PhD in Speech Pathology or Audiology (Research)

The doctoral (Ph.D.) programs in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology consist of academic and research experiences, with an emphasis on basic and applied science. The Ph.D. degree programs are intended to prepare students for academic and research careers. Candidates work closely with a mentor in a specific research area, while still earning a broad, scientific education in either audiology or speech-language pathology. Courses for the Ph.D. degree are selected from a number of areas related to communication disorders, such as psychology, engineering, linguistics, computer science, statistics, sensory processes, and special education, as well as audiology and speech-language pathology.

Candidates for admission to the Ph.D. program must have earned a bachelor's degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) in the last 60 semester credits of their undergraduate degree. If a candidate has a master's or a doctoral degree, a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their graduate work is required. In addition, candidates are required to obtain a combined score of 800 in the Verbal and Quantitative sections on the Graduate Record Examination taken within the last 5 years. Acceptable TOEFL scores (105 or higher on the Internet-based exam) are also required for international applicants. Applicants must also submit three strong letters of recommendation and a personal statement describing research interests and motivation for pursuing a degree in Audiology or Speech-Language Pathology.

Doctoral applicants must be sponsored by one of the faculty members in Communication Sciences and Disorders for admission. The sponsoring faculty member usually serves as the student's advisor following admission and guides the student through the research apprenticeship, candidacy and comprehensive qualifying examinations. Applicants are strongly encouraged to arrange an on-campus interview, at which time appropriate faculty sponsors can be identified .

Students begin their research experiences early in their programs and are mentored in faculty laboratories. The doctoral degree requires a minimum of 90 credits beyond the bachelor's degree. Students must pass a pre-qualifying exam at the end of their first year of full-time study and qualifying exams at the end of their coursework. The academic and research experiences lead to the dissertation, which typically is begun in the third year. The doctoral programs may be completed in four years of full-time study. Part time doctoral study is also feasible upon approval by faculty.