College: College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Designation: Department
Majors and degrees offered: M.S. in Life Sciences Communication
Other: Ph.D. minor in Life Sciences Communication; Ph.D. is offered in Mass Communications (in cooperation with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication)
Faculty: Professors Hitchon McSweeney (chair), Gunther, Meiller, Reaves, Scheufele; Associate Professors Loew, Schenck, Shepard; Assistant Professors Rojas, Nan
The department offers the master of science in life sciences communication. It also offers the Ph.D. in mass communications in cooperation with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Teaching and research in the department focus on science and technology communication in the areas of natural resources, environment, agriculture, health, nutrition, and family and consumer affairs. The department also has a strong program in international and development communication.
The graduate programs provide advanced professional training in communication, and preparation for communication research and teaching. Many students in the master's program are studing to become professional communicators, particularly in science-related fields.
Department research includes research on media and message effects, audience processing of information, use of communication technologies, and evaluation of education campaigns. In development communications, research looks at communication from the indigenous to the mass media levels as well as organizational communication. Graduate students have considerable freedom in selecting topics for thesis and dissertation research as long as these topics fall within the broad interests of the department.
The department typically has 40 to 50 graduate students. Of these, about 18 are pursuing doctoral degrees. Generally about 20 percent are international students.
Project, teaching, and research assistantships are available. The department also recommends qualified students for university fellowships.
Students may be admitted for graduate work in the department upon meeting the Graduate School requirements for admission. In some cases, admission on probation may be recommended for students who do not meet these requirements, provided that strong supporting evidence is submitted. Students who have career goals in professional journalism but no previous journalism training or experience are required to take remedial journalism courses in addition to the required number of graduate credits.
Applications are judged on the basis of previous academic record, Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, personal statement of career goals and reasons to study in the department, and letters of recommendation. The admissions committee seeks a good match between an applicant's interests and those of the department. Admission is competitive.
Applicants must submit an online application, GRE scores, a statement of purpose, transcripts of grades, official certification of degrees earned, and three letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation should come from people who can speak to the scholarly abilities of the applicant. International applicants are required to take and attain a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam.
The department welcomes telephone calls and visits from interested students. The admissions committee chair will arrange for interested students to meet with faculty members and graduate students.
This joint program with the U.S. Peace Corps coordinates graduate study with a two-year Peace Corps service commitment. Students work with faculty to develop applied research that fulfills the requirement of a thesis or creative project. For more information, see www.cals.wisc.edu/studyabroad/peace-corps/ .
The Ph.D. degree in mass communications is an interdisciplinary program offered jointly by the Department of Life Sciences Communication and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The Ph.D. program in mass communications provides training for independent and original research. Programs are related to specific interests and are arranged to draw freely from appropriate departments within the university. Early in the program, the student specifies the nature of the proposed research. Then, in consultation with the major professor and the committee, the student develops an individual plan of courses and seminars. Candidates for this program are expected to have demonstrated an interest and background in communication research by having earned the M.S. degree in life sciences communication as offered at the UW-Madison, or its equivalent. The committee administering the program, however, may accept other evidence of suitable preparation.
Some areas emphasized by Ph.D. students in the past have included international communication, history of mass communication, social or psychological factors affecting communication, and technological and legal aspects of mass communication.
The program is supervised by a Ph.D. committee made up of members of the graduate committees of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Department of Life Sciences Communication.
For more information: Professor Al Gunther, Graduate Admissions Chair, Department of Life Sciences Communication, 440 Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706-1563, 608/262-1506, fax 608/265-3042; agunther@wisc.edu; www.lsc.wisc.edu.