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
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | (18) | |
| COM 521 | Theory in Technology and Humanities | 3 |
| COM 538 | Entrepreneurship in Technical Communication | 3 |
| or BUS 510 | Strategic Management | |
| or IDX 560 | Introduction to Design Thinking | |
| or IDX 562 | Multidisciplinary Innovation | |
| COM 545 | Academic Writing | 3 |
| COM 601 | Research Methods and Resources | 3 |
| COM 602 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| or COM 603 | Quantitative Research Methods | |
| HUM 610 | Technology and Humanities Seminar | 3 |
| 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 691 | Research & Thesis Ph.D. 1 | 24-36 |
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
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COM 528 | Document Design | 3 |
| COM 530 | Standards-Based Web Design | 3 |
| COM 531 | Web Application Development | 3 |
| COM 532 | Rhetoric of Technology | 3 |
| COM 541 | Information Structure and Retrieval | 3 |
| COM 552 | Gender and Technological Change | 3 |
| COM 553 | Media and Globalization | 3 |
| COM 554 | Science and Technology Studies | 3 |
| COM 571 | Persuasion | 3 |
| COM 574 | Communications in Politics | 3 |
| COM 577 | Communication Law and Ethics | 3 |
| COM 584 | Humanizing Technology | 3 |
Linguistics
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COM 501 | Introduction to Linguistics | 3 |
| COM 506 | World Englishes | 3 |
| COM 508 | Structure of Modern English | 3 |
| COM 509 | History of the English Language | 3 |
| COM 510 | The Human Voice: Description, Analysis, and Application | 3 |
| COM 515 | Discourse Analysis | 3 |
Philosophy
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PHIL 551 | Science and Values | 3 |
| PHIL 560 | Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 570 | Engineering Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 571 | Ethics in Architecture | 3 |
| PHIL 573 | Business Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 574 | Ethics in Computer Science | 3 |
| PHIL 580 | Topics in Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 597 | Special Problems in Philosophy | 1-6 |
| PHIL 691 | Research and Dissertation | 1-6 |
Technical Communication
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COM 503 | Analyzing and Communicating Quantitative Data | 3 |
| COM 511 | Linguistics for Technical Communication | 3 |
| COM 523 | Communicating Science | 3 |
| COM 525 | User Experience Research and Evaluation | 3 |
| COM 528 | Document Design | 3 |
| COM 529 | Technical Editing | 3 |
| COM 530 | Standards-Based Web Design | 3 |
| COM 531 | Web Application Development | 3 |
| COM 535 | Instructional Design | 3 |
| COM 541 | Information Structure and Retrieval | 3 |
| COM 542 | Knowledge Management | 3 |
| COM 561 | Teaching Technical Communication | 3 |
| COM 571 | Persuasion | 3 |
| COM 574 | Communications in Politics | 3 |
| COM 577 | Communication Law and Ethics | 3 |
| COM 585 | Internship | 1-20 |
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:
- the research problem or issue to be investigated
- its significance to the field
- a thorough review of relevant research
- a detailed description of and rationale for the research method(s) to be used
- a plan of work
- 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.
