PhD in Mass Communication

College

Art and Social Sciences

Program Type

By Research

Study Mode

Full-time or Part time

Duration

4 years Full-time and 6 years Part-time

Instruction Language

Arabic or English 

Program Coordinator

Name: Prof. Abdullah Khamis Al Kindi

Email: kindik@squ.edu.om

Tel: +968 24141673

College Website

http://www.squ.edu.om/cass

Program Overview

The program aims to enhance intellectual, theoretical, and practical knowledge in the fields of media and mass communication. It aims also to promote students’ analytical, explanatory, and critical skills in order to enable them to offer media-related consultations based on scientific research to the various governmental and private institutions as well as provide students with the necessary skills to prepare solid scientific research in the field of mass communication.
Doctoral candidates are required to produce a thesis containing original work of suitable merit to demonstrate their command of the relevant research methodology and their ability to undertake independent research. The thesis should make a significant contribution to the knowledge in media and mass communication studies, as demonstrated by at least one paper being published or accepted for publication in a specialized and refereed journal, and presenting a paper at an international academic conference. Whilst there is no minimum course work requirement, the Department Postgraduate Studies Committee or Thesis Committee may specify certain course work requirements which are deemed to be in the candidate’s interest. These requirements must be completed within the first year of study.

Admission Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution. 
• A master’s degree in mass communication or any related humanity and social sciences specializations from a recognized institution with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00, or a 4-point scale or its equivalent or Pass/No Pass System subject to the evaluation of the concerned department.
• Applicant with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) between 2.75 and 2.99 on a 4.0-point scale may be considered for admission subject with a minimum of two years of work experience and any other academic activity.
• Submit a comprehensive proposal that defines the student’s research topic and includes the research problem, theatrical framework, literature review, research objectives, questions and assumptions, and methods of data collection. 
• Submit two recommendation letters from academics attesting to the applicant’s competence in the media studies and to his/her research capabilities. 
• Conduct a personal interview with the Department Postgraduate Studies Committee in order to assess the candidate’s eligibility to the program, his/her research interests and future objectives.

English Proficiency

• Have obtained band 5.5 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic or its equivalent score in (TOFEL-IBT) International Test for students who decide to write their thesis in Arabic. 
   
• Have obtained band 6.5 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic or its equivalent score in (TOFEL-IBT) International Test, for students who decide to write their thesis in English. 
• The IELTS and TOFEL-IBT scores must be valid, provided that the test date is not more than two years from the start date of the application submission period. 
• The English language proficiency requirement may be waived if the applicant is a native English language speaker.

Selection Criteria

The Dept. Postgraduate Committee conducts interviews with the candidates for final decision regarding the admission to the program.