Apply to ICR doctoral program by December 15

11/29/2021

UIUC Quad

We are looking for the next generation of media and communications scholars to join us in the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising is especially interested in recruiting students with interdisciplinary research interests in the areas of health communication, persuasion, mis/disinformation, media psychology, computational methods + big data, algorithms/AI, and privacy. The Department of Journalism seeks students with research interests in the areas of data journalism/visualization, machine learning, mis/disinformation, immersive technologies in journalism, and the political economy of news production. The Department of Media & Cinema Studies seeks students over a range of research areas including film studies; documentary; information, platform, and infrastructure studies; bodies and technology; sports media; and community media and social justice.

For Fall 2022 admission, submit your application by December 15, 2021.

Wilbur Schramm created the Institute of Communications Research (ICR) in 1947 as the home for the interdisciplinary study of mass communication. Today, we continue to celebrate that tradition with a flexible curriculum that allows students to take advantage of formal partnerships with many of the world-class academic departments, institutes, and research initiatives across our campus. Our faculty work across disciplinary boundaries, conducting cutting-edge research in media and consumer psychology, advertising, advertising history, interpersonal communication, persuasion, public relations, health messaging, and many other areas. 

ICR students and faculty have a strong tradition in producing top-quality research in advertising, media, and consumer research. The first PhD from the ICR was granted in 1951. Over the last 70+ years, many ICR students have gone on to become leaders in the field, both in academia and in the industry. Recent ICR graduates have joined the faculties of leading universities, such as the University of California Santa Barbara, University of Miami, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Our graduates have also accepted senior research positions at industry careers at top companies.  

Founded in 1867, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public land-grant university—it is one of the original 37 public land-grant institutions—and among the nation’s most prominent research institutions. As a world-class teaching and research institution, UIUC provides vast resources to support graduate education and research, including:

Learn more about the application procedure or contact Professor Mira Sotirovic (Director of Graduate Studies) to find out more about the program.