Career prospects for a Comms PHD

herobolt · October 19, 2009

Hi,

I have a good bachelor's business degree, and have been working in publishing for a number of years.

I am considering a Communications phd to move up in my career, be it in academia or back in the private sector. What kind of jobs do such phd holders get into? If they were to teach, do they get the short end of the stick compared to 'hard science' academics?

Rgds

socialcomm · October 21, 2009

As I said yesterday (that was yesterday, right?), communications is a broad field. What aspect of communications are you interested in? That'll in part help answer your questions. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by the short end of the stick?

herobolt · October 21, 2009

Well, i'm thinking of a career change and pretty flexible about what kind of 'communication studies' i am doing. I'm still in the process of researching my options. I've heard that Communications academia aren't as highly valued as academia in the hard sciences, and some have difficulty finding work. So i'm asking if anyone can share his/her experiences regarding such issues.

As I said yesterday (that was yesterday, right?), communications is a broad field. What aspect of communications are you interested in? That'll in part help answer your questions. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by the short end of the stick?

naptown · October 21, 2009

Well, i'm thinking of a career change and pretty flexible about what kind of 'communication studies' i am doing. I'm still in the process of researching my options. I've heard that Communications academia aren't as highly valued as academia in the hard sciences, and some have difficulty finding work. So i'm asking if anyone can share his/her experiences regarding such issues.

Like socialcomm explains, communication is a broad field with pretty distinct areas. If you're not serious about a particular aspect of communication, you'll have a hard time getting accepted and succeeding anywhere, especially jumping from a bachelor's degree to a doctoral program. Communication is not a catch-all or safety net.

Academics in communication are just as valued as anyone else in the social sciences, and communication is a growing and thriving discipline. The hard sciences (STEM) may be better funded and more valued in some cases by university administrations, compared to social sciences and arts/humanities. Maybe that's what you mean. But there's no shortage of work and recognition for serious communication scholars.

Edited October 21, 2009 by naptown

herobolt · October 26, 2009

Like socialcomm explains, communication is a broad field with pretty distinct areas. If you're not serious about a particular aspect of communication, you'll have a hard time getting accepted and succeeding anywhere, especially jumping from a bachelor's degree to a doctoral program. Communication is not a catch-all or safety net.

Academics in communication are just as valued as anyone else in the social sciences, and communication is a growing and thriving discipline. The hard sciences (STEM) may be better funded and more valued in some cases by university administrations, compared to social sciences and arts/humanities. Maybe that's what you mean. But there's no shortage of work and recognition for serious communication scholars.

Thanks for the responses. Yes, due to the fact that hard sciences are better funded, i have the impression that comms and humanities depts are the less appreciated, and will be slashed the moment there's a budget issue.

Well, due to my lack of knowledge on the types of comms phds and career paths, that's why I'm here looking for answers. Pardon my ignorance. I'm still at the stage of looking at various phd paths and pondering about where i can end up. I might find something i really like with conviction, and still carve out a good career.

Would anyone be able to give a very brief outline of the types of comms phds and what careers they lead to?

socialcomm · October 26, 2009

Here's a few schools for you to take a look at. Check out the descriptions, research areas, what faculty and students are working on, and where people end up afterwards.

http://annenberg.usc.edu/

http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/cs/ContentServer/jrn/1165270052340/page/1165270091299/JRNSimplePage2.htm

http://www.jou.ufl.edu/grad/phd.asp

http://journalism.indiana.edu/graduate/phd-in-mass-communication/

http://crdm.chass.ncsu.edu/

Good luck!