About the Ph.D. in Rhetorics, Communication and Information Design
The RCID program intentionally uses the plural term rhetorics to recognize that communication is shaped by diverse cultures, communities, histories, and ways of knowing and doing. Rather than treating rhetoric as a single tradition or method, RCID examines how people create meaning, communicate ideas, and organize knowledge across social, cultural and technological contexts.
Students study both rhetorical traditions and emerging forms of communication, including oral, written, visual, digital, and multimodal expression. Along the way, they develop expertise in research methods, critical analysis and creative practice while exploring questions that bridge disciplinary boundaries.
RCID's interdisciplinary approach encourages students to connect theory with practice, preparing them to conduct meaningful research and produce scholarship and solutions that respond to contemporary challenges in academia, industry, government and public life.
About Clemson
Clemson University is located in the City of Clemson in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson metropolitan area of over 1 million people. Our campus is adjacent to Lake Hartwell, near the Blue Ridge mountains, and about two hours away from three cities: Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Columbia, the capital of South Carolina. Charleston is about four hours away on the South Carolina coast, while Asheville, North Carolina, is less than two hours away in the Great Smoky Mountains.
