Fourteen graduate students pose in front of the Nittany Lion shrine, a large sculpture of a mountain lion carved out of limestone.

Graduate Programs

The Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications offers a master’s degree in media studies and Ph.D. in mass communications. Our curriculum allows students to design a program of study tailored to their interests, choosing from an array of classes each semester that explore theory and cutting-edge research methods in mass communication.

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    No. 2 in the world for communications, according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities, which released its 2024 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects

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    Paul J. Deutschmann Award winners: Mary Beth Oliver and S. Shyam Sundar

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    International Communication Fellows: Homero Gil de Zúñiga, Mary Beth Oliver and S. Shyam Sundar

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    faculty members are editors or senior editors for major journals: Computers in Human Behavior (Bu Zhong), Mass Communication & Society (Michael Schmierbach), Journal of Media Ethics (Patrick Plaisance), Journal of Information Policy (Krishna Jayakar)

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    ranked 37th for communications and media studies in the 2025 World University Rankings by Subject, according to London-based QS

News

May 1, 2025 Bellisario College honors faculty, staff and graduate students for excellence

Mar 13, 2025 Penn State professor earns national Deutschmann Award for Excellence in Research

Feb 25, 2025 Retired professor's book details rich history of media effects study in US

Nov 19, 2024 From the newsroom, doctoral student studies journalism’s modern-day challenges