Online PhD in Communication Master the Art of Human Connection
60
Credit Hours
100% online, 8-week courses
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Expand Your Career Opportunities with Liberty’s Online PhD in Communication Studies
Communications is a vast field that, at its core, focuses on how humans connect with one another, both verbally and nonverbally. The communications industry is constantly growing and changing as new technologies emerge, so employers need people who are up-to-date on the latest communication theories, methods, and strategies.
If you want to enrich your understanding of human interaction and mass communication, then conferring a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Communication is a good next step in your academic and professional journey. Liberty’s doctoral program focuses primarily on research and theory, allowing you to strengthen and enhance your knowledge of communications.
With a degree as diverse and in-depth as communications, you can gain the skills you need to be a leader in a variety of fields and businesses. Maybe you want to advance in your current career or start your own company. Or perhaps you would like to become a researcher or college professor. Whatever your career goals are, our PhD in Communication can help you make your dreams a reality.
This online program can help deepen your passion for learning and communication. We are excited to partner with you as you continue your research and study in the field of communications.
Why Choose Liberty’s PhD in Communication Online?
Earning a PhD in Communication is a great way to advance in your current career or to enter a new field altogether. No matter what your goals are, our PhD in Communication can help provide you with a well-respected credential and research skills that are applicable to a host of professional settings, both in the public and private sector. For instance, you could teach undergraduate or graduate courses at a collegiate institution, carry out independent research, or work for a variety of businesses, agencies, and nonprofits.
As a doctoral student, you will study under professors who are experts in communication. Drawing on years of real-world experience, they can impart knowledge about the leading theories and praxis of communication – further preparing you to become an expert in the field.
At Liberty, you can become better equipped to achieve your academic and career goals — you’ll also be fostered in biblical principles and trained to be a Champion for Christ. Our professors can help you explore how to integrate these principles into the workplace and challenge you to follow God’s calling on your life.
We believe that you can earn your degree without putting your life on hold. That’s why we’ve designed our doctoral program to be completely online, meaning you won’t have to worry about attending on-campus classes. That way, you can complete your education while still focusing on your family and your job.
You already have a high level of mastery in the field of communications. But if you are looking for a terminal degree or a degree that allows you to mix theory and innovation, then our PhD in Communication is the program for you.
What Will You Study in Our Communications PhD Online Degree Program?
Our PhD in Communication can give you insight into the foundational principles that are behind successful communication campaigns. This program teaches invaluable knowledge and skills that can be applied to a variety of real-world roles, whether you want to work for a business, a nonprofit organization, or an institution of higher education.
With Liberty’s doctoral program, you will explore the “how” and “why” behind everyday practices used in the communications field. As well as studying various communication theories, you’ll complete practical, hands-on projects that can give you real-world practice with different communication strategies and scenarios, such as crisis communications. In addition, you can learn how to conduct in-depth research, how to assess data properly, and how to tell your company’s story more effectively than ever before.
With this degree, you will complete several courses centered around research and writing. You can sharpen your understanding of various industry techniques, such as insight tools and data gathering, to translate research and theory into effective field practice. Furthermore, our program can help develop your critical thinking and problem-solving skills through the use of solution-oriented literature.
Our professors will give you an in-depth look at how to effectively lead a communications team, how to use techniques for social media and video storytelling, and how to keep up with the ever-changing world of digital media. This program covers a diverse array of topics in the areas of both research and professional application, allowing you to gain a broad, in-depth skill set that can be applied to many jobs.
For instance, you’ll complete courses on qualitative research methods, donor relations, audience analysis, and contemporary issues in content communication. Since the field of communications covers a host of industries, your classes will draw on many disciplines, including business, education, and digital media studies. At the end of your online doctoral degree in communications, you will write and present a dissertation based on your own original research.
Potential Career Opportunities
- Advertising/public relations executive
- Chief customer experience officer
- Communications executive
- Director of online sales and services
- Research manager
- Social media executive
- University administrator
- University professor
- Vice president of customer satisfaction
Featured Courses
Degree Information
- This program falls under our School of Communication and the Arts.
- View the Graduate Communication and the Arts Course Guides (login required).
Degree Completion Plan
Not sure what to choose?
Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.
Tuition & Aid
Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for the majority of our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.
Doctoral Full Time | $595/Credit |
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Doctoral Part Time | $650/Credit |
Eligible current and former military service members and their spouses may qualify for a special rate of $300/credit hour (learn more).
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Admission Information for Our PhD in Communication
Admission Requirements
- Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
- Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited master’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA is required for admission in good standing.
- Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.
Preliminary Acceptance
If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:
- Be in your final term and planning to start your doctoral degree after the last day of class for your master’s degree.
- Complete a Master’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
- Submit an official transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show that you are within 6 credit hours of completion for a 30-48 credit hour master’s degree or within 9 credit hours of completion for a 49+ credit hour master’s degree.
- Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new doctoral degree.
Transcript Policies
Official College Transcript Policy
An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.
Admissions Office Contact Information
Liberty University Online Admissions Verification
1971 University Blvd.
Lynchburg, VA 24515
Ready to Apply?
Submit your application online or over the phone.
Military
Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.
Who May Qualify?
- Active Duty
- Reserve/National Guard
- Veterans/Retirees
- Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
Military Tuition Discount
We want to help you find the doctoral degree you want – at a price you’ve earned. As a thank-you for your military service, Liberty University offers eligible current and former service members like you or your spouse multiple pathways to earn a doctoral degree for only $300/credit hour. Find out how you can take advantage of this unique opportunity as you work toward your goal of reaching the pinnacle of your profession – for less.
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
Inner Navigation
- Overview
- What Sets Us Apart?
- Why Choose Liberty?
- What Will You Study?
- Tuition & Aid
- Admission Information
- Military
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