Graduate Program
• 30 hours of course work, including 3 hours of RTF 395, Theory and Literature, and 6 hours of Thesis Preparation (698A and 698B). No more than 9 hours of course work in media production (among the 30 required graduate hours) may be applied to the degree. The Graduate School requires that 6 of the 30 hours must be in a minor field, outside the student's major department. Minor work may be done in the College of Communication or elsewhere in the University.
• A Thesis written under the direction of an advisor and second reader. The Thesis is written under the course numbers 698A and 698B. The student receives 6 hours of credit for researching and writing the Thesis. The final grade for Thesis appears as CR (credit).
• 33 hours of course work, including 3 hours of RTF 395, Theory and Literature, 3 hours of a Project (388), and 3 hours of Report Preparation (398R). No more than 9 hours of course work in media production (among the 30 required graduate hours) may be applied to the degree. The Graduate School requires that 6 of the 30 hours must be in a minor field, outside the student's major department. Minor work may be done in the College of Communication or elsewhere in the University.
• A Report written under the direction of an advisor and second reader. The Report is written under the course number 398R. The student receives 3 hours of credit for researching and writing the Report. The final grade for Thesis appears as CR (credit).
All Ph.D. students are guaranteed four years of funding in the form of Teaching or Research Assistantships.
Students admitted to this program must have already earned an M.A. degree. Although not usually stated in hours, the Ph.D. degree requires a minimum 48 hours beyond the Master's degree. Additional work beyond the minimum 48 hours may be required. Required courses include 6 hours in RTF 395 (Theory and Literature), and 12 hours of other research tools or language. The Department also requires that 9 of the 48 hours must be in a minor field, outside the RTF department. Minor work may be done in the College of Communication or elsewhere in the University. The Ph.D. in this department is a scholarly degree incorporating research and culminating in a Dissertation. Producing original and publishable work is part of our degree expectations. No Ph.D. program exists in Film and Video Production or in Writing for Film and Electronic Media.
• A written Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination, usually taken in the semester following completion of course work. This examination is usually completed in three days (24 total test hours) and focuses on the student's plan of study, specialized as well as minor areas, and proposed dissertation work.
• Preparation of a Dissertation Proposal approved by the student's committee of five faculty members.
• A Dissertation written under the direction of one or more advisors and an oral defense before a committee of at least five faculty members. The Graduate School requires that at least one of the five Dissertation Committee members be from a department other than Radio-Television-Film.
Students may pursue dual degrees in a variety of programs at the Masters Degree in Media Studies level. (Please note that no dual degree is offered with the Master of Fine Arts in Film and Video Production, the Ph.D. in Media Studies or the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Film and Electronic Media.)
Applicants to any of the dual degree programs must apply separately to each program and be accepted in each program. For example, if you are interested in a dual degree program with Middle Eastern Studies, you would submit separate and complete application packets to both Radio-TV-Film and Middle Eastern Studies. Please refer to the Application section of this web site for information on applying to the Department of Radio-TV-Film.
Dual Degree Codes:
624300 -- Radio-Television-Film/Business Administration
624330 -- Radio-Television-Film/Latin American Studies
624360 -- Radio-Television-Film/Middle Eastern Studies
624390 -- Radio-Television-Film/Public Affairs
624420 -- Radio-Television-Film/Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Departments participating in Dual Degree Programs with Radio-TV-Film are listed below:
Radio-TV-Film (M.A.) / Business (M.B.A.)
Radio-TV-Film (M.A.) / Latin American Studies (M.A.)
Radio-TV-Film (M.A.) / Middle Eastern Studies (M.A.)
Radio-TV-Film (M.A.) / Public Affairs (M.A.)
Radio-TV-Film (M.A.) / Russian Studies (M.A.)