What's the use of a doctorate in communications?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Roscoe, Nov 18, 2002.

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  1. Roscoe

    Roscoe Guest

    Besides Communication courses, can it be used for teaching English?

    A good South African school could not take me into its English program, but has welcomed me in through the communications department. The degree would be a Ph.D. in Communications Science.

    I was not accepted into the English program because none of my degrees are in English.

    My interest in the doctorate is to have a teaching credential for English or something in the Humanities on the college level.

    Could some of you provide advice or comments on this?

    Thanks.

    Roscoe
     
  2. tenbsmith

    tenbsmith New Member

    I know of people in academics with a degree in one field teaching in another. Degree in communications teaching in english might work. Especially if you had experience teaching English.

    However, seems like it would be easier for you to teach Communications, a social science in the humanities.
     
  3. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    At the time I did my Ph.D. in the Department of Communication Sciences at Michigan State, some schools were making a distinction between a degree in "communication" (the more theoretical end of things: lots of psychology, sociology, statistics, research design) and "communications" (the more practical end: journalism, English, advertising, propaganda).

    But that distinction (mine is the singular form) doesn't seem often to carry over into hiring practices. I think. One of my classmates recently returned to the academic world, after years in government, as a professor of English literature at a large state university. As tenbsmith points out, his knowledge of that field (considerable) probably trumped his degree not-quite-in-that-field.
     

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