Communication Graduate Program

The Annenberg School for Communication is home to world-class faculty and students. It combines the intimacy of a selective graduate program with the dynamism, resources, and personnel of a major research institute embedded within one of the world’s top research universities. The School is also a crossroads for visiting scholars and practitioners, providing Annenberg students opportunities to interact formally and informally with exciting internationally respected talent.

Annenberg is interdisciplinary by design. Members of the faculty and students come from a wide range of backgrounds, including Communication, Psychology, Political Science, Sociology, Anthropology, History, and Law. Students are also encouraged to supplement their Communication courses with those offered through one of Penn’s 11 other distinguished schools. The result is a vibrant intellectual experience that trains students to apply and adapt diverse theories and methods to the cutting-edge communication issues of the twenty-first century.

All doctoral students are fully funded for up to five years, including tuition and fees, health care, teaching and research fellowships, and dissertation research fellowships. All students also receive yearly research and travel funds, allowing them to develop their research and present it at major national and international conferences. In addition to formal classes, students are able to work with faculty on grant- and center-supported projects, attend and participate in frequent colloquia and workshops, and engage in research and learning opportunities around the globe -- all designed to enhance their intellectual growth and professional training.

The Annenberg School produces research that advances the understanding of public and private communication. The school educates doctoral students in the theories, substance, and methods of communication research, and provides a first-class liberal arts education to undergraduates through the Communication major.

The Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania combines the intimacy of highly selective graduate and undergraduate programs with the dynamism, resources, and personnel of a major research institute. Embedded within one of the world’s top research universities and world-class cities, Annenberg students can follow their research interests at virtually any academic intersection they choose. The influence of digital networks on large-scale group activities, the impact of health-related messages and media content on healthcare decisions, and the aspects of interconnected social, economic, and technological systems on everyday life are just a few of the multi-layered and interconnected fields of research found among Annenberg’s faculty, researchers, and students.

With a collegial reach that spans continents, Annenberg today represents the confluence of expertise from visiting scholars and practitioners, providing Annenberg students with the opportunities to interact both formally and informally with some of the most exciting intellectual talent in the world.