A National Market Analysis of Doctoral Programs in Communications

This study examines the external market factors and considerations associated with program development at the doctoral level in the field of communications. A descriptive analysis of 367 doctoral level programs is presented based on responses to a survey of department/program heads administered in the summer of 1985. Comparative analyses of response data are presented by program category, institutional location, and type of institutional control. Measures of central tendency (mean and median, the limits of response ranges, and frequency distributions are used in the presentation of the survey response data. The survey considered the type of degree, the numbers and load distribution of faculty, the size of student enrollment, the number of degrees awarded, program admission and completion requirements, the academic background of students entering the programs, program costs and the availability of student financial assistance, as well as respondents\u27 perceptions of the supply of qualified applicants for doctoral study in the program area and the distribution of job placements by occupational category and job placement prospects for the next 5 years. The data are presented to support planning efforts and to reduce the financial risk involved with the development and initiation of any new program at the doctoral level. A review of the literature produced no source of comparable data for program planning