research excellence

doctor of philosophy | core areas of research

The School of Communication has an international reputation for its critical scholarship on urgent social and political problems affecting contemporary societies, locally and globally. With rapidly changing communication systems, media and practices, we offer graduate students rigorous training in the critical foundation of Communication theory, political economy, policy, the study of culture and media, and technology and data studies. Committed to social justice and innovative collaborations with NGOs, social movements, community groups, government, industry, cultural institutions, policy makers, artists and media producers, our programs offer graduate students the opportunity to work with faculty members who are leaders in the field. Our programs emphasize learning through direct engagement, whether through faculty-led projects, our media and soundscape laboratories, community collaborations, or participating in ongoing public seminars, public talks and annual conferences. Our graduates have gone on to successfully pursue careers in academia, government, NGOS, cultural institutions, communication industries and the media.

Next Admission Deadline

Applications for PhD Programs are accepted from October 1 - January 3 each year.

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Data and Technology Studies

• Big Data
• Cyberwars
• Genomics
• Philosophy of technology
• Algorithmic cultures
• Software Studies
• Science and Technology Studies

Media and culture

• Documentary Media Studies and community-based media and art
• Indigenous Media Studies
• Intersectional Feminist & Queer Media Studies
• Memory and Museum Studies
• Asian and Middle Eastern Cultural Studies
• Migration, diaspora, and critical race studies
• Social Media, Gaming and Popular Culture
• Sound Studies and Soundscape Research 
• Visual Studies and Sensory media

Political Economy

• Media campaigns 
• Social Movements and Revolutions
• Environmental Communication Studies
• Emergency Communication
• Critical Communication Theory
• Political Communication, News Media and Journalism Studies
• Labour in the Media and Communication Industries

Communication and Cultural Governance

• International perspectives in Communication Governance 
• Communication Policy, Law and Regulation
• Communication Rights 
• Platform Governance
• Local to Global Cultural Policies

Yuezhi Zhao

Dal Yong Jin

Alison Beale