Au.D.: Clinical Doctorate in Audiology

The graduate program in Audiology at the University of Tennessee has consistently been rated among the top programs in the United States. The academic and clinical faculty and staff are proud of our national ranking and the varied opportunities we are able to offer a student. Our department is among the largest in the country and supports a wide range of research and clinical activities.
 

Click here for the 2006-2007 UTK Au.D. Program Handbook (PDF Format)

The Au.D. Curriculum
The Au.D. degree program requires four years of study, including three years on the UT campus and a fourth year off-campus externship. The curriculum in the AuD program is tailored to provide students with a general knowledge of all areas in the discipline. The Au.D. research project provides an opportunity for students to pursue areas of special interest. In particular, we are able to offer specialized preparation and training with populations of all ages in areas such as hearing aids, hearing conservation, electrophysiology, auditory perception, and speech production. We are also able to provide a special focus on the aural habilitation of children with cochlear implants and hearing aids. Students who graduate from our Au.D. program will meet the academic and practicum requirements for clinical certification in Audiology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

Au.D. Program of Study

The Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) program is designed to prepare individuals for professional careers in audiology. The degree program is clinically oriented, with primary emphasis on processes involved in hearing, vestibular function, and communication. The program is designed to meet the entry-level requirements for the practice of audiology established by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

The program is a minimum of 112 semester hours, including a minimum of:

1. 67 semester hours of academic coursework at the 500 and 600 levels.

2. 3 semester hours of directed research in audiology, vestibular, or related communication disorders.
3. 24 semester hours of clinical practice in audiology.
4. 18 semester hours of externship in audiology (6 hours per semester for 3 semesters).
5. A qualifying examination and a comprehensive examination.

Year 1

 
Year 2

 
Year 3

Year 4

Required Coursework = 55 hours*
Required Practicum = 24 hours
Elective Coursework = 18 hours
Required Externship = 27 hours
*Students with no prior background in communication disorders and sciences
will require some additional coursework upon entry to the program.
 

Aural Habilitation Concentration
Au.D. students may elect to pursue a concentration in the area of Aural Habilitation. Students in the Aural Habilitation Concentration must complete a minimum of 6 hours of graduate level courses in language and/or aural habilitation and a minimum of 3 semesters of clinical practicum with children who have hearing impairment totaling a  minimum of 130 clinical contact hours. Students may select courses from the following options:

ASP 561 Child Language Disorders
ASP 563 Language Disorders: Birth to Three
ASP 593 Independent Study in Language Disorders
ASP 661 Advanced Seminar in Language Disorders in Children
Clinical Education Seminars with Aural Habilitation emphasis (e.g. Cochlear Implants, FM Systems, Counseling Parents of Children with Hearing Loss, the IDEA and Parent Rights, etc.)


Facilities and Practicum
In addition to a diverse curriculum and large scholarly faculty, we have a wide variety of excellent clinical practicum sites both on and off campus. In our own clinical facilities at the University of Tennessee and the University of Tennessee Medical Center, we offer complete diagnostic and treatment services including classrooms for aural habilitation of children with hearing impairments. Across these two sites, we serve over 3000 clients per year. Nearby practicum facilities are also extensive and include rehabilitation centers, hospitals, nursing homes, physician's offices, private practice and the Tennessee School for the Deaf.

Off-Campus Practicum
Beginning in the second year of study, students will obtain clinical experience in a variety off-campus placements in the Knoxville area.  Students will be placed off-campus once they have met expected competencies during on-campus practicum.   

Fourth-Year Externship
After having passed qualifying and comprehensive exams and having been admitted to candidacy, students will complete a fourth-year externship.

The Au.D. for Students who Already Have a Master’s Degree
Students who already have earned a master’s degree in Audiology may apply for admission to the Au.D. program. For those who hold the CCC-A, the program of study will require a minimum of one year. Those who have not finished a CFY will need to complete both the third and fourth years of study. We encourage interested applicants to contact the department for a file review in order to outline a personalized graduate program plan.

Au.D. Student Funding
Students who apply for the AuD program are automatically considered for graduate assistantships. These assistantships, consisting of a tuition waiver and financial support, are awarded competitively to incoming students based upon past academic performance and GRE scores. The number of assistantships varies from year to year due to changes in grant funding. Students who receive funding in their first year are automatically continued as Graduate Assistants in years two and three unless they are placed on academic probation or request to be dropped as a Graduate Assistant. Students who are not awarded an assistantship upon entry are eligible for the award in years two and three. These second and third year assistantships are awarded competitively based upon grades in courses taken at UT.

All application materials are due by February 1 for Fall entry. Admission into the Graduate program is determined by the Graduate School and follows a recommendation from the Departmental Admissions Committee.

Student Assistantships
The department strives to assist in the financial support of graduate study. Students may be awarded a Graduate Assistantship, Graduate Teaching Assistantship or Graduate Research Assistantship upon entry. Assignments are made each semester after determining the primary needs of the department and the student.  These positions are typically nine-month appointments (with salary spread out over 12 months).

Graduate Student Employee Health Insurance
All graduate students who are employed at least 25% time as a Graduate Assistant, Graduate Teaching Assistant or Associate, and/or Graduate Research Assistant will automatically be enrolled in the Student employee health Insurance program and have 100% of the premium for the student paid by the institution. This health benefit applies to 9 month and 12 month appointments. If students already have insurance coverage through another insurance carrier, this policy functions as additional coverage. Graduate student employees may not elect to receive other compensation or benefits in lieu of the insurance benefit. The premium is not taxable income to the graduate student employee. The student may elect to add spouse or dependent coverage at their own expense.
 

Departmental Research Meetings
The purpose of the Research Meetings is to highlight the importance of active participation in research activities by faculty and students.  These meetings should be considered a mandatory part of any doctoral program. The meetings may be scheduled for an invited speaker to share research with the faculty, staff, and students.  At other times the scheduled presenter may be a member of the faculty, professional staff, or a student.  The content of the meetings may be an informal presentation of a research project or a formal presentation of material prepared for a professional meeting.  All doctoral students pursuing a Au.D. are expected to present their prospectus and/or the results of their research at a departmental research meeting.

Sol Adler Memorial Lecture Series
The annual Sol Adler conference is designed to present current issues of interest to professionals who provide clinical services in Speech Pathology and Audiology and to those who conduct research in communication sciences and disorders.  This event honors the memory of Dr. Sol Adler who was a Professor in our Department for 26 years.

Who Should Apply
You should be aware that like many other graduate programs in Communication Disorders and Sciences, admission to our AuD program is highly competitive. The primary factors considered by the Committee include: (1) prior academic record, (2) Graduate Record Examination test results, and (3) letters of recommendation from academic references. Student applicants should have scores to total at or above 1000 in the Quantitative and Verbal sections of the GRE, a prior grade point average above 3.5 and recommendations that indicate an ability to pursue graduate studies and clinical work. For international students, the TOEFL is required with a paper based minimum score of 550 or a computer based minimum score of 213. International students who wish to participate in the clinic must also have a SPEAK test score of 50 or above. For information on local and national funding consult the GradSources document (PDF format). 

Au.D. Program Applications and Admissions Process

Click here for the 2006-2007 UTK Au.D. Program Handbook (PDF Format)

You may begin the admissions process by consulting the UTK Online Graduate Catalog. This online document contains a wealth of information, including admission requirements, registration and enrollment requirements, financial assistance information, student services, and much more.

The UTK Graduate School has the following online application resources and materials:
Graduate School application
Acrobat format printable forms

* Make arrangements to take the general aptitude section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and have the results of the test sent to the Graduate School. (Note: We recommend that students take this test as early as possible because several weeks usually elapse before the test results are mailed to the university.)

* Make arrangements to have a transcript of all of your previous college work sent to the Graduate School.

* A personal statement / letter of intent is required.

* Arrange to have three recommendations (rating forms, click here for Acrobat PDF file) sent to the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, 578 So. Stadium Hall, Knoxville, TN 37996-0740. These should be academic references.

* Complete the orange "Graduate Application for Admission" form. This is found on-line or inside the front cover of the Graduate Catalog.

* Indicate College Arts & Sciences Major (show Audiology)

* Send this form along with $35.00 application fee to the Graduate School. For further information about admissions to the Graduate School, see the  UT Home Page.

Note:
* Students who have previous practicum experience will need to submit a signed record of all ASHA approved hours when entering the program.
  

http://web.utk.edu/~aspweb/audd.html
Updated September 5, 2006