Doctor of Philosophy in Technology and Humanities

Coursework

72 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, including:

  • Core curriculum (30 credit hours)
  • Electives (minimum of 15 credit hours)
  • Dissertation research (minimum of 24 credit hours)
  • Additional electives or dissertation research (as needed to achieve total of 72 credit hours)

Examinations

  • Qualifying examination
  • Comprehensive examination
  • Dissertation proposal
  • Dissertation (final thesis) examination

Transfer Credits

Students who have already earned master’s degrees or undertaken graduate work in relevant fields may transfer credit hours toward the doctoral degree (up to 36 credit hours for graduate coursework in relevant fields at Illinois Institute of Technology, up to 30 credit hours for graduate coursework in relevant fields at other institutions).

Curriculum

Core Courses (18)
COM 521Theory in Technology and Humanities3
COM 538Entrepreneurship in Technical Communication3
or BUS 510 Strategic Management
or IDX 560 Introduction to Design Thinking
or IDX 562 Multidisciplinary Prototyping
COM 545Academic Writing3
COM 601Research Methods and Resources3
COM 602Qualitative Research Methods3
or COM 603 Quantitative Research Methods
HUM 610Technology and Humanities Seminar3
Additional Required Courses (12)
Select a minimum of one course from each of the categories below:12
Communication and Media Studies group; other courses as approved by adviser.
Linguistics group; other courses as approved by adviser.
Any 400- or 500-level course in history
Any 400- or 500-level course in philosophy
Specialization Courses (15)
Select 15 credit hours from the Communication and Media Studies, Linguistics, Philosophy, or Technical Communication groups, or a student-proposed, adviser-approved specialization of 15 credit hours.15
Ph.D. Research (24-36)
COM 691Research & Thesis Ph.D. 124-36

Minimum degree credits required: 72

1

Students exceeding the allowed 36 credit hours of research will be denied further study and will be removed from the program.

Technology and Humanities Areas of Concentration

Communication and Media Studies

COM 528Document Design3
COM 530Standards-Based Web Design3
COM 531Web Application Development3
COM 532Rhetoric of Technology3
COM 541Information Structure and Retrieval3
COM 552Gender and Technological Change3
COM 553Media and Globalization3
COM 554Science and Technology Studies3
COM 571Persuasion3
COM 574Communications in Politics3
COM 577Communication Law and Ethics3
COM 584Humanizing Technology3

Linguistics

COM 501Introduction to Linguistics3
COM 506World Englishes3
COM 508Structure of Modern English3
COM 509History of the English Language3
COM 510The Human Voice: Description, Analysis, and Application3
COM 515Discourse Analysis3

Philosophy

PHIL 551Science and Values3
PHIL 560Ethics3
PHIL 570Engineering Ethics3
PHIL 571Ethics in Architecture3
PHIL 573Business Ethics3
PHIL 574Ethics in Computer Science3
PHIL 580Topics in Philosophy3
PHIL 597Special Problems in Philosophy1-6
PHIL 691Research and Dissertation1-6

Technical Communication

COM 503Analyzing and Communicating Quantitative Data3
COM 511Linguistics for Technical Communication3
COM 523Communicating Science3
COM 525User Experience Research and Evaluation3
COM 528Document Design3
COM 529Technical Editing3
COM 530Standards-Based Web Design3
COM 531Web Application Development3
COM 535Instructional Design3
COM 541Information Structure and Retrieval3
COM 542Knowledge Management3
COM 561Teaching Technical Communication3
COM 571Persuasion3
COM 574Communications in Politics3
COM 577Communication Law and Ethics3
COM 585Internship1-20

Elective Courses

Up to 15 credit hours of any 400- or 500-level coursework with adviser approval. A maximum of nine credit hours of 400-level courses may be used.

Additional Courses

Additional coursework or dissertation research sufficient to meet the requirement of 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. All work for a doctoral degree should be completed within six calendar years after the mandatory doctoral advising meeting; if it is not, then the student must re-pass the qualifying examination.

Examinations

The Qualifying Examination assesses a student’s analytical ability, writing skills, and research potential. The exam must be taken by the end of the student’s third semester in the Ph.D. program. Each student prepares a brief statement of research interests and a qualifying paper—a sole-authored research paper of at least 5,000 words, demonstrating original analysis and familiarity with existing research. The examining committee consists of three Category I faculty, at least two from the technology and humanities program. Based on exam results, the committee may recommend changes to the student’s plan of study. If the student fails the qualifying examination, the committee may recommend a re-examination. The second attempt at the exam is regarded as final.

The Comprehensive Examination assesses a student’s expertise and ability to apply the literature in three research areas. The exam should be taken by the end of the student’s third year in the Ph.D. program. The examining committee consists of three Category I faculty from the technology and humanities program and one from a Ph.D.-granting academic unit at the university other than the Department of Humanities. The student works with the committee to select research areas and develop a reading list for each one. Areas and reading lists must be approved by all committee members prior to the exam. A timed, written exam requires the student to respond to one or more questions in each area. The committee may recommend a re-examination over any area(s) that the student fails. The second attempt at the exam is regarded as final.

The Dissertation Proposal is a detailed written plan for original research that will culminate in the dissertation. The proposal is typically presented within one semester after the student has passed the comprehensive examination. The proposal is developed under the guidance of the student’s major adviser and typically addresses:

  1. the research problem or issue to be investigated
  2. its significance to the field
  3. a thorough review of relevant research
  4. a detailed description of and rationale for the research method(s) to be used
  5. a plan of work
  6. a statement of anticipated results or outcomes

The proposal review committee consists of four Category I faculty: three from technology and humanities and one from a Ph.D.-granting academic unit at the university other than the Department of Humanities. The committee must formally approve the proposal before the student begins further work on the dissertation. As part of the review process, the committee may request one or more meetings with, or presentations by, the student.

The Final Thesis Examination is an oral defense of the dissertation. The dissertation committee consists of four Category I faculty: three from technology and humanities and one from a Ph.D.-granting academic unit at the university other than the Department of Humanities. A student who fails the exam may be re-examined after 30 days. The second attempt at the exam is regarded as final.

The Dissertation should constitute an original contribution to scholarship in technology and humanities and may address areas of interaction between technology and humanities and other disciplines (e.g., history, linguistics, literature, philosophy, and rhetoric/composition). The research topic and method may be empirical (perhaps employing the facilities of the Humanities and Technology Lab or Speech Analysis Lab), pedagogical, historical, or theoretical.