Postgraduate Training
PhD in Communication Studies
Communication is at the very heart of all aspects of social life. Almost everything we do, the ways in which we relate to one another, all the information we have about one another and the world more generally, rely in one way or another on communication - and the language through which we communicate.
The study of language and communication crosses a number of disciplinary boundaries. Communication is not exclusively linguistic, or psychological or social - it connects all of these disciplines, and more. Which is why Communications at the University of York is an inter-disciplinary programme, involving the Educational Studies, Language and Linguistic Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Faculty who collaborate in this programme come from all these disciplines, and each has a specialized interest in the language we use to communicate with one another, and the ways in which language is used in society more broadly.
Our expertise covers a very wide range of forms of communication (or communicative contexts). We welcome applications to do doctoral research which will contribute to the rapidly developing and expanding study of language use in all forms of social, educational and political life. We are international in outlook, and currently include in the programme research into African, Chinese, Finnish, Russian and Thai societies, as well as the UK (there's more information below on the range of projects and national contexts in which research has been conducted within Communications at York). Furthermore, each of us in the programme has an international reputation for innovative, cutting edge research (both basic and applied).
Based on the principal that the study of language in communication is interdisciplinary, research students are normally supervised by two, or sometimes more, Faculty from those disciplines which are relevant to an individual student's project area. There are opportunities therefore to study in, and bring together, any of the participating disciplines. These arrangements are tailored to suit the particular interests and intellectual requirements of each student.
The programme in Communications Studies offers flexible, interdisciplinary and individualized support for research in a field of the utmost importance. Because the university is still relatively small, graduate students are given personal attention, and meet their supervisors on a frequent and regular basis (usually weekly).
The programme in Communications Studies is available to full and part time research students, and also to Visiting Research students who would like to come here for short periods (usually between one term and a year) for specialist training.
Click on the link for more information about all these possibilities.