Submit a 500 - 1000 word statement that addresses your academic and professional goals, your perceived fit with the program and faculty of interest, and describes the experiences that have prepared you for graduate study (including, as relevant for your area of interest: research, teaching or mentoring). Your Statement of Purpose should answer the following: Why are you pursuing this degree in Communication studies? What educational or work experience has prepared you for graduate work? Which faculty research interests are of particular interest to you? Writing Sample Specifically, 7 - 20 pages of academic writing, e.g., a class paper, convention paper, or published work. Indicate for what purpose and the date that the paper was originally written. If you are submitting a class, conference, or published paper with multiple authors, indicate your role in the paper. GRE Test Scores are NOT REQUIRED International Applicants International applicants are usually required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. The requirement of scores of 20 on the speaking and writing components of the TOEFL and 6.5 for IELTS exams are the minimum necessary for admission. Please review the information on the Graduate School website for International Applicants. This website provides country-specific admission instructions, as well. Higher scores on the speaking component of the TOEFL & IELTS are required for international students to receive financial support that will involve the instruction of undergraduate students (Teaching Assistantship). This is a minimum score of 26 for TOEFL and 8 for IELTS on the speaking components of the exams. To learn more about the language requirements at UGA and for detailed scoring requirements for each text, please see the Graduate School's page: English Language Proficiency Requirement For University of Georgia's Teaching Assistantship (TA) language requirements visit: Center for Teaching and Learning TA Policy UGA Graduate Teaching Assistants Policy The Graduate School's Supplemental Information for International Applicants site has more details on submission of required materials. Official TOEFL iBT® or IELTS scores should be sent directly from the testing agency. To expedite review, unofficial electronic scores can be uploaded as part of the online application. However, official scores are required to finalize admission and release a decision on your file. Accelerated Ph.D. Applicants If you are applying to the Accelerated Ph.D. option, please select the Ph.D. in Communication Studies in the online application. In your Statement of Purpose, please clearly indicate that you are applying for the Accelerated Ph.D. option. In addition to this note, your Statement of Purpose should address the following: Why are you pursuing a degree in Communication Studies? What educational or work experience has prepared you for graduate-level study? Which faculty research interests align with your goals? Please note that all Accelerated Ph.D. applicants will also be considered for admission to the M.A. program should they not be selected for the Accelerated Ph.D. option.
