Professional Doctorate in Audiology (Au.D.)
The University of Utah offers a professional doctorate in audiology. The department is currently accepting applications.
Au.D. Program Description and Curriculum
Audiology is one of the fastest growing healthcare professions in the United States (U.S. Department of Labor, 2002), offering a diverse range of practice settings and the opportunity to positively impact the lives of children and adults with hearing loss. At least 80% of audiologists work in healthcare settings today, providing both diagnostic and rehabilitative clinical services.
Drawing upon the strengths of the location of our program in the College of Health, the curriculum offers a broad range of clinical education and training.
The professional doctorate (Au.D.) program is a 4-year post baccalaureate degree that is designed to meet all requirements for national accreditation and clinical certification in audiology.
The program is comprised of 3 years of didactic and practical experience, followed by a year of fulltime supervised clinical practice in the 4th year. A total of 104 credit hours are required, of which 62 are didactic, 6 are research and 36 are clinical experiences.
Students are required to pass a written comprehensive exam at the end of the 2nd year and complete a collaborative research project by the end of the 3rd year prior to commencing the 4th year clinical experience.
The program also admits qualified students who already have a Master’s degree in audiology. The fourth year of clinical practice will be waived for post-Master’s students who already hold licensure or certification in audiology. The research requirement may also be waived for those students who have completed a Master’s thesis.
Purpose of Degree
The purpose of the Au.D. is to educate audiologists for professional practice as specialists in the evaluation and management of individuals with hearing impairment and balance disorders.
Careers
Graduating students will be qualified to enter a wide range of professional careers in private practice, clinical settings in hospitals and outpatient facilities, educational settings, and industry.
The professional doctorate will replace the Master’s degree as the entry-level degree for those who are pursuing clinical practice, while the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Audiology will remain for individuals who are pursuing careers in research and academics.
Professional Doctorate
Recognizing that there is a need for the clinical doctorate degree, the two national audiology professional organizations (the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA] and the American Academy of Audiology [AAA]) have mandated the creation of the professional doctorate and have provided guidelines for its establishment.
By ASHA mandate, all graduates from the year 2007 to 2012 must have the equivalent of doctoral-level coursework and clinical training in order to qualify for national certification. Beginning in 2012, all graduates must have doctoral degrees to qualify for national certification.
Expected outcomes of an Au.D. program at the U of U are that all graduating students will meet ASHA mandated requirements for entry to the practice of audiology and that the program will be responsive to higher levels of training demanded today by employers of audiologists.
The expanded program is also designed to be responsive to the needs of students who wish to enter a variety of employment settings. Providing students with greater depth and breadth of clinical training as well as research experience allows them to compete for careers in audiology with more responsibility and greater personal and financial rewards.
Admissions
Applications for admission to the Au.D. program will be reviewed by an admissions committee. Admission requirements will be at least the minimum requirements of the Graduate School, and will be competitive based on the pool of applicants for any given year. The departmental deadline for applying to any of the graduate programs is February 1.
- letter of Intent (1-2 pages),
- undergraduate transcripts,
- GRE scores,
- 3 letters of recommendation,
- sample of scholarly writing will be required.
In addition, if English is not the applicant’s native language, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Test of Spoken English (TSE) will also be required.
We will weigh the entire application to determine the ability of the student to complete the program successfully.
Appropriate undergraduate programs would be those found in traditional Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education and Allied Health that include a solid foundation in the basic sciences such as biology, psychology, pre-nursing, pre-medicine, and engineering. Applications from traditionally under-represented groups are encouraged.
Additional Information
For further information regarding the Au.D. program, contact Susan Naidu, Ph.D.
