About the Ph.D. Program

The Department of Advertising at The University of Texas at Austin is the only program in the world to offer a Ph.D. in Advertising. Our interdisciplinary approach emphasizes the research aspects that are to be expected at a Research 1 university by providing the tools necessary to become productive scholars, teachers and leaders in the academic community. Faculty members with backgrounds in areas such as marketing, communications, advertising, media, psychology, health, technology and economics, offer a unique perspective to the study of advertising. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary approach allows students to tailor their program to meet their own particular goals and develop greater expertise in their chosen areas. In a typical year, anywhere between 30-40 Doctoral students are enrolled. Information about current doctoral students and their interests show the diversity of the program. 

The time needed to complete a Ph.D. is varied. Some or most of the coursework taken during the Master's program may be counted toward the Ph.D., depending upon how applicable a course is to the student's area of study. On average, most students take about 4 years to complete their Ph.D. program.

The department offers support to our incoming students with teaching assistantships, graduate assistantships and University fellowships as well as funds for conference presentations. 

The above is a very basic description of the Ph.D. program in the Department of Advertising. For additional information, you can download a copy of our Ph.D. Handbook -- get Adobe Acrobat to view.