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. Other schools offer a Ph.D. in Mass Communication, Mass Media, or some other discipline that includes or is related to advertising.
In addition to doing coursework in advertising and research, doctoral students typically take classes in two or more other fields, thereby integrating knowledge from those various disciplines. For example, a student interested in the psychological impact of advertising might choose to take courses in psychology, while a student who is more concerned about the economic effects of advertising would be likely to take several courses in economics. This allows students to tailor their program of study to meet their own particular goals and to develop greater expertise in their chosen research areas. In this way, each doctoral student is encouraged to become a true expert regarding some aspect of advertising that especially interests him or her. In a typical year, anywhere between 25-30 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. Therefore, a student entering with a Master of Arts in Advertising may have all or most of that coursework counted toward the doctoral program, while a student with a Master's degree in a totally unrelated field may have none of their previous coursework counted. On average, most students probably take about 4 years to complete their Ph.D. program
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.
The Graduate School has asked that we include the following disclaimer:
"These Web pages provide general information as a courtesy to viewers. The catalog of the University (General Information, The Undergraduate Catalog, The Graduate Catalog, and The Law School Catalog) is the document of authority for all students. The requirements given in the catalog supersede information issued by any academic department, program, college, or school. The University reserves the right to change the requirements given in the catalog at any time."