PhD in Communication - Social Interaction in Seattle United States | University of Washington

The doctoral program is structured to maintain equilibrium between acquiring comprehensive knowledge in communication studies and specializing in a chosen dissertation field. While program guidelines support these dual objectives, the graduate student and their advisory committee bear principal responsibility for shaping the academic journey. This flexible framework enables students and committees to customize the program according to individual academic needs and research interests. Research on social dynamics investigates both verbal and nonverbal mechanisms that facilitate human connections. This specialization's curriculum analyzes relationship formation, communication's role in persuasion, group decision-making processes, and various communicative behaviors in both physical and digital environments. The coursework investigates how communication influences and mirrors first meetings, casual dialogues, personal disputes, intimate bonds, and collective choices. Additionally, it contemplates social interaction as a theoretical concept, moral consideration, and cultural phenomenon.