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Communication Studies

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Communication Studies

Location

Location

  • Department of Art History and Communication Studies
  • Arts Building, W-225 (West Wing, top floor)
  • 853 Sherbrooke Street West
  • Montreal, QC H3A 2T6
  • Canada
  • Telephone: 514-398-4933
  • Fax: 514-398-7247
  • Email: graduate.ahcs [at] mcgill.ca
  • Website: www.mcgill.ca/ahcs

About Communication Studies

About Communication Studies

The graduate program in Communication Studies offers M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The program is concerned with the study of communication phenomena through interdisciplinary training that draws on a variety of fields including cultural studies, critical media and technology studies, public policy and governance, film, and sound studies. The program strives to offer a balance of humanities and social sciences approaches to the analysis of communication, and its orientation is primarily qualitative (rather than quantitative) in nature. The M.A. and Ph.D. degrees are academic in character, and do not include professional training in journalism, organizational communication, or media production. The graduate option in Gender and Women’s Studies is available as a program option, and students benefit from the resources and activity of Media@91ÉçÇř, a hub of research and public outreach on critical issues in media, culture, and emerging technology.

91ÉçÇř is situated in one of the most vibrant cities in North America, and Montreal offers myriad opportunities for graduate students to engage with local arts institutions either officially, through internships and research fellowships, or unofficially, through volunteering. Institutions range from the large-scale public museums (such as the MusĂ©e d'art contemporain, and the MusĂ©e des beaux-arts) to smaller alternative galleries (such as La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse and Studio XX, feminist arts spaces), as well as university-based venues such as the Redpath Museum on campus and the McCord Museum of Canadian History (which houses the 91ÉçÇř Archives) and independent contemporary art galleries such as DHC and the Darling Foundry. The Canadian Centre for Architecture, with its archives and exhibitions, also offers grants and research opportunities for local graduate students. A close relationship with the other three major universities in Montreal, Concordia University, UniversitĂ© de MontrĂ©al, and UniversitĂ© de QuĂ©bec Ă  MontrĂ©al, affords students access to a broad network of additional courses, lectures, and colleagues across the city.

The Communication Studies program offers courses and directs project research in preparation for the M.A. Thesis and Ph.D. in Communication Studies.

For more information on the program, please visit our website: www.mcgill.ca/ahcs.

To obtain funding information, please consult Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, 91ÉçÇř, James Administration Building, Room 400, 845 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T5. Telephone: 514-398-3990. Website: www.mcgill.ca/gps.

For programs in Art History and Communication Studies, refer to our website: www.mcgill.ca/ahcs.

Master's and Ph.D. Degrees

The master's program requires a three-semester residency, the successful completion of a total of seven courses (21 credits, including the Pro-Seminar course), a thesis (equivalent to 24 credits), and the fulfilment of a French language requirement. Three years of residence are normally required for the Ph.D. degree (candidates with an M.A. will be admitted at the Ph.D. 2 level of the doctoral program, thereby gaining credit for one year of resident study). The Ph.D. program of study is comprised of five courses (15 credits), the Pro-Seminar (3 credits), a comprehensive examination (0 credits), a dissertation proposal, and a written dissertation with its defense. At the beginning of the third year of study, Ph.D. students are required to satisfy a French Language Requirement demonstrating French language ability in their area of research. Ph.D. students who have selected the graduate option in Gender and Women’s Studies are required to take 9 credits (within the total credits that are required for the Ph.D. degree); WMST 601 AND WMST 602 are required plus one 3-credit complementary Art History course related to gender and women’s studies. All course selection must first be approved by the supervisor/graduate program director.

Students enter our graduate programs from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, though all have a history of documented academic excellence and aptitude for advanced scholarly research. Over the past 30 years, the Graduate Program in Communication Studies has trained many of Canada's leading communications scholars. Graduates of the program may be found working in all levels of government, within the cultural industries, and in dozens of university Communication Studies departments around the world.

Master of Arts (M.A.); Communication Studies (Thesis) (45 credits)
The M.A. in Communication Studies offers advanced training in the critical, historical, and theoretical analysis of communication in culture, communication technology, and communication policy.
Master of Arts (M.A.); Communication Studies (Thesis) — Gender and Women's Studies (45 credits)
The graduate option in Gender and Women's Studies (GWS) provides graduate students obtaining degrees in a variety of participating departments and faculties with a cross-disciplinary specialization in feminist, women's, and gender studies. This program is open to graduate students at 91ÉçÇř enrolled in a department that has approved the option. Students who pursue this option obtain a graduate degree in their own department as well as an “option/concentration” in Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS), if the option has been approved by the given department. Thus, the graduate option in Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS) will appear on a student’s transcript along with the designated graduate degree (M.A. or Ph.D.). The option was developed by the Women's Studies Program in response to needs expressed by the Graduate Group for Feminist Scholarship (GGFS) and to the range of inquiries the Women's Studies Program regularly receives from potential students interested in graduate-level work with a feminist focus at 91ÉçÇř. There are no prerequisites to enter into the option. However, undergraduate or graduate courses in gender or women’s studies provide an ideal foundation for more in-depth study of and research in feminist scholarship. The thesis must be on a topic centrally related to gender and/or women's studies.
Master of Arts (M.A.); Communication Studies (Non-Thesis) (45 credits)
Please contact the Department for more information about this Non-Thesis option.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.); Communication Studies
The Ph.D. in Communication Studies offers in-depth training in the critical, historical, and theoretical analysis of communication in culture, communication technology, and communication policy. Doctoral students pursue coursework, submit a comprehensive exam and thesis proposal, with the goal of writing a dissertation that makes an original contribution to knowledge in Communication Studies. The Ph.D. degree is academic in character, and does not include professional training in media production.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.); Communication Studies — Gender and Women's Studies
The graduate option in Gender and Women's Studies (GWS) provides graduate students obtaining degrees in a variety of participating departments and faculties with a cross-disciplinary specialization in feminist, women's, and gender studies. This program is open to graduate students at 91ÉçÇř enrolled in a department that has approved the option. Students who pursue this option obtain a graduate degree in their own department as well as an “option/concentration” in Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS), if the option has been approved by the given department. Thus, the graduate option in Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS) will appear on a student’s transcript along with the designated graduate degree (M.A. or Ph.D.). The option was developed by the Women's Studies Program in response to needs expressed by the Graduate Group for Feminist Scholarship (GGFS) and to the range of inquiries the Women's Studies Program regularly receives from potential students interested in graduate-level work with a feminist focus at 91ÉçÇř. There are no prerequisites to enter into the option. However, undergraduate or graduate courses in gender or women’s studies provide an ideal foundation for more in-depth study of and research in feminist scholarship.
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2011-2012 (last updated Aug. 11, 2011) (disclaimer)

Communication Studies Admission Requirements and Application Procedures

Communications Studies Admission Requirements and Application Procedures

Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements

M.A.

An honours bachelor's degree or equivalent is required of applicants for the M.A. program, with a minimum CGPA of 3.3 out of 4.0 or the equivalent, i.e., B+ (75%). In any case, the transcript must show breadth or depth in related areas of study.

Ph.D.

Applicants for the Ph.D. program are expected to have completed the equivalent of an M.A. degree. Admission will be based on academic achievement and evidence of talent and strong motivation in Communication Studies.

Application Procedures

Application Procedures

Dates for Guaranteed Consideration

For dates for guaranteed consideration, please consult the following website: www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/programs. Then select the appropriate program.

Note: We are not willing to consider any applications to be admitted for the Winter/Summer term.

Applications will be considered by the deadline of January 15 and upon receipt of:

  1. Completed and signed application form.
  2. A non-refundable application fee of CAD$100 must accompany each application (including 91ÉçÇř students), otherwise it cannot be considered. This sum must be remitted by credit card only.
  3. Two official copies of all transcripts are required for admission. Transcripts written in a language other than English or French must be accompanied by a certified translation. An explanation of the grading system used by the applicant’s university is essential. It is the applicant’s responsibility to arrange for transcripts to be sent. Documents submitted will not be returned. It is desirable to submit a list of the titles of courses taken in the major subject, since transcripts often give code numbers only.
  4. Two letters of recommendation on letterhead or bearing the university seal and with original signatures from two instructors familiar with the applicant’s work, preferable in the applicant’s area of specialization, are required. It is the applicant’s responsibility to arrange for these letters to be sent.
  5. Applicants to graduate studies whose mother tongue is not English and who have not completed an undergraduate or graduate degree from a recognized foreign institution where English is the language of instruction or from a recognized Canadian institution (anglophone or francophone), must submit documented proof of competency in oral and written English, by completing the TOEFL exams (minimum score 550 on the paper-based test, or 86 on the Internet-based test, with each component score not less than 20). Results must be submitted as part of the application.
  6. Statement of interest of at least 500 words addressing the student’s interest in communication studies and the proposed area of research.
  7. Two examples of written work.
  8. Proof of citizenship (certified photocopy of passport, birth certificate, or equivalent).

Inquiries regarding the program should be addressed to the Graduate Administrative Coordinator, Department of Art History and Communication Studies.

91ÉçÇř’s online application form for graduate program candidates is available at www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/apply.

Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2011-2012 (last updated Aug. 11, 2011) (disclaimer)

Art History and Communication Studies Faculty

Art History and Communication Studies Faculty

Chair
Will Straw
Directors
Darin Barney – Director, Graduate Programs in Communication Studies
Amelia Jones – Director, Graduate Programs in Art History
Cecily Hilsdale – Director, Undergraduate Programs in Art History
Becky Lentz – Director, Undergraduate Programs in Communication Studies
Emeritus Professors
John M. Fossey; B.A.(Birm.), D.U.(Lyon II), F.S.A., R.P.A.
George Szanto; B.A.(Dart.), Ph.D.(Harv.)
Professors
Amelia Jones; B.A.(Harv.), M.A.(Penn.), Ph.D.(Calif.)
Marc Raboy; B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D.(McG.)
Christine Ross; M.A.(C'dia), Ph.D.(Paris I)
Will Straw; B.A.(Car.), M.A., Ph.D.(McG.)
Associate Professors
Darin Barney; B.A., M.A.(S. Fraser), Ph.D.(Tor.)
Jenny Burman; B.A.(C'dia), M.A., Ph.D.(York)
Charmaine Nelson; B.F.A., M.A.(C'dia), Ph.D.(Manc.)
Carrie Rentschler; B.A.(Minn.), M.A., Ph.D.(Ill.-Urbana-Champaign)
Jonathan Sterne; B.A.(Minn.), A.M., Ph.D.(Ill.-Urbana-Champaign)
Angela Vanhaelen; B.A.(W. Ont.), M.A., Ph.D.(Br. Col.)
Assistant Professors
Cecily Hilsdale; B.F.A.(C'dia), M.A., Ph.D.(Chic.)
Mary Hunter; B.A.(Qu.), M.A., Ph.D.(Lond.)
Matthew Hunter; B.A.(Reed), M.A., Ph.D.(Chic.)
Roberta G. Lentz; B.A.(Arkansas), M.A.(Ill.-Chic.), Ph.D.(Texas-Austin)
Adjunct Professors
Cornelius Borck, Johanne Lamoureux, Charles Levin, Bronwen Wilson
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2011-2012 (last updated Aug. 11, 2011) (disclaimer)

Master of Arts (M.A.); Communication Studies (Thesis) (45 credits)

The M.A. in Communication Studies offers advanced training in the critical, historical, and theoretical analysis of communication in culture, communication technology, and communication policy. M.A. students pursue coursework and write an M.A. thesis that reflects sustained analysis of a topic in Communication Studies. The M.A. degree is academic in character, and...

For more information, see Master of Arts (M.A.); Communication Studies (Thesis) (45 credits).

Master of Arts (M.A.); Communication Studies (Thesis) — Gender and Women's Studies (45 credits)

The graduate option in Gender and Women's Studies is an interdisciplinary program for students who meet the degree requirements in Communication Studies who wish to earn 6 credits of approved coursework focusing on gender and women's studies, and issues in feminist research and methods. The thesis must be on a topic centrally related to gender and/or women's...

For more information, see Master of Arts (M.A.); Communication Studies (Thesis) — Gender and Women's Studies (45 credits).

Master of Arts (M.A.); Communication Studies (Non-Thesis) (45 credits)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.); Communication Studies

Candidates with an M.A. degree will be admitted at the Ph.D. 2 level, thereby gaining credit for one year of resident study. When admitted at Ph.D. 2 level, two years of residence are required for the doctoral degree.

For more information, see Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.); Communication Studies.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.); Communication Studies — Gender and Women's Studies

Candidates with an M.A. degree will be admitted at the Ph.D. 2 level, thereby gaining credit for one year of resident study. When admitted at Ph.D. 2 level, two years of residence are required for the doctoral degree. ...

For more information, see Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.); Communication Studies — Gender and Women's Studies .

Faculty of Arts—2011-2012 (last updated Aug. 11, 2011) (disclaimer)
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