NCA's Doctoral Program Guide

The Department of Communication Studies at Colorado State University is a collaborative community that creates a cadre of scholars and practitioners capable of engaging with academic and professional communities to meet the challenges of our increasingly interdependent and globally diverse social worlds. Our doctoral program offers a rigorous scholarly experience with maximum flexibility.

• Candidates develop programs of study tailored to their unique professional goals, choosing courses from our three departmental specializations.
• Doctoral students teach a variety of undergraduate courses, and they are mentored by acclaimed scholars engaged in leading-edge research.
• We have distinctive programmatic features that you won’t find anywhere else in the nation, including the Center for Public Deliberation and the ACT Human Rights Film Festival.
• We train students as scholars, practitioners, and professionals who are well-prepared for the academic job market and skilled at translating their research for diverse civic and professional audiences.

Admission Requirements 

• Online Application
• Statement of Purpose
• Transcripts
• CV/Resume
• Three letters of reference
• Writing Sample

Graduate Faculty

• Professor Karrin Vasby Anderson, Ph.D., Indiana University
• Professor Eric Aoki, Ph.D., University of Washington
• Professor Carl Burgchardt, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
• Professor Martín Carcasson, Ph.D., Texas A&M University
• Associate Professor Hye Seung Chung, Ph.D., U.C.L.A
• Professor Greg Dickinson, Ph.D., University of Southern California
• Professor Scott Diffrient, Ph.D., U.C.L.A
• Associate Professor Thomas R. Dunn, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
• Assistant Professor Evan Elkins, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
• Associate Professor Meara Faw, Ph.D., University of Washington
• Professor Katie Gibson, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University
• Associate Professor Kit Hughes, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
• Assistant Professor Morgan Johnson, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University
• Associate Professor Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, Ph.D., University of Denver
• Assistant Professor Katherine Knobloch, Ph.D., University of Washington
• Associate Professor Ziyu Long, Ph.D., Purdue University
• Associate Professor Nick Marx, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
• Assistant Professor Elizabeth Parks, Ph.D., University of Washington
• Associate Professor Elizabeth Williams, Ph.D., Purdue University

NCA Awards Received by Faculty and Students, 2000-present

• Stephen E. Lucas Debut Publication Award, 2011, 2021
• Golden Anniversary Monograph Award, 2012, 2017
• Winans-Wichelns Memorial Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Rhetoric and Public Address, 2014
• James L. Golden Outstanding Student Essay in Rhetoric Award, 2018