The doctoral program of study is flexibly structured. It is designed to provide both an integrative, meta-theoretical and historical overview and individually tailored and program-supported specialization. 

Students should begin developing their programs of study during their first semester and have them approved by the time they have completed 15 semester hours.

Those students seeking a more traditional doctoral preparation may wish to adopt suggested templates for study in such areas as interpersonal communication, health communication, mass communication, media studies, library and information science, information architecture and knowledge management. 

Students also are given freedom to create unique programs of study combining various facets of the disciplines within the college. All proposed programs of study are subject to review by the Doctoral Studies Committee as well as by students' committees. 

Students are expected to become engaged in a variety of research projects before they begin dissertation work.