THE GRADUATE PROGRAM

The Graduate Program in the Department of Communication and Culture was established by action of the Board of Trustees in 1968, and has offered both the Master's and Ph.D. degrees since 1973. The Graduate Program is under the general administration of the Departmental Chair and the Director of Graduate Studies, who chairs the departmental Graduate Affairs Committee. This committee, comprised of the graduate faculty of the department, is responsible for establishing departmental policies and procedures regulating graduate study.

The strength of the graduate program resides in the commitment of the faculty to ensure that students develop specialized academic skills and competencies together with an orientation toward their application to the analysis of and solution to identified communication related problems. The principal goal of the graduate program is to prepare highly trained and research competent scholars, who are committed to making major contributions to their respective disciplines and as well as to the broader social and public domains. At present, the department offers only Ph.D. degrees, with particular emphasis in the following area of Intercultural & Rhetorical Communication. The department has placed a moratorium on the Master’s program through the 2007-08 academic year, and will be not be admitted students for that period. This decision will be reviewed during Spring of 2008.

The department continues to be recognized as a national leader in the content area of Intercultural/Rhetorical Communications. The department works diligently to provide an outstanding experience to its graduate students, many of whom become highly competent specialists sought after by nationally and internationally reputable communication programs at all types and levels of institutions. Of particular note is the fact that the department has produced more Ph.D.s of color in its focused area of study than any other institution in the U.S.A.

In keeping with the legacy of Howard University, the Department of Communication and Culture is committed to the education and preparation of academicians and professionals, particularly those of African descent, to assume positions of leadership and responsibility at all levels of academic and professional endeavor. Located in the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C., a center of international policy, leadership and communication, and a hub of cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity, the Department affords students the opportunity to benefit from the wealth of resources, activities and expertise of the Washington metropolitan area. Of special note is the proximity of the Library of Congress and the University’s partnership with the regional Consortium of universities.

Mission

The departmental graduate program seeks to attract students who are intellectually rigorous and critical of mind, who respect human and cultural diversity and who will research, analyze, challenge and seek to ameliorate the conditions that confront historically under-served, under-represented and marginalized populations everywhere. The Department seeks to produce graduates who are committed to social justice in theory and in practice, and who are devoted to integrity and high ethical standards, empowering them to use interpersonal and technologically-driven communication in a multi-layered and multicultural world.

Goals & Objectives

In order to ensure continued commitment to its mission, and in order to provide a solid academic and experiential foundation for students who enter the program, the department has established the following specific program objectives:

• to provide and enlarge opportunities for teaching and research at Howard University for both faculty and students;
• to ensure the preparation of emerging scholars committed to research in the analysis of contemporary communication issues locally, nationally, and internationally;
• to disseminate information, knowledge, and technical skills about communication to the broader professional and nonprofessional communities.

Contact Person
COMC Graduate Program Director:
Dr. Richard Wright
202-806-6968
rwright@howard.edu