Ph.D. in Journalism

Ph.D. students at Merrill engage in cutting-edge scholarship with renowned faculty to research the many dimensions of journalism (data journalism, multimedia, social media, gender, and history, to name a few). Merrill doctoral students also tap a network of colleagues across the campus of the University of Maryland including those from information sciences, communication, political science, history, sociology, psychology, and public policy.

You’ll become a key component in the teaching and research environment at Merrill College, sharing your expertise with undergraduates, co-publishing with faculty, and presenting your work at national and international conferences.

Merrill students should plan on completing their Ph.D. within four years. Our graduates now work in academia, the media, or government agencies.

The Philip Merrill College of Journalism is a professional school dedicated to two missions: First, to educate and train students to become leaders of the news business in print, television/radio, and online journalism. Second, to prepare scholars of distinction whose published works and critiques will advance the standards and practices of journalism, and our understanding of the news media and its influence on society.

These missions are complementary; together, they embrace the larger purposes for which the American free press was created: to assist the public and its leaders to receive the kind of reliable information essential for the functioning of the democracy.

In offering a Ph.D. in Journalism Studies, the University of Maryland provides scholars and journalistic practitioners a unique opportunity to study the workings of the media and assess its effect on society in the news center of the world. Intellectual resources on the Maryland campus alone offer a rich menu for scholars at a university and a journalism college that take pride in striving for the broadest application of the indispensable principle of diversity in its students, its faculty, and its course offerings.

Among the highly regarded university programs available for Ph.D. candidates to explore are such subjects as American studies, women’s studies, information technology, public policy, sociology, and a wide range of specialty areas covering the fields of business, the sciences, environmental policy, and studies relating to concerns affecting women, the family, race, and minorities. In addition to these advantages, the capital area forms a unique laboratory for examining the professional functioning of journalism practiced by the most numerous and diverse domestic and foreign news organizations operating anywhere. It also presents an opportunity for scholars to take advantage of the unrivaled archival/historical resources available here through such institutions as the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the National Public Broadcasting Archives, and Library of American Broadcasting (located on the University of Maryland campus), numerous museums, galleries, national “think tanks,” as well as the principal government agencies and departments, the courts, the branches of Congress with their multiple fact-gathering committees and subcommittees, and the interest groups, political consultants, and pollsters all seeking to influence the legislative process and the way issues are portrayed in the media.

About

The Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland , consistently ranked among the world's top journalism schools, develops journalists and media scholars with rigorous reporting, research and analytical skills, a commitment to ethics, and an appreciation for the First Amendment’s key role in a free society.

Located a few miles from the United States capital, Washington, D.C., the college employs acclaimed researchers and repeat winners of journalism’s top awards — including the Pulitzer, Peabody, and Emmy awards — and prepares students to join a dynamic profession.

Merrill College students — who enjoy small classes but also have access to the resources and opportunities available at one of the nation's top public universities — leave Maryland with strong writing and visual skills, a command of technology, and a nuanced understanding of data analysis and audience engagement.

In 2019, College Choice ranked Merrill College the No. 6 journalism school in the U.S., and College Factual ranked the college No. 7.

Merrill College is fully accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

What To Expect

• A focus on fundamentals combined with 21st-century video and digital storytelling skills and an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit that journalists need to succeed in a changing world
• Access to real-world internships in the best regional media market in the world
• An opportunity to work in the hands-on, teaching newsrooms in Annapolis, Washington, and Baltimore that we call Capital News Service
• The chance to do important work with the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, a nationally decorated center that publishes journalism with worldwide impact, or The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism, a national leader in preparing the next generation of sports journalists
• Small class sizes that ensure one-on-one interaction with some of the best in journalism education today
• A full-time and part-time faculty that includes a prestigious mix of journalists and scholars who have won Pulitzers, Emmys, and other awards
• An education that will prepare you for success in numerous careers. Many alumni have successful careers in journalism. Others have gone on to law school, started their own businesses, or used their communications skills to work for corporations and nonprofits. The skills students learn here are a valued asset in the real world