Education

Ph.D., Mass Communication, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
M.A., Journalism, University of South Carolina
M.Div., Theology, Emory University
B.A., Psychology, Davidson College

About Dr. David Arant

Dr. David Arant has been a professor at the University of Memphis for more than 25 years. Born and raised in South Carolina, he earned a B.A. in psychology at Davidson College and an M. Div. in theology at Emory University and then served as a minister for seven years. He next worked as associate editor for the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate and then as a reporter at the Union (SC) Daily Times. After completing an M.A. in journalism at the University of South Carolina, Arant earned his Ph.D. in mass communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

After teaching a year at Elon University, Arant in 1992 became an assistant professor at the University of Memphis Department of Journalism and later served as its graduate coordinator.  In 1995 he was among the founders of the department’s online M.A. in Journalism program, one of the first fully online master's in the country. 

In 2002 he became associate dean of University College, the interdisciplinary studies college at the University of Memphis, where he coordinated the Master of Liberal Studies program and led the creation of the Master of Professional Studies, a statewide collaboration. In 2008 he was named chair the Department of Journalism and Strategic Media, in which capacity he currently serves. In addition to his administrative duties, Dr. Arant teaches Media Law every semester.

Arant’s research focuses on mass media ethics, newspaper practices and mass media law and has been published in journals including Journalism Quarterly, Journalism Educator, Journal of Mass Media Ethics, Communication Law and Policy, and Newspaper Research Journal.