Dealing with statistics?

[Iamhere]

Hi I'm an international student applying for Communication Phd programs this year.

I'm actually very curious to know how communication Phd students deal with math or statistics.

As I'm interested in quantitative research I know I should be able to deal with statistics

but math and statistics have never been my strongest area. I am familiar with very (that means really very ) basic statistics though.

Do Phd programs offer statistics courses that I can follow up or are statistical knowledge and application skills something required as soon as I start?

Since starting a Phd program is a big investment I'd really like to know how all of you prepared or how you are all trying to deal with statistics during the Phd program.

Thanks in advance!

[commsch12]

I have experience in political science, not comm, but from my very limited comm experience poli sci is a more stats-heavy discipline in general. In my entering class, which contained two master's students and six or seven PhD students, I would say overall we possessed very basic stats knowledge (maybe on the level of one, possibly two, undergrad stats courses). I had taken a semester of calculus but never taken statistics. Our program's research methods sequence was set up to start with a very basic stats course and work up from there - and it was not difficult at all.

I imagine comm to be similar; of course it probably depends a lot on what school and type of program you apply to, but all the course requirement lists I've seen include some stats-based research methods courses that should teach what you need. I haven't seen any programs that have stats prereq requirements, either.

[Iamhere]

I have experience in political science, not comm, but from my very limited comm experience poli sci is a more stats-heavy discipline in general. In my entering class, which contained two master's students and six or seven PhD students, I would say overall we possessed very basic stats knowledge (maybe on the level of one, possibly two, undergrad stats courses). I had taken a semester of calculus but never taken statistics. Our program's research methods sequence was set up to start with a very basic stats course and work up from there - and it was not difficult at all.

I imagine comm to be similar; of course it probably depends a lot on what school and type of program you apply to, but all the course requirement lists I've seen include some stats-based research methods courses that should teach what you need. I haven't seen any programs that have stats prereq requirements, either.

Thanks Clarisse09! You've been a lot of help. The history of Communication as a scholarly field hasn't been long, so I'm pretty sure it deals with less complicated statistics compared to sociology or psychology. Still, the articles I read these days are using more and more sophisticated statistical tools which makes me kind of uneasy . Oh well, hope I can build up my basis when I get into the program! Thanks!

[IronicStatement]

Do Phd programs offer statistics courses that I can follow up or are statistical knowledge and application skills something required as soon as I start?

Hello Iamhere,

Many Universities with premier Communication/ Communication Research programs also offer Statistics programs with "concentrations" or even dual-masters in social statistics, or at the very least those programs will have one or two courses in quantitative methodologies.

For example, I know the University of Washington has a Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences, and similar programs are not uncommon. --> http://www.csss.washington.edu/