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The ATLAS Ph.D.: Full Description
The convergence of information and communication technologies, forming the networked information age, is having a profound effect upon our nation and the world. Some observers already consider the developments of the last 10-15 years to constitute the fourth of the "communication revolutions" that have marked the progress of mankind - following the emergence of the spoken word, the written word, and the development of the printing press. The emergence of the networked information age already is having a fundamental set of impacts on our nation and world:
• It is the major driver behind the wave of globalization, outsourcing and off-shoring that is leading to a large and lasting transformation of the global economy.
• It is changing the nature of governmental and political control
of societies by making it increasingly possible for people in all
parts of the world to have access to a wide spectrum of communications
and information.
• It is having profound impacts on national and global security, and on the privacy of individuals.
• It is redefining the media and entertainment industries in terms of content and delivery, and having a significant impact on literature and the arts.
• It is changing the nature and patterns of human interaction at the family level and beyond.
• It is impacting attention spans and learning modes, fundamentally affecting the design and delivery of education.
From an academic viewpoint, the networked information age is almost unprecedented in the range of disciplines that are involved in studying its impacts, and well as in the needs for multidisciplinary research that it creates. Among the disciplines that play key roles in assessing the impact of the networked information age and in constructing new approaches and knowledge for it are (alphabetically): Anthropology, Art, Business, Communication, Computer Science, Economics, Education, English, Film, the Foreign Languages, Geography, History, Journalism, Law, Music, the Physical Sciences, Political Science, Sociology, Telecommunications, Theater and Dance, and Writing and Rhetoric.
At the University of Colorado at Boulder, faculty from almost all of these disciplines (designated as ATLAS Fellows) are participating in a new interdisciplinary Ph.D. program that facilitates truly interdisciplinary coursework and research in pursuit of a broad array of interdisciplinary topics in technology, media and society. Typical students are highly motivated in terms of their interests and directions. A sampling of the areas in which they may seek to study and conduct research includes:
• Business and economic models for the digital economy
• Privacy, security and ethics in the information age
• Globalization and the networked information age
• Gender, under-represented groups, and the information age
• The impacts of information and communication technologies upon education
• The impacts of information and communication technologies upon business and scientific practice
• The mobile information society
• New forms of digital media and entertainment
• Methods and ramifications of human-computer interaction
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Admission to the Program
The Ph.D. in Technology, Media and Society is intended for self-directed, highly motivated students who enter the program having demonstrated high achievement and with a strong sense of the interdisciplinary education and research that they wish to pursue. A key criterion for evaluating potential students for the program will be the nature of the students' research interests. The Ph.D. in Technology, Media and Society is intended only for students whose research objectives cannot be met in any existing department or program available on the Boulder campus.
In general, students applying to the program must be mature, self-directed, highly motivated and have demonstrated outstanding achievement. Evidence of previous interdisciplinary work is desirable and will strengthen an application. Applicants need to make clear why they cannot achieve their educational goals within any single academic department. Students who have just finished their undergraduate studies will not in general have had experiences appropriate to make them suitable candidates for the ATLAS Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program. Students applying to the program will be encouraged, but not required, to submit a preliminary outline of their Program Proposal (described below) that will be used to better understand the student's educational and research objectives. Applications to the ATLAS Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program will be reviewed and evaluated by a committee of ATLAS Faculty Fellows comprising the ATLAS Graduate Admissions Committee. The ATLAS Graduate Program Director will chair this committee. Applications also may be reviewed by faculty of departments whose interests intersect those of the applicant. Decisions of the ATLAS Graduate Admissions Committee will be reviewed by the ATLAS Faculty Fellows and the ATLAS Director.
To contact ATLAS with questions about the PhD, e-mail cuatlas@colorado.edu. To apply, click here for instructions.
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Structure of the Ph.D. program
Because the ATLAS Ph.D. Program will admit students working in many different field areas at the intersections of Technology, Media and Society, the program is designed to flexibly allow many combinations of coursework. The foundational curricula common to all students include the following:
• At least one qualitative and one quantitative methods course, which can be taken in a variety of departments. Any exception to this requirement must be approved by the student's committee and the graduate chair, if it is judged that the student's proposed research does not contain an evaluative component.
• ATLAS 7000, the ATLAS Ph.D. seminar, is required of each student every semester that they are in the Ph.D. program. In each academic year, it will involve topics and readings from each of the areas of study and research in the Ph.D.. It will provide students with breadth by exposing them to this range of topics, familiarity with current issues, and an understanding of critical evaluation and research methods.
• The remaining coursework that students will take can be viewed as coming from three categories (although some courses fit into more than one of these areas):
• Technical foundations
•Social foundations
•Digital media foundations
Each student in the program will take significant coursework from at least two, and in many cases all three, of these categories.
In addition to these requirements, the following general guidelines shall apply:
• Course studies leading to the Ph.D. degree must be sufficient to provide the breadth and depth of knowledge to pursue their subsequent research and to have a broad grounding in issues in Technology, Media and Society. A minimum of thirty credit hours of courses numbered 5000 or above is required; however, the number of hours of formal courses will ordinarily be larger than this. (The ATLAS Ph.D. seminar is not part of this thirty credit hour course requirement.) In addition, a minimum of thirty credit hours of dissertation work is required for all doctoral degrees.
• Doctoral students may transfer up to 21 semester hours of graduate course work from another institution; however, such transfer credit must be approved by the student's committee, and by the ATLAS Graduate Program Director.
• As part of the Ph.D. program, all students in the program will be
expected to gain experience, either individually or with faculty or
other students, in writing papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals,
in presenting their research at professional workshops or conferences,
and in writing research grant proposals. Students considering teaching
careers will be expected to engage in learning the art and science of
excellent teaching. Students with a deficiency in spoken or written
English, whether foreign or domestic, will be required to take one or
more courses in spoken or written English, or other remediation, that
address this deficiency. All students in the program will be encouraged
to attend professional lectures and colloquia on campus and in the region,
beyond the ATLAS Ph.D. seminar, in fields that are relevant to their
interests.
Each student will work with a committee of at least
three faculty members, at least two of whom are ATLAS Faculty Fellows,
to begin design of a customized course of study that addresses that
student’s interests and provides the breadth and depth of
knowledge needed for their dissertation research and to start their
career.
• ATLS 7000, Ph.D. Seminar (required) 1 credit
• 2-3 additional courses as determined by student’s
plan of study. Students are encouraged to take required quantitative
and qualitative analysis courses during this year of study.
• Likely a research assistantship or teaching assistantship
By the end of the semester, each student must have designed a
Program Proposal that describes his/her goals, remaining course
plan, and research plan, and have had his or her Program Proposal
approved by their initial committee in a Program Proposal Presentation.
• ATLS 7000, Ph.D. Seminar (required) 1 credit
• 2-3 additional courses as determined by student’s
plan of study
• Likely a research assistantship or teaching assistantship
Student begins to explore research in proposed field of study,
engaging in fieldwork if warranted.
• ATLS 7000, Ph.D. Seminar (required) 1 credit
• 2-3 additional courses as determined by student’s
plan of study
• Likely a research assistantship or teaching assistantship
Student continues research in proposed field of study, engaging
in fieldwork if warranted.
• ATLS 7000, Ph.D. Seminar (required) 1 credit
• 2-3 additional courses as determined by student’s
plan of study
• Likely a research assistantship or teaching assistantship
At the end of this semester, student may take the Preliminary Examination
developed by the advisory committee. The Preliminary Examination
will demonstrate the student’s preparation for scholarly work
in his/her chosen area. The student must pass this exam prior to
the end of the fifth semester in the program.
The student assembles a dissertation committee consisting of five
or more members of the graduate faculty, at least three of whom
are ATLAS Faculty Fellows. This committee may include scholars from
academia or industry from outside the university, who have been
admitted to the graduate faculty. The student develops and presents
a dissertation proposal to this committee.
• ATLS 7000, Ph.D. Seminar (required) 1 credit
The student will pass a comprehensive exam given by the dissertation
committee based on this proposal, complete the dissertation, and
pass a final dissertation defense.
• ATLS 7000, Ph.D. Seminar (required) 1 credit
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What Students Should Expect to Gain
The ATLAS Ph.D. Program is designed to prepare students for productive research and professional careers working across traditional boundaries between information and communication technology and a wide variety of other areas, including media, telecommunications, business, law, and many of the social sciences, arts and humanities. It prepares students for university teaching and research careers, both in traditional departments (e.g. communications, computer science, or sociology, to name a few examples) where the study of technology, media and society is incorporated, and in the growing range of interdisciplinary schools and colleges of Information, Informatics, Computer and Information Science, and related areas, such as those mentioned above. It also prepares students for policy and research positions in industry in government, in sectors including telecommunications, media, and technology.
Upon completion of the Ph.D. in Technology, Media and Society, graduates will be scholars in their interdisciplinary field who will:
• Possess the intellectual tools to understand, critique and conduct interdisciplinary research at the interface of technology, media and society.
• Demonstrate research skills appropriate to the candidate's chosen fields.
• Conduct high quality research that meets current standards for publication in at least one substantive area in the interface of technology, media and society, demonstrating advanced knowledge of both research methodologies and the limitations of these methodologies.
• Bring reasoned argument, informed judgment, and a well-articulated standpoint to issues of significance in technology, media and society
• Be able to collaborate effectively with scholars from multiple areas, in research and inquiry, grant application, and publication.
• Be able to demonstrate how their research findings contribute significantly to multiple fields of inquiry.
• Communicate the products of their scholarship effectively at a professional level, orally and in writing, to diverse constituencies.
• Compete successfully for academic, industrial or public-sector jobs
Other Information on the Program
1. Transfer credits from accredited institutions will be accepted only upon approval by the ATLAS Graduate Program Director in consultation with the student's faculty advisory committee and under the conditions outlined below. Transfer credit is defined as any credit earned at another accredited institution, credits earned on another campus of the CU system, or credits earned as a non-degree student within the CU system. Students seeking the Ph.D. in Technology, Media and Society must complete the majority of their course work while enrolled in a graduate program as a degree seeking student. The following rules will apply to transferring credit to the Ph.D. in Technology, Media and Society:
• The maximum amount of work that may be transferred to CU-Boulder toward the Ph.D. in Technology, Media and Society is 21 semester hours.
• Work already applied toward a graduate degree received from CU-Boulder or another institution cannot be accepted for transfer toward another graduate degree of the same level at CU-Boulder. In addition, work completed for a doctoral degree may not be applied toward a subsequent master's degree. Extension work completed at another institution cannot be transferred; and correspondence work, except to make up deficiencies, is not recognized.
• All courses accepted for transfer must be graduate level courses. A course in which a grade of B- or lower was received will not be accepted for transfer. Transfer course work which is to be applied to a graduate degree at CU-Boulder and was completed more than five years prior to being accepted to the program shall be evaluated by the program as to current relevance and applicability to the degree requirements. At the discretion of the program a student may be asked to validate transfer credits prior to approval.
• Credit may not be transferred until the student has completed 6 credits of graduate level course work as a degree-seeking student on the CU-Boulder campus with a 3.0 GPA. Transferred credits do not reduce the minimum registration requirement but may reduce the amount of work to be done in formal courses.
• Excess undergraduate credits from another institution may not be transferred to the CU-Boulder Graduate School.
• With the exception of students enrolled in the Concurrent Bachelor's/Master's degree, seniors at CU-Boulder may transfer a limited amount of graduate level work (up to 9 semester hours) provided such work:
• Is completed with a grade of B or above at CU-Boulder,
• Comes within the five year course time limit,
• Has not been applied toward another degree,
• Is recommended for transfer by the department concerned, and such transfer is approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.
2. Advising. Each student admitted to the program will be assigned one or two initial advisors who are graduate faculty of relevant departments. At least one of these will be an ATLAS Faculty Fellow. The initial advisor(s) will work with the student until approval of the student's Program Proposal, as described below. The initial advisor(s) will convene a committee that includes at least three graduate faculty of relevant departments, at least two of whom are ATLAS Faculty Fellows. This committee will assist the student in course selection for the first year, and with development of the Program Proposal. The Program Proposal will identify who will serve as the student's dissertation advisor(s) after approval of the Program Proposal.
3. Further Detail on the Program Proposal (2nd semester)
Prior to the end of his or her first year, each student will present a Program Proposal. The Program Proposal, developed by the student working with his or her advisor(s) and other interested faculty, will contain:
• A Statement of Purpose that describes the student's background, research and general career goals;
• A Course Plan that enumerates each of the courses that the student intends to take as part of his or her graduate work (including courses already taken), and a brief discussion of how each course supports the student's research goals; and
• A Research Plan that
• Provides an overview of the proposed research,
• Discusses the significance and novelty of the proposed research,
• Identifies the general research questions to be addressed by the proposed research,
• Identifies the student's research advisor(s), and
• Identifies the faculty members who have agreed to serve on the student's committee until such time as the student's formal Dissertation Committee is named. This interim committee must include at least three faculty members who are graduate faculty from relevant departments, at least two of whom are ATLAS Faculty Fellows.
The Program Proposal must be approved by the end of the first year of study by the student's research advisor(s) and all other faculty on the student's proposed committee. Students will submit a written Program Proposal no later than two weeks prior to the end of the second semester of study and will then schedule a meeting to discuss the Program Proposal with his or her committee. The student's advisor will notify the ATLAS Graduate Program Director when the Program Proposal is approved. Students in the ATLAS Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program must obtain this approval by the end of the first year in order to remain in good standing.
4. Further detail on the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam (Dissertation Proposal)
The dissertation topic must be acceptable to the Dissertation Committee, and the committee must believe that the student is capable of doing the research needed to complete a dissertation on this topic. These requirements are measured by the Comprehensive Exam, which is implemented as a dissertation proposal to the student's Dissertation Committee.
Each student is expected to take the Comprehensive Exam within three years of the student's admission to regular degree status. The purposes of the Comprehensive Exam are to ensure that:
• The student has a sufficient grasp of the fundamentals of the chosen dissertation area;
• The student's proposed research is sufficiently rigorous, novel and feasible so as to suggest the high likelihood of success;
• The student has the ability to effectively communicate with colleagues, and in particular, with the members of the Dissertation Committee; and that
• The student has a sufficiently broad base of knowledge in areas related to the chosen dissertation area.
The Comprehensive Exam, normally an oral exam, will be given by the student's Dissertation Committee. A passing grade is given if at least four of the five members of the examining committee vote to award to passing grade. The student shall not, however, receive a passing grade if the Chair of the Dissertation Committee does not vote to award a passing grade.
5. Further detail on the Ph.D. Dissertation Defense
A dissertation, based upon original investigation, that demonstrates mature scholarship and critical judgment, and that reflects familiarity with tools and methods of research, must be written on a subject approved by the student's Dissertation Committee. After the dissertation has been completed, a final public examination on the dissertation and related topics will be conducted. This examination will be conducted by the Dissertation Examination Committee. The Dissertation Examination Committee will typically be identical to the Dissertation Committee, except that the membership of the Dissertation Examination Committee must be formally approved by the Dean of the Graduate School prior to the final examination. More than one dissenting vote will disqualify the candidate in the final examination.
6. List of potential courses. The intent of the ATLAS Ph.D. program is to draw from the wide array of relevant graduate courses already being taught on the CU-Boulder campus. The existing array of courses available in participating departments provides a broad and rich selection that is expected to meet the needs of the students in this program. While it is impossible to identify all the graduate courses that a student in the ATLAS Ph.D. program might consider part of their Course Plan, this website enumerates over 50 courses that form the core of the courses from which ATLAS Ph.D. students select.
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