The PhD program at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is a highly individualized program that attracts seasoned media professionals transitioning to academia as well as recent graduates of master's degree-level journalism and communication and other related programs.<br>Students have access to the resources, training and mentorship they need to answer critical questions that challenge the fields of journalism, digital and social media, strategic communication and audience studies, and global mass communication.<br>The program is designed around core values of inclusion, collaboration and mentoring, transdisciplinarity and original research.<br>Students are able to develop individual programs of study, taking coursework and drawing on knowledge and methodologies from diverse fields that have a bearing on questions within mass communication. Examples include political science, film, computer and data sciences, sociology, anthropology and more.<br>At home in the Cronkite School, students work closely with faculty mentors and fellow students on collaborative projects as well as developing their own research program, and benefit from the advice and example of senior scholars for personalized guidance.<br>The ultimate goal of the program is to train scholars capable of identifying key questions, designing appropriate studies to investigate those questions, and conducting independent and impactful research. Students are exposed to a wide range of theories and methods so they can forge their own scholarly identity based on interests and aptitudes.<br>The Cronkite School is committed to creating an environment in which everyone feels they are represented, their experience is equitable, they are fully accepted for who they are, and that they are valued. The school strives daily to be a welcoming place for all members of the community, where the importance and contribution of each individual is valued and respected.