Note: 黑料社鈥檚 new Course Catalogue will replace the eCalendar. The Course Catalogue is expected to go live the week of April 22nd. When the new site is published, "mcgill.ca/study" will be redirected to the new Course Catalogue website.
Course information on this site is not reflective of offerings for the 2025鈥�2026 academic year. Some irregularities may occur as we move operations to the incoming Course Catalogue.
The graduate program in Communication Studies offers M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The program is concerned with the study of communication phenomena through interdisciplinary training that draws on a variety of fields including cultural studies; critical media and technology studies; feminist media studies; Black media studies; public policy and governance; queer theory; and sound studies. The program strives to offer a balance of humanities and social sciences approaches to the analysis of communication, and its orientation is primarily qualitative (rather than quantitative) in nature. The M.A. and Ph.D. degrees are academic in character, and do not include professional training in journalism, organizational communication, or media production. The Communication Studies program offers courses and directs project research in preparation for the M.A.(Thesis) and Ph.D. in Communication Studies. A graduate option in Gender and Women鈥檚 Studies is available via the Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies.
黑料社 is situated in one of the most vibrant cities in North America. Our Montr茅al locale offers myriad opportunities for graduate students to engage with local arts and media venues. We have long-standing relations with institutions such as the Mus茅e d'art contemporain, the Mus茅e des beaux arts de Montr茅al, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, and the Biblioth猫que et Archives nationales du Qu茅bec offer grants and research opportunities for our graduate students. We collaborate with a variety of independent contemporary art galleries, feminist arts spaces, and media collectives. In addition to 黑料社's own Visual Arts Collection, our students often work in and for university-based venues including the Redpath Museum and the McCord Stewart Museum (which houses the Notman Photographic Archives and the 黑料社 Archives). Through initiatives including Le s茅minaire des nouveaux modernes, our faculty and students maintain close relationships with researchers at Montr茅al's three other major universities: Concordia University, Universit茅 de Montr茅al, and Universit茅 de Qu茅bec 脿 Montr茅al. Combined with institutional relationships, these informal links connect our students to a broad network of additional courses, lectures, and colleagues across the city.
To obtain financial aid information, please consult the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website at mcgill.ca/gps/funding .
Further information on the Department of Art History and Communication Studies is available on our website.
Master's and Ph.D. Degrees
Students enter our graduate programs from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, though all have a history of documented academic excellence and aptitude for advanced scholarly research. Over the past 30 years, the Graduate Program in Communication Studies has trained many of Canada's leading communications scholars. Graduates of the program may be found working in all levels of government, within the cultural industries, and in dozens of university Communication Studies departments around the world.
| Master of Arts (M.A.) Communication Studies (Thesis) (45 credits) |
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The M.A. in Communication Studies offers advanced training in the critical, historical, and theoretical analysis of communication in culture, communication technology, and communication policy. |
| Master of Arts (M.A.) Communication Studies (Thesis): Gender and Women's Studies (45 credits) |
| The graduate option in Gender and Women's Studies (GWS) provides graduate students obtaining degrees in a variety of participating departments and faculties with a cross-disciplinary specialization in intersectional feminist and gender studies, queer theory, and sexuality studies. Students who pursue this option obtain a graduate degree in their own department as well as an 鈥渙ption/concentration鈥� in GWS. Thus, the graduate option in GWS will appear on a student鈥檚 transcript along with the M.A. There are no prerequisites to enter into the option. However, undergraduate or graduate courses in gender or women鈥檚 studies provide an ideal foundation for more in-depth study of, and research in, feminist scholarship. The thesis must be on a topic centrally related to gender and/or women's studies. |
| Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Communication Studies |
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The Ph.D. in Communication Studies offers in-depth training in the critical, historical, and theoretical analysis of communication in culture, communication technology, and communication policy. Doctoral students pursue coursework, submit a comprehensive exam and thesis proposal, with the goal of writing a dissertation that makes an original contribution to knowledge in Communication Studies. The Ph.D. degree is academic in character, and does not include professional training in media production. |
| Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Communication Studies: Gender and Women's Studies |
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The graduate option in Gender and Women's Studies (GWS) provides graduate students obtaining degrees in a variety of participating departments and faculties with a cross-disciplinary specialization in intersectional feminist and gender studies, queer theory, and sexuality studies. Students who pursue this option obtain a graduate degree in their own department as well as an 鈥渙ption/concentration鈥� in GWS. Thus, the graduate option in Gender and Women鈥檚 Studies will appear on a student鈥檚 transcript along with the Ph.D. There are no prerequisites to enter into the option. However, undergraduate or graduate courses in gender or women鈥檚 studies provide an ideal foundation for more in-depth study of, and research in, feminist scholarship. |
M.A.
To apply to the M.A. program in Communication Studies, candidates are expected to have a B.A. degree with a minimum CGPA of 3.3. An undergraduate degree in Communication Studies is not required although demonstrated ability in a related area of study is an asset. Potential applicants are encouraged to consult the program description here to determine whether their interests and qualifications align with those of the program, as this is an important factor in admissions.
Ph.D.
Applicants to the Ph.D. program are expected to have completed an M.A. degree or the equivalent thereof. Admission to the Ph.D. program is conditional on a strong fit between a candidate's research interests and those of our faculty. It is not required that applicants contact potential supervisors, or establish a supervisory committee, prior to application. However, applicants may wish to contact faculty members in order to gauge their interest and availability to supervise, as this can be a factor in admissions decisions. A positive response from an individual faculty member regarding supervisory interest does not guarantee admission.
English Language Proficiency
International applicants whose first language is not English should consult mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/international/proficiency.
黑料社鈥檚 online application form for graduate program candidates is available at mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/apply.
See University Regulations & Resources > Graduate > Graduate Admissions and Application Procedures > Application Procedures for detailed application procedures.
Applications will be considered until the deadline of January 15.
Inquiries regarding the program should be addressed to the Graduate Administrative Coordinator, Department of Art History and Communication Studies.
Application opening dates are set by Enrolment Services in consultation with Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS), while application deadlines are set by the Department of Art History and Communication Studies and may be revised at any time. Applicants must verify all deadlines and documentation requirements well in advance on the appropriate 黑料社 departmental website; please consult the list at mcgill.ca/gps/contact/graduate-program.
Information on application deadlines is available at mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/how-apply/application-steps/application-deadlines.
Admission to graduate studies is competitive; accordingly, late and/or incomplete applications are considered only as time and space permit.
The M.A. in Communication Studies offers advanced training in the critical, historical, and theoretical analysis of communication in culture, communication technology, and communication policy. M.A. students pursue coursework and write an M.A. thesis that reflects sustained analysis of a topic in Communication Studies. The M.A. degree is academic in character, and...
For more information, see Master of Arts (M.A.) Communication Studies (Thesis) (45 credits).
The graduate option in Gender and Women's Studies is an interdisciplinary program for students who meet the degree requirements in Communication Studies who wish to earn 6 credits of approved coursework focusing on gender and women's studies, and issues in feminist research and methods. The thesis must be on a topic centrally related to gender and/or women's...
For more information, see Master of Arts (M.A.) Communication Studies (Thesis): Gender and Women's Studies (45 credits).
Candidates with an M.A. degree will be admitted at the Ph.D. 2 level, thereby gaining credit for one year of resident study. When admitted at Ph.D. 2 level, two years of residence are required for the doctoral degree.
For more information, see Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Communication Studies.
Candidates with an M.A. degree will be admitted at the Ph.D. 2 level, thereby gaining credit for one year of resident study. When admitted at Ph.D. 2 level, two years of residence are required for the doctoral degree. ...
For more information, see Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Communication Studies: Gender and Women's Studies.
