Audiology - M.A., Au.D. and Ph.D. Download to print

The Master of Arts in Audiology is an advanced non-clinical degree program designed for those students seeking careers in hearing and acoustics. Those interested in becoming a licensed clinical audiologist should see the Doctor of Audiology program description and requirements described below.

The Doctor of Audiology is a professional doctorate that prepares students to be licensed clinical audiologists. Graduates are independent professionals who specialize in the diagnosis, management and treatment of hearing and balance disorders. This program may be undertaken in conjunction with the Ph.D. program described below.

The Doctor of Philosophy program in Audiology provides the student with a strong theoretical background and research competencies in communication processes and/or disorders and is ideal for those interested academic and research careers in communication sciences. This program may be undertaken simultaneously or sequentially with the Au.D. program.

NOTE: For any clinical practicum (on campus or off campus) in speech pathology or audiology that requires candidates to be placed within the on-campus speech and hearing clinics. school or agency setting, the SPA program requires candidates to complete Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCII) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background check and submit the results to authorized personnel at their assigned clinic/school/agency before the beginning of their placement or the first day of the semester in which the practicum will take place. Authorized school/agency personnel will determine whether a candidate may participate in practicum in the off-campus setting. The BCII and FBI background checks are good for one year and the candidates will need to complete one each year that they are in graduate school.

Electronic fingerprinting is available for BCII and FBI in 221 White Hall and should be completed one month prior to clinical practicum. Candidates are responsible for fees incurred for this requirement. For more information on this policy contact the Clinical Coordinators for the Speech and Hearing Clinics. Visit the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) website for more information about background check requirements for those wishing to hold pupil personnel licenses in Ohio. Contact the Office of Professional Conduct at the ODE for specific information about the results of the background check.

M.A., Au.D., Ph.D.: Official college transcript(s), GRE scores, a goal statement, and three leters of recommendation. Students applying to any of the programs are required to have earned a recognized Bachelor's degree, but not necessarily in speech-language pathology and audiology. A recommended minimum graduate GPA of 3.500 and GRE scores with a recommended score of 50th percentile or higher for student applying to the Ph.D. degree.

For more information about graduate admission, please visit the Graduate Studies website.

M.A.: The Master's program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours and is custom designed to fit the individual needs and interests of the student.

Au.D.: This doctoral program is a full-time, continuous, 48-month post baccalaureate course of study designed to integrate classroom, laboratory and clinical experiences culminating in the qualification for National certification and State (Ohio) licensure as an audiologist. All students attend full-time and take a fixed sequence of classroom- and clinic-based courses. The program emphasizes the principles and practices underlying evaluation, treatment and provision of hearing care services.

For progression and graduation, students must meet the following degree requirements:

• Maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0.
• Satisfactorily complete the 120 credit hours as detailed in the plan of study.
• Accrue 2000 clock hours of clinical experience.
• Meet the requirements for conditional Ohio licensure in audiology.
• Pass academic and clinical competency-based examinations.

Licensure Requirement (not required for graduation):
Candidates seeking Audiology licensure are required to pass Praxis II test Audiology.

Ph.D.:Students may be admitted to the Ph.D. program on a part-time basis; however, all students must meet a residency requirement with two consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment prior to acceptance into candidacy.

After admission to the Ph.D. degree program, students and their sponsor/advisor cooperatively develop a program of a least 45 (post master's degree) or 75 (post bachelor's degree) semester credit hours of pre-candidacy study which will encompass their general needs and specific interest, while consisting of at least 24 hours in a major area of focus, 15 hours in each of two minor focus areas and a minimum 6 semester hours of research tools coursework. Students who have not completed a master's thesis are required to complete and successfully defend a research project in lieu of thesis prior to taking their comprehensive examinations. Students must maintain an overall grade point average of at least 3.000 throughout the program. After completion of coursework, students take the candidacy examinations, consisting of both written and oral portions. The written portion entails 16-20 hours of writing on material studied within the major and minor concentrations as predetermined by the examination committee. The oral portion occurs two to four weeks later and can cover pertinent general information in addition to that covered on the written portion. Successful completion of these examinations culminates in "admission to candidacy" and allows the candidate to begin work on the dissertation.

Doctoral Candidacy:
Once admitted, candidates are expected to maintain continuous enrollment in Dissertation, including summers, until the dissertation is defended. Candidates must have attained a minimum of 60 semester credit hours beyond their master's degree (90 hours if entering with a bachelor's degree) and successfully defend their dissertation to complete the program.

Graduates of the Au.D. program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of standards of ethical conduct.
2. Apply knowledge of the principles and methods of prevention, assessment and intervention for people with hearing impairments.
3. Demonstrate knowledge about certification, specialty recognition, licensure, and other relevant professional issues.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of contemporary professional issues.
5. Apply knowledge of research processes by integration of research principles into evidence-based practice.
6. Demonstrate skill in oral and written and other forms of communication sufficient for entry into professional practice.
7. Apply knowledge of and experience with individuals from culturally/linguistically diverse backgrounds with client/patient populations across the lifespan.

Graduates of the Ph.D. program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate competency within 1 major and 2 minor areas of expertise.
2. Demonstrate skills necessary to develop, implement, and evaluate a line of individual research.
3. Demonstrate oral and written communication skills and synthesis/application of materials needed to teach within a clinical and/or didactic context.

Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology