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Rhetoric and Professional Communication: PhD

Our PhD program in Rhetoric and Professional Communication (RPC) was founded in 1991, making it one of the first PhD programs in the United States to feature the role of rhetoric in professional communication. Faculty in the program founded—and continue to edit—one of the leading journals in the field: Journal of Business and Technical Communication.

The RPC program provides a strong foundation in rhetoric to undergird the study of professional communication. Some students focus their coursework and research squarely on professional communication. But students can focus their studies in various ways; the program has strengths in public rhetorics, multimodal composition pedagogy, and visual communication.

For the PhD in Rhetoric and Professional Communication, students complete a minimum of 57 credit hours above the BA or BS, plus 15 credit hours of dissertation credit (a total of 72 credit hours of graduate coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree). Because students often enter with master’s degrees from many different disciplines, the curriculum is designed to be flexible, and advisors work with students to design an individual, flexible program tailored to their interests, using the many resources in the department and the university at large.

Coursework and outcomes

Degree requirements

Area of CourseworkCoursesCredits
CO-REQUISITES
This course does not count towards degree requirement credits. Students complete co-requisite their first semester upon entry into the program. Previous coursework that meets co-requisites can be documented by submitting the Pre-Co-Requisite Equivalency Petition
ENGL 5910E
1.0 Credits
CORE COURSEWORK
ENGL 5060
ENGL 5080#
ENGL 5470*		 9
RPC ELECTIVES
Students may complete courses in one area or in any combination of the listed areas.
Multimodal composition and speech communication
ENGL 5000, SPCM 5130, ENGL 5030, 5040, 5920B*#, 6030, 6310
Professional communication
ENGL 5050, 5290, 5420, 5490*, 5860, 5870, 5920C*#
Rhetoric
ENGL 5480*, 5920A*#, 6110*

 21
RESEARCH METHODS
ENGL 6020 cannot be used to fulfill the program’s requirement to complete at least one 6000-level RPC course at Iowa State University.		ENGL 5630A* Qualitative
ENGL 5630C* Rhetorical Analysis		 6
* Cross-listed with SPCM
# Repeatable
ENGLISH ELECTIVES
A set of courses from a coherent assembly of courses within the English Department (and may include RPC courses) approved by the POS Committee.

*Note: Co-majors instead complete 12 credits in this section.		 15
OUTSIDE ENGLISH ELECTIVES
A set of courses from a coherent assembly of courses outside the English Department approved by the POS Committee.

*Note: Co-majors instead complete 9 credits in this section.		 6
Note: The POS must include at least one 6000-level RPC course taken at Iowa State University (cannot be transfer credits). This course may be an RPC Elective, English Elective, or Outside English Elective.
DISSERTATION RESEARCHENGL 6990 15
TOTAL 72 minimum

TERM/COURSE NO.COURSE TITLE
Spring 2024
5080Writing for Academic Publication
5480Cultural and Critical Theories of Communication and Rhetoric
6030Seminar in Composition Theory
Fall 2024
5470
The History of Rhetorical Theory from the Classical Era to the Present
5630AResearch Methods in Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Communication: Qualitative Research
5910EDirected Readings – 1-credit course for new RCPC and RPC students
6110Seminar in Rhetorical Theory
Spring 2025
5050User Experience Architecture and Testing
5920Core Studies: Rhetoric
6310Administration of Multimodal Writing Programs
Fall 2025
5060Professional Communication Theory
5630CResearch Methods in Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Communication: Rhetorical Analysis
5860Visual Rhetoric in Professional Communication
5910Directed Readings – 1-credit course for new RCPC and RPC students

At the time of graduation, RPC students will demonstrate an ability to:

  • Demonstrate understanding of theories, research methods, and concepts in rhetoric, professional communication, and multimodal composition.
  • Apply these theories, research methods, and concepts in scholarly activity, including research and teaching.
  • Use a variety of technologies and media for scholarly research and for developing audience-centered communication.
  • Analyze, synthesize, and critique communication in a variety of organizational and public contexts.
  • Analyze, synthesize, and critique research related to rhetoric, professional communication, and multimodal composition.
  • Develop scholarship that makes a significant contribution to the field.
  • Develop communication that helps build a socially just society.

Measures for evaluating a student’s success in meeting these objectives include these:

  • Display of an ability to develop a clear and cogent argument using relevant evidence in coursework
  • Annual reviews
  • Qualifying examination (i.e., portfolio assessment)
  • Preliminary exams (written and oral)
  • Completion and defense of a dissertation.

Portfolio assessment and preliminary written and oral examinations

The examinations are also part of professional preparation. Students complete a portfolio assessment during their first year from papers they have composed in their courses and revised with the help of faculty and peers. At the end of their coursework, they write a preliminary written exam based on an approved reading list (three essays that show their grasp of the field) and give an oral presentation of their dissertation proposal as part of their preliminary oral examination.
ENGL 5000 Teaching Multimodal CompositionENGL 5030 Composition Theory
ENGL 5040 Teaching Advanced CommunicationENGL 5050 User Experience Architecture and Testing for Advanced
ENGL 5060 Professional Communication TheoryENGL 5080 Writing for Academic Publication (summer)
SPCM 5130 Teaching Fundamentals of Public SpeakingENGL 5290 Content Management
ENGL 5420 Technical Editing and Publication ManagementEnGL/SPCM 5470: The History of Rhetorical Theory from the Classical Era to the Present
ENGL/SPCM 5480: Cultural and Critical Theories of Communication and RhetoricENGL 5490 Multimedia and Interaction Design
ENGL 5630A Research Methods: QualitativeENGL 5630C Research Methods: Rhetorical Analysis
ENGL 5860 Visual Rhetoric in Professional CommunicationENGL 5870 Internship in Business, Technical, and Professional Communication
ENGL 5900 Special Topics (Independent Study)ENGL/SPCM 5920A Core Studies: Rhetoric
ENGL/SPCM 5920C Core Studies: Professional CommunicationENGL 6110 Seminar in Rhetorical Theory
ENGL 6310 Administration and Organization of Multimodal Writing Programs

Brief course descriptions of the above courses can be found in the ISU Catalog under the English department section.

Important information

Program requirements

Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree prior to their first semester in either program and must meet stated application preferences and English proficiency requirements (for nonnative speakers of English only). See our How to Apply page for more information.

Financial aid

Iowa State and the English department offer a variety of financial aid for graduate students. The majority of our students are funded through graduate assistantships, which provide a full tuition waiver (PhD) or half tuition waiver (MA), a monthly stipend for teaching courses or for conducting research, and health insurance benefits. Applications for assistantships are part of the process for applying for admission.

Faculty and students

Learn more about our faculty and students.

Ready to apply?

Graduate program resources