Graduate Programs

Arizona State University

Ph.D. Program in Rhetoric, Composition, and Linguistics
Contact: Keith Miller

MA Program in Rhetoric and Composition
Contact: Peter Goggin

Ball State University

Ball State’s MA and PhD in Rhetoric and Composition allow students to gain a broad understanding of rhetoric and writing studies: histories, pedagogies, research strategies, technologies, and administration. In coursework, students are encouraged to investigate the influences of digital and multimodal writing along with more traditional attention to rhetorical history, research methodologies, and composition pedagogies. Additionally, graduate coursework in Writing Program and Writing Center Administration prepares students for future administrative work. We have deliberately structured our graduate programs to maintain a small circle of highly motivated students. This enables a close collegial relationship between students and faculty already established in their areas of professional expertise. It also affords numerous opportunities for students to explore the many and varied sites of rhetoric and composition, including Ball State’s award-winning Writing Program, its innovative Writing Center, and the Indiana Writing Project. Assistantships include teaching and administrative work in these programs. Ball State graduate students regularly present at national conferences, publish in leading journals like Kairos and Computers and Composition, and receive internal and external grants.

Contact: Jennifer Grouling, jgrouling@bsu.edu

Carnegie Mellon University

The Doctor of Philosophy in Rhetoric at Carnegie Mellon University focuses on how people produce and understand discourse across a variety of social, cultural, and material contexts, in schools, workplaces, and communities. The program familiarizes students with the history and theory of rhetoric and language study and with a variety of methods, qualitative and quantitative, for systematically exploring their interests in research projects and dissertation work. The program prepares students for academic careers centered on the history and theory of rhetoric, research about the writing process and communication design more generally, or rhetorical approaches to discourse and cultural studies.

Contact: James Wynn, jwynn@andrew.cmu.edu

Clemson University

The Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design (RCID) PhD program seeks an overall balance of ecologies in rhetorics and communication and, thereby, features a cross-cultural, transdisciplinary curriculum with a conceptual emphasis on Aristotle's triad of knowing, doing, and making—theoretical, practical-pedagogical, and productive approaches to knowledge. Communication is not simply speaking and writing. The RCID curriculum emphasizes, in addition, the study and multimodal production of language-communication apparatuses such as pictographic and alphabetic rhetorics, or more specifically, gestural, silent, oral, aural, temporal-spatial, visual, written, and digital rhetorics. 

The first word of the program's name, Rhetorics, is in plural form, signifying more than one rhetoric and, thus, multiple cultures. Rhetoric(s)—in its singular-plural possibilities—establishes the conditions for how we discover not only the available means but also innovative forms of living, working, and playing together, across a multitude of cultures, with others. Through rhetoric(s) we not only build cultures but also construct multiple linkages among them.

Contact: David Blakesley, dblakes@clemson.edu

DePaul University

Contact: Dr. Peter Vandenberg

Duke University

Contact: Roberto Civalleri

Florida State University

Contact: Michael Neal

We have an undergraduate major in Editing, Writing, and Media that has a strong base in rhetoric and an MA and PhD program in Rhetoric and Composition. We offer courses in rhetoric, visual rhetoric, feminisms and rhetoric, race and rhetoric, etc. Rhetoric faculty include Kristie Fleckenstein and Tarez Graban.

Georgia State University

Contact: Natalie T. J. Tindall, Ph.D.

The doctoral program in Rhetoric and Politics in the Department of Communication is specifically designed to provide students with the conceptual and methodological tools to study all forms of public persuasion. Faculty in this area specialize in rhetorical theory and criticism, international social movements and protest, national identity studies, presidential rhetoric, and political communication. The doctorate in Rhetoric and Politics is designed to give students a solid foundation in rhetorical theory and criticism, along with innovative and often interdisciplinary approaches to the study of public address. Our program encourages theoretically rigorous, historically grounded work in rhetorical studies. Our doctoral students are very active in the professional organizations in our field. They have presented conference papers at the annual meetings of the National Communication Association, ALTA, the Rhetoric Society of America, and the Southern States Communication Association. The city of Atlanta is home to the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A major world media center, Atlanta also offers students in the doctoral program a wealth of opportunities. Georgia State is within walking distance of CNN, Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) and the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Illinois State University

Graduate Study in Rhetoric, Composition, and Technical Communication (RCTC)

PhD in English Studies, with specializations in Rhetoric, Composition, and Technical Communication MA in English, with specializations in Rhetoric & Composition and Technical Writing & Rhetorics

We understand rhetoric, composition, and technical communication as robust and mutually informing areas of inquiry. By examining symbolic action in relation to cultural, material, and embodied practices, faculty and graduate students specializing in RCTC strive to produce innovative, interdisciplinary research and pedagogies that transform the world. In addition to studying with RCTC faculty, graduate students benefit from the Department’s innovative English Studies model. Here students make connections between their area of specialization and other subfields, such as creative writing, English education, linguistics, literary and cultural studies, and TESOL.

PhD students also examine relationships between their teaching and research through the Department’s Teaching Internship. Working closely with a faculty advisor, PhD students design a curriculum and then teach a selected undergraduate course that directly relates to and informs their dissertation research.

Contact: Julie Jung

Indiana University Purdue University - Indianapolis (IUPUI)

The graduate English program has been designed to prepare students for careers in the analysis and production of texts. The program covers issues and skills in reading and writing, in the richest sense of these words-in order to prepare students to address these issues and to teach these skills. Graduates of the program should be prepared for such careers as teaching writing and literature; teaching English as a second language; and writing for business, government, and other professions. In contrast to traditional M.A. programs, which place heavy emphasis on literary history, the IUPUI program focuses on the application of English studies to contemporary situations and problems. Within the M.A. program, we have a Certificate in Teaching Writing.

Contact: Pat M. King

James Madison University

The School of Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication at James Madison University prepares students for meeting today’s communication challenges—in both workplace and academic settings—through rigorous coursework and research experiences. The 33 credit hour M.A. degree, designed to be completed by students in two years, begins with required courses that create a solid foundation for a student’s learning experience in the program. Students then choose six courses from among a dozen varied elective topics—digital theory and design, rhetoric and genre, ethics, intercultural communication, and scientifc and medical writing—that provide them with the freedom to pursue areas of emphasis that suit their long-term goals.

Contact: Dr. Michael J. Klein, kleinmj@jmu.edu

Longwood University

The courses offered by the Professional Writing Program at Longwood University are well suited to help you address the communication needs of professional organizations. The students who concentrate or minor in Professional Writing (1) understand the rhetorical foundations of written communication as applied to a wide variety of genres for professional and public uses (ranging from speeches to digital media), and (2) create professional documents for a range of audiences and stakeholders.

Contact: Dr. Elif Guler

Miami University

Since 1981 we at Miami have had the pleasure of collaborating with hundreds of MA and PhD students to promote diverse and equitable scholarly inquiry, professional development, and pedagogical creativity. Please visit our web site for more information.                                               

Contact: Michele Simmons, simmonwm@muohio.edu

North Carolina State University

PhD in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media.

Contact: Steve Wiley, Steve_wiley@ncsu.edu

Northern Arizona University

Master Of Arts In English, Rhetoric, Writing, And Digital Media Studies

Contact: Gregory Glau, Director, Composition, Gregory.Glau@nau.edu

Nova Southeastern University

The Master of Arts in Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media (CRDM) from Nova Southeastern University provides students with a foundation for conducting and presenting research, applying rhetorical theories, teaching writing, and producing digital media. Through specialized coursework and experiential learning in the history, theory, and production of composition, rhetoric, and digital media, you will develop expertise researching and composing in a range of professional genres. The CRDM program prepares you for a career in writing, publishing, teaching, communication, and doctoral study. CRDM graduates are prepared to pursue doctoral studies in Composition and Rhetoric and related disciplines, as well as a variety of careers in publishing, media production, public relations, and education.

Contact: Juliette Kitchens

Oklahoma State University

The Rhetoric and Writing Studies program at Oklahoma State University offers an MA in English with a Professional Writing Option and a PhD with concentration areas in Rhetoric and Composition, Professional Writing, and Digital Studies. Teaching and writing center assistantships are available, and the program offers training in first-year composition, multimodal composition, online writing instruction, writing centers, and writing program administration. Faculty have areas of expertise in digital rhetorics and new media, writing center theory and pedagogy, cultural rhetorics, FYC administration, game studies, professional writing, visual rhetoric and design, feminist theory, and embodied rhetorics.

For more information, contact Dr. Lynn C. Lewis, Director of Rhetoric and Writing Studies: lynn.lewis@okstate.edu

Oregon State University

The Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture concentration integrates histories, theories, and philosophies of writing and rhetoric with the concerns of day-to-day teaching and writing. It features courses such as digital literacy and and culture, computers and composition, current composition theory, the teaching of writing, the history of rhetoric, literacy studies, current rhetorical theory, the digital humanities, and professional/technical writing. This area of focus prepares graduates to teach in community colleges, undertake Ph.D. studies in rhetoric and writing, work as writing program administrators, or hold a variety of positions that emphasize writing and publishing (editing, technical writing, private and public sector work, etc.).

Contact: Raymond Malewitz, raymond.malewitz@oregonstate.edu

Purdue University

Purdue's graduate program in rhetoric and composition dates to 1980 and has 264 graduates (183 ph.d. and 81 ma). Our graduates hold positions as writing teachers, program and writing center administrators, graduate program faculty, department heads, editors, usability testers, and professional and technical writers/managers.

Contact: Patricia Sullivan

Saint Cloud State University

The graduate program in Rhetoric and Writing at St. Cloud State University builds on our B.A. program by further equipping students with knowledge of how language shapes our perceptions of the world as well as instruction in written and digital communication skills that enable greater facility to write and communicate in a diversity of workplace, organizational, and everyday contexts. The M.A. emphasis in Rhetoric and Writing provides two tracks of courses from which students can choose: professional communication courses and the teaching of writing/literacy courses. Some of our graduates have gone on to become professional writers (freelance writers, editors, grant writers, publishers, etc.). Others have gone on to teach at community and technical colleges. A third group of our graduates have gone on to pursue their doctoral work (recent graduates have pursued doctoral degrees in Technical Communication at Illinois State University; Rhetoric and Composition at Purdue University; Rhetoric and Composition at Ball State University; Rhetoric and Composition at Texas Christian University; and Rhetoric and Writing at Bowling Green University).

Contact: Matt Barton

Syracuse University

Composition and Cultural Rhetoric Doctoral Program
Contact: Steve Parks

The Composition and Cultural Rhetoric Doctoral Program (CCR) at Syracuse University emphasizes research on the dynamic interaction of rhetoric and writing in a variety of cultural and historical contexts. Located within the Writing Program since 1997, CCR is the first doctorate in Rhetoric and Composition studies in the country to be offered by an independent writing program. With doctoral education as our sole focus, the CCR program offers a unique environment for students to develop their graduate and professional careers through sustained and committed engagement with our nationally and internationally recognized faculty. As a department, we work to develop a diverse graduate student community and to help them connect their work to a broad range of scholarly, disciplinary, and community contexts. For this reason, a survey of our current and past students will show a program as engaged with composition pedagogy as technical writing, digital rhetoric as community engagement, global English as classical rhetoric, and feminist studies as Caribbean rhetoric. We are committed, that is, to actively working within the traditional and emergent research in our field in order to enable students to chart the next wave of scholarly, pedagogical, and community-based practices.

Texas A&M University

Ph.D. Program in the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University 
Contact: Dr. Kristan Poirot

The Ph.D. Program in the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University offers concentrations in rhetoric and public affairs, organizational communication, health communication, and media studies. The programs are best for students who plan research-oriented careers in academic, governmental, or non-profit organizations, or the private sector. Scholars in Rhetoric & Public Affairs focus on how public discourse shapes and is shaped by choices confronting the public, ways in which texts and cultural practices of communication constitute identities and sustain democratic forms of citizen participation, and the interwoven fabric of power, politics, and speech-making in American society. Research in the program includes classical, contemporary, and critical rhetorical theory; rhetorical history and the criticism of American public address; feminism and the intersectional analysis of race, class, and gender; the presidency; social movements; contemporary political campaigns; policy and media; visual rhetoric, materialism, and monuments.

Texas State University

The MA program in Rhetoric and Composition (MARC) is a relatively new program at Texas State. The program provides students the opportunity to study written discourse and the teaching of writing within and across social, cultural, institutional, and technological contexts. The program combines core courses in rhetorical theory, composition theory and pedagogy, and research methods, with opportunities for focused study in areas ranging from minority rhetorics and writing center studies to teaching with technology and writing across cultures. Students may also choose to pursue a cognate in one of our successful MA programs in technical communication or literature.

All of our graduates who have chosen to pursue a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition have been accepted into such prestigious universities as Arizona State, Kent State and Syracuse. Other graduates have begun successful careers at the community college level or brought new perspectives to their current jobs as secondary-level teachers of English.

Contact:  Cheyenne Riggs, MARC assistant, and Rebecca Jackson, MARC director 
Email: marc@txstate.edu

Texas Woman's University

MA in English, PhD in Rhetoric
Contact: Dr. Gretchen Busl

University of Arizona

The RCTE program was officially created in 1988. Its progenitor was a program in English Education founded at UA in the 1960s. It is one of four graduate programs in the Department of English. The others are Literature, Creative Writing, and English Language and Linguistics. RCTE offers the MA and PhD degrees.

At the University of Arizona, we view rhetoric and composition as arts that must be studied and practiced in the context of broad cultural and public interests. These commitments are reflected in the array of research published by our faculty and graduate students and by our efforts to improve the teaching of writing at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Our work on writing program administration and curriculum development is informed by our commitment to addressing issues of difference in equality and our outreach to the community. Our outreach efforts have taken us to local schools, reservations, community literacy centers, and advocacy groups. Because of these commitments, students and faculty look for opportunities within our institution and the Southwest region to relate the study of rhetoric to the cultural and technological changes that are redefining what it means to teach writing in the twenty-first century.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

UALR's MA program in Professional and Technical Writing offers degree plans customizable for a wide range of student interests and study plans. We offer formal tracks in technical writing, creative nonfiction, and professional editing (focused on workplace editing as well as editing for books and periodicals). Several of our courses emphasize writing for new media. We also prepare students to go on to Ph.D. programs in rhetoric and composition, supported with extensive study in theory and research methods; many of these students secure assistantships teaching first-year composition or working in the University Writing Center. Students may choose to complete a 36-hour degree that culminates in a thesis or a 42-hour degree that culminates in the defense of a professional portfolio. By 2015, students will be able to complete both the technical writing and creative nonfiction tracks entirely online, and our department will also offer a graduate-level certificate in Online Writing Instruction.

Contact: Karen Kuralt, kmkuralt@ualr.edu

UC Davis

Interdisciplinary PhD Designated Emphasis in Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Studies

Contact: Chris Thaisscjthaiss@ucdavis.edu

University of Central Florida

UCF offers a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Composition that provides graduate students with a solid foundation in rhetorical, writing, and literacy studies. Our faculty members have diverse research interests including cultural rhetorics, rhetorics of science and medicine, writing and digital media, digital rhetorics, writing program administration, disability studies, professional writing, civic and community based writing, queer and feminist rhetorics, transnational literacy and rhetoric, and literacy development. Students in our program study how rhetorical theory has and can inform the teaching and practice of academic, professional, and civic writing in both historical and contemporary settings. There are opportunities for students to work and conduct research in the University Writing Center and the Writing Across the Curriculum programs, and gain experience teaching first-year composition courses in our award-winning Writing About Writing program. Graduates of the program are prepared for advanced teaching positions, writing-intensive professional positions, and Ph.D. programs in rhetoric and composition or related disciplines.

Contact: Dr. Martha Brenckle

University of Colorado at Boulder

The Communication Department at the University of Colorado at Boulder offers advanced work leading to the MA and Ph.D. in Communication. Students emphasizing rhetoric will study in an environment that brings rhetoric into dialogue with interpretive social sciences. Themes of emphasis include the rhetoric of science, rhetoric and social theory, and vernacular rhetoric.

University of Findlay

The MA program in Rhetoric and Writing at The University of Findlay assumes that today's communication practices are multimodal in nature and all of our core courses, from composition pedagogy to research methods, read and develop both print and multimodal texts. Students gain firsthand experience with writing not only sustained print pieces, typical of graduate programs in rhetoric and writing, such as scholarly articles and white papers, but also develop videos, podcasts, websites, and electronic portfolios as part of their education. Both print and digital theses options are available to accommodate student interests. Our program prepares students for a variety of writing-focused careers, including teaching writing at the college level (including at community colleges and in dual enrollment courses), editing and publishing, law, grant writing, public relations, marketing, and technical communication. Because publication and presentation skills are emphasized throughout the program, graduates are also well poised to pursue PhD work in rhetoric and composition or other English or communication fields. Because UF is one of only two private schools in Ohio that offers this program, we focus on one-on-one course and career advising. Students in the program are offered a variety of classes and times to meet program requirements, and the night class and summer schedule is flexible for working students. Teaching, research and administrative full and part time assistantships are available.

Contact: Christine Tulley

University of Houston - Downtown

UHD offers an M.A. degree in Rhetoric and Composition (MARC). Students complete all of their course work in writing and rhetoric on our urban campus in the heart of downtown Houston. The program is especially focused on pedagogical strategies for the multicultural composition classroom.

The MARC degree qualifies students for the teaching of college-level writing. It also serves as an excellent foundation for doctoral study in rhetoric and composition.

Contact: Dr. Adam Ellwanger

University of Kansas

The Department of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas offers graduate courses in public address, rhetorical criticism, critical theory, publics theory, the rhetorical tradition from classical through contemporary times, new media, and argumentation. Graduate students enjoy extensive opportunities for interdisciplinary study within the community of rhetoricians at KU. Beyond the Communication Studies Department—which boasts nine full-time faculty devoted to the study of rhetoric and three faculty members who approach rhetorical artifacts using qualitative methods—students will find a thriving group of rhetorical scholars in the English Department and they will have the chance to learn from rhetorically minded colleagues in African and African-American studies, Sociology, American Studies, Political Science, Women's Studies, and other fields.

University of Maryland Department of Communication

The Department of Communication's Rhetoric & Political Culture area is dedicated to the critical analysis of public discourse in historical and political contexts. Our faculty and graduate students produce scholarship at the intersections of criticism, history and theory. The study of rhetoric and political culture draws especially on local resources that include a wide array of historical archives, grassroots activism and political institutions based in the Washington, D.C., area. Our research and coursework cluster around the historical and theoretical study of political ideas; social movements, publics and counterpublics; and presidential, legislative, and judicial politics. We focus our critical attention on such texts as oratory, visual images, embodied protests, popular culture, news coverage, judicial decisions, monuments and memorials and public deliberation.

Contact: Carly S. Woods

University of Memphis

University of Memphis Department of Communication and Film offers MA and PhD in Communication Studies.

Building on a legacy of influence and service in the field, MA and PhD students in Communication Studies work with faculty within and across two working groups: Rhetoric & Media Studies and Health & Relational Communication. At the MA level, students work in these areas, as well as in our Film and Video Production area. Doctoral and master's students choose the department because they are drawn to the strength of our faculty, the eclectic, easy-going character of our city, and the flexibility of our programs.

The University of Memphis affords students a richly varied cohort with peers who mirror the region's diversity. With a streamlined curriculum geared to give students multiple pathways to graduation, we specialize in key research areas, while training Doctoral and Master's students in the scholarly, pedagogical, and creative traditions central to the general study of communication.

The program values interdisciplinary forms of inquiry, and our degree design lets students complement their studies in the field with courses from across the University's graduate curriculum. Students enjoy access to first-rate facilities, conference travel support, cash awards for excellence and can receive renewable graduate assistantships that cover both tuition and living expenses.

Contact: Marina Levina

University of Nebraska-Kearney

Contact: Stephanie Clinch               

Combine the study of rhetoric (commonly defined as the study of persuasion), composition (the study of writing and text creation), and English language studies (including linguistic theory, the history of the English language, and the social functions and contexts of language use). Explore theories of classical and contemporary rhetoric, academic writing pedagogy, the evolution and structure of our language, and other related topics. Can be completed online.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

MA only; concentrations in rhetoric and interpersonal (public/political and personal/relational)

Contact: Donovan Conley, donovan.conley@unlv.edu

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Contact:  Risa Applegarth, Risa_Applegarth@uncg.edu

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro: PhD Program in Rhetoric and Composition, MA Program in Teaching Composition, MA Program in Careers in the Humanities. UNCG offers a doctorate in English with a specialization in Rhetoric and Composition, and a master’s in English with a specialization in teaching composition or in diverse humanities careers.

Our graduate programs prepare students for teaching, research, and public careers by offering courses that provide a strong grounding in historical and contemporary theories of rhetoric and writing; in writing studies pedagogy; and in a variety of methodological approaches, including rhetorical analysis, qualitative methods, cultural analytics, circulation studies, and more. We encourage our students to combine their coursework in rhetoric and composition with coursework in literature and culture from our colleagues in the English Department who specialize in various areas of cultural studies, and from our colleagues in Education, Communication Studies, Media Studies, African American Studies, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies whose courses support various areas of rhetorical research.

Our nationally recognized faculty’s research interests include rhetorical history and theory; genre theory; writing studies; literacy studies; digital rhetoric; circulation studies; data science; feminist rhetoric; feminist historiography; qualitative methods; visual, spatial, material, and embodied rhetorics; scientific and professional communication; linguistics; and pedagogy. Graduate students have opportunities to serve as instructors of record in a range of writing courses for our College Writing Program and to serve as consultants and assistants in UNCG’s Multiliteracy Centers, which include the Writing Center, the Speaking Center, and the Digital ACT (Action, Consultation and Training) Studio. The Writing Center and College Writing Program offer administrative appointments on a yearly basis, and the publication of our first-year writing textbook also provides editorial and authorial experience.

University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is a leading center for the interdisciplinary study of rhetoric in English and Speech Communication. The rapidly growing program offers the Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in Composition and Rhetoric and the M.A. degree in Speech Communication. Rooted in humanistic and critical inquiry, its faculty are committed to the serious study of written, oral, and electronic discourse in academic, workplace, and public settings. The curriculum offers rigorous training in the classical and contemporary rhetorical traditions while synthesizing philosophical, historical, and cultural dimensions of rhetoric.  The program gives students the flexibility to design their own specialization within the broad field of rhetoric and offers a unique opportunity to draw on the strengths of rhetoricians from multiple disciplines.  Graduate students at South Carolina have the chance to work in a program that provides an excellent faculty-student ratio, generous assistantships, and a diversity of teaching opportunities. For more information and application materials please visit our website at http://www.cas.sc.edu/engl/

Contact: Erik Doxtader

University of Southern Mississippi

Students who choose to focus their study on rhetoric while at the University of Southern Mississippi will get an introduction to a wide variety of rhetorical studies. We have faculty and courses that examine areas such as social change, cultural identity, science and medicine, globalization. Students will learn how to conduct traditional rhetorical criticism, rhetorical field research, archival research, and visual analysis. Our rhetoric faculty have degrees from Illinois, Georgia, Southern California, and Penn State. Come get a great education in a small department.

Contact: Dr. Steven Venette

University of Texas at El Paso

Situated in El Paso, a city on the U.S.-Mexico border, our program draws much of its energy from our unique location. We not only study and theorize cross-cultural rhetorics, we live them. We also focus on digital studies, multimodal literacies, the teaching of writing and rhetoric, writing program administration, and second language writing. Our program offers students a solid grounding in the field while at the same time allowing them to explore their own interests. Core courses in Rhetorical History and Theory, Composition Studies, Critical Theory, and Rhetoric and Technology expose students to important scholarship in these areas. Students can select from a range of other courses to round out their program. Coursework is supplemented with workshops on publishing, seeking a job, and other relevant topics.

Contact: Dr. Kate Mangelsdorf

University of Utah Department of Communication

A top-ten Communication program in research productivity and excellence (Academic Analytics, 2016) and one of very few integrated communication departments in the country, the Department of Communication at the University of Utah provides rigorous theoretical and methodological graduate training across the spectrum of communication studies.

The Department has an especially long and distinguished history in Rhetoric; its faculty include several of the leading rhetorical scholars in Communication who have earned national and international recognition and distinction. Our faculty view rhetoric as a dynamic process that involves social change or resistance, where material conditions and power relationships influence the ways that we think about the communicative influence of class, gender, and ethnicity in volatile situations.

Our rhetoric area builds from faculty areas of expertise allowing students to focus on a variety of contemporary rhetorical issues such as environmental rhetoric, social movements and activism, mediated and digital rhetoric, visual rhetoric, race and gender, rhetorical field methods, space/place, militarization, science and medicine, and political rhetoric. Fluidity and flexibility across the Department's other areas of graduate study is not only possible but encouraged. Graduate students are supported in creating uniquely tailored programs of study that draw from across areas and faculty. For more information, see: https://communication.utah.edu/graduate/index.php.

Contact: Helene Shugart, h.shugart@utah.edu

University of Waterloo

The English department at Waterloo offers four graduate degrees: a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication Design (RCD); a Master of Arts in Literary Studies (LIT); a Master of Arts in Experimental Digital Media (XDM) and a Doctor of Philosophy in English Language and Literature. In all programs, students gain core expertise in critical theory and research techniques. The MA-Literary Studies draws on the strengths of our department in all major areas of British, American, Canadian and postcolonial literatures in English. The MA-RCD is led by our faculty whose research and expertise lies in rhetoric, multimedia design and critique, discourse and text analysis, and professional writing. Our unique doctoral program allows students to develop research projects that integrate literary studies with fields of study related to professional writing and communication.

Contact: Fiona McAlister, fmcalister@uwaterloo.ca

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Department of English offers MA and PhD degrees with an emphasis in Rhetoric and Composition (Plan B). Our department is consistently ranked in the top third and our program is distinguished by its: focus on training teacher-scholars, close-knit, supportive community, and interdisciplinary scholarship.

Contact: Dennis Lynch

Virginia Tech

The PhD program in Rhetoric and Writing at Virginia Tech focuses on rhetoric in society. We study language use and rhetorical activity in public, academic, corporate, and governmental settings, in a collective effort to engage pressing social and cultural issues from the perspective of rhetorical and writing studies.

Contact: Paul Heilker, pheilker@vt.edu

Washington State University

The MA and PhD programs in Rhetoric and Composition Studies at the Washington State University offer training in the history of rhetoric, rhetorical theory, composition theory and pedagogy, technical communication, and writing program administration. With a strong commitment to preparing new faculty in the field, the department supplements theoretical coursework with practical experience in Washington State's award-winning writing center. The department also offers significant classroom training for new instructors, as well as opportunities to work on one of the journals associated with the English department.

Contact: Robert Eddy, eddyr@wsu.edu