Prospective PhD Student Q&A (October 2026)

This page collects the FAQ and the top questions for the CDSC prospective PhD student Q&A session on October 2, 2026. See Join CDSC for general information about joining the collective, and the event announcement on the CDSC blog for details.

Who's recruiting, what they study, and deadlines[edit]

You apply to each university separately. Each has its own deadline, requirements, and fee. All programs below admit for fall 2027.

Aaron Shaw, Northwestern (MTS and TSB PhD programs)
- Studies: comparative peer production, online community governance, LLM-based social science, AI and digital public infrastructure
- Deadlines + details:
  - MTS check https://mts.northwestern.edu/admissions
  - TSB check https://tsb.northwestern.edu/admissions/

Benjamin Mako Hill, UW Seattle (Communication PhD)
- Studies: peer production at population scale, computational social science, democratizing data science, informal learning
- Deadline: Dec 1, 2026
- Admissions info: https://com.uw.edu/ma-phd/admissions-information/
- HCDE admissions: https://www.hcde.washington.edu/phd/admissions
- CSE admissions: https://www.cs.washington.edu/academics/graduate/phd-program/phd-admissions/
- iSchool admissions: https://ischool.uw.edu/programs/phd/admissions

Jeremy Foote, Purdue (Communication PhD)
- Studies: how people decide whether and how to participate in online communities, how communities change their members, belief and influence, the role of AI in social processes
- Deadline: Review begins Oct 15, 2026 (try to apply by then)
- TOEFL: 5.0 Speaking, 4 Reading, 3.5 Listening, and 4 Writing

Nathan TeBlunthuis, UT Austin (iSchool PhD)
- Studies: ecosystems of online communities, AI tools in peer production, computational methods, how information sources gain legitimacy
- Deadline: Dec 1, 2026

Kaylea Champion, UW Bothell (MS programs only)
- Studies: how people collaborate to build and secure digital infrastructure such as open source software, and risks from AI
- Deadline: MS CS & Software Engineering priority Feb 1, 2027; international Mar 1, 2027

More info: https://blog.communitydata.science/prospective-phd-student-qa-october-2-2026/

FAQ[edit]

1. Is the PhD funded? Including for international students?[edit]

Yes. Admitted PhD students get multi-year funding covering tuition and a stipend, through RA/TA positions or fellowships. There is no separate RA/TA application. In general, international students receive the same stipend.

2. Can someone with my background apply (CS/AI, engineering, psychology, humanities, industry)?[edit]

Yes. Of course, a background in a related field is an asset, but we don't require a communication / information science degree. What matters is a research question about people, communities, or society. Technical applicants: your skills are an asset, but show interest in the social science questions, not only the methods.

3. What do you look for?[edit]

Curiosity, a question of your own, evidence you can learn new things, clear fit with our work, and being a good colleague. Capacity to learn matters more than credentials, grades, or test scores.

4. Do I need publications or research experience?[edit]

No. However, applications are very competitive, and publications/research experience are a good signal that someone can successfully conduct research, but there are other important signals. Industry experience counts too if you describe it in research terms: what you wanted to know, how you found out, and what you concluded.

5. How specific should my research agenda be? How much freedom will I have?[edit]

You should have a general plan, certainly specific enough to figure out if the faculty member you want to work with could help you to be successful. However, people and projects evolve. You may end up working on something quite different. Students often start on group projects and build toward their own independent work, including a dissertation.

6. I don't have strong quantitative or computational skills. Is that OK?[edit]

In general, yes. Some programs (e.g., TSB at Northwestern) expect a technical background, but most do not. You will learn methods in the program. Having some quantitative or qualitative training is valuable. A stats course, some Python or R, or a small data project helps but isn't required.

7. Should I contact faculty before applying?[edit]

Yes, we encourage it. Send a short email: your background, your research question, a specific link between your interests and theirs, and your CV.

8. How do I choose among programs? Does it matter which one admits me?[edit]

There are a lot of dimensions to consider! You should probably start by determining which faculty member is closest to your interests, then consider the department, the location, the stipend and requirements, etc.. You will certainly work closest with the faculty member where you go to school, but we collaborate and co-advise across campuses, so you can work with the whole group from any program. You can apply to multiple CDSC departments.

9. What should my statement of purpose do?[edit]

Your goal is for the faculty members at the institution who read it to be excited about you attending there. In all of our programs, we are not the only ones making admission decisions, so you need to convince other communication or information science faculty as well. You should try to show that you know how to do social science research, have a fairly well-developed and theoretically grounded research idea, and show some knowledge of the department and faculty that you might want to work with.

10. Do I need a master's degree, the GRE, or TOEFL/IELTS?[edit]

Northwestern[edit]

GRE is optional at both MTS and TSB — TSB will not use submitted GRE scores at all, and MTS has no minimum. A master's degree is not required by either program, though TSB notes that many admitted students arrive with one. TOEFL/IELTS is required for most international applicants (waived if the applicant holds a BA or MA from an institution that instructs primarily in English).

Northwestern reports TOEFL iBT scores on the new scale, with the old-scale equivalent in parentheses — e.g., "5 (100)" means a 5 on the new scale, equivalent to the old 100.

MTS — TOEFL iBT 5 (100)+ with Speaking 5 (26)+; IELTS 7+ with Speaking equivalent (approximately IELTS 7.5); Michigan English Test 61+ with Speaking equivalent. Apply page, FAQ.
TSB — TOEFL iBT 5 (100)+ with Speaking 5 (26)+; IELTS 7+; Michigan English Test 61+. Apply page, FAQ.

Purdue[edit]

GRE is not required but TOEFL/IELTS is. A master's degree is not required, but is recommended.

FAQ: https://cla.purdue.edu/communication/graduate/on-campus-graduate-program/prospective/faqs/
Application process: https://cla.purdue.edu/communication/graduate/on-campus-graduate-program/prospective/application-process/
Application fee waivers: https://www.purdue.edu/academics/ogsps/admissions/how-to-apply/#appfee

Language requirements, Speaking Portion minimum scores:

TOEFL iBT (pre-2026): 25
TOEFL iBT (2026 or later): 5.0
IELTS: 7.5

UT Austin[edit]

TOEFL/IELTS is required for non-native English speakers unless they hold a bachelor's degree from an English-speaking-country. GRE is not required, but may be useful.

https://ischool.utexas.edu/programs/phd

Language requirements:

TOEFL iBT: 79/120 or 4/6
IELTS Academic: 6.5

UW Seattle[edit]

GRE is not required for any UW Seattle program. CSE explicitly will not consider submitted scores; iSchool allows optional submission to strengthen an application with a lower GPA. A master's degree is not required. TOEFL/IELTS is required for non-native English speakers; the minimum scores vary by program.

UW is transitioning to a new TOEFL iBT score scale on January 21, 2026 — old scores of 80 and 92 correspond to the new 4.0 and 4.5. The UW Graduate School baseline is TOEFL iBT 4.0 / IELTS 6.5; individual programs may require more.

Per-program English proficiency minima and admissions pages:

Communication — no program-specific minimum stated on the admissions page; defaults to the UW Graduate School baseline. Admissions page (contact cmuadv@uw.edu for details).
HCDE — TOEFL iBT 4.5 total (92 on the pre-2026 scale), IELTS 7.0 total, Duolingo 130. English proficiency documentation.
CSE — UW Graduate School baseline applies. Eligibility requirements.
iSchool — TOEFL iBT 4.5 total with Speaking 5, IELTS 7.0 total with Speaking 7.0, Duolingo 130 with Speaking 140. Application materials.