Audiology, AuD

Mission

The mission of the AuD program at Arizona State University is to prepare students for excellence in clinical practice through economically responsible, state-of-the-art academic and clinical training in populations across the lifespan through local, national and, international opportunities.

Overview

The AuD program at Arizona State University is a full-time, 3-year residential program with a flexible 1-year clinical externship. Our highly-ranked Doctor of Audiology (AuD) degree program is based on a research-to-practice philosophy and is designed to prepare audiologists for autonomous evidence-based clinical practice. The clinical doctorate model at ASU stresses the integration of academic classroom education with practical experience across a broad spectrum of clinical specialties and practice environments. The ASU AuD curriculum provides a strong foundation in the scientific knowledge base and a wide range of clinical field experiences that will prepare AuD graduates with the necessary tools for clinical practice. The successful ASU AuD graduate will have the diagnostic and rehabilitative skills necessary to fulfill the current Scope of Practice in Audiology specified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The ASU AuD curriculum is also designed to enable students to meet current standards required for ASHA certification in Audiology as well as Arizona state licensure standards. The university champions diversity and is international in scope, welcoming students from all 50 states and from nations across the globe. For more about our program and admission requirements, please explore and read all our program webpages including our FAQ page. Contact shsgrad@asu.edu for more information.

Prospective Students

Admission

Admission to the AuD program in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at ASU is a two-stage process involving an application and an invited video submission.  Students are admitted to the Graduate College with regular, deficient, or provisional classification. Students admitted with regular status are considered to be prepared to begin graduate training.  Applicants with a Bachelor's degree in disciplines other than speech and hearing science are classified as deficient and expected to complete specific undergraduate courses prior to or during the graduate program (see Undergraduate Leveling Coursework below).  Applicants may also be classified as provisional if they must meet specific requirements for admissions (e.g., application materials, course content).  The terms of provisional status are outline on the letter of admission.  Only full time students are accepted to the AuD program at ASU.  The program is residential and all students must begin the program in the Fall semester. 

Graduate students from other AuD programs may transfer to ASU no more than twelve (12) credit hours of appropriate, graduate-level coursework and/or 150 clinical practicum hours. These credits may not have been applied to any other degree previously. The transfer of academic credits from another institution for graduate credit may be allowed under the following conditions:

• The courses must originate from an ASHA-accredited AuD program.
• The courses must be graduate-level courses.
• A grade of B- or better (or equivalent) must have been earned in each course transferred.
• The student’s program advisor or the Audiology Admissions and Program committee must approve these transferred courses as part of the student’s Program of Study.

The transfer of clinical practicum hours from another college or university may be allowed under the following conditions:

• The record of clock hours must be signed by the supervising audiologist/speech-language pathologist.
• The supervisor(s) must have held the applicable Certificate of Clinical Competence in speech-language pathology or audiology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
• The supervisor must have provided supervision during 25% of the student’s therapy hours and 50% of the diagnostic hours.
• The student must have received a grade of B- or better if letter grades were assigned or a pass if the experience was graded pass/fail.

The Application

Applications are submitted to the Arizona State University Graduate College.  Most application materials may be submitted online.  The following materials are required:

1. Complete, official transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate coursework (successful applicants have GPAs of 3.00 or higher on a 4-point scale and satisfactory completion of the prerequisite coursework as defined by ASHA. Prerequisite coursework includes one or more of the following areas: human anatomy and physiology, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, genetics, physics, chemistry, psychology, sociology, anthropology and non-remedial mathematics).
2. GRE scores (successful applicants have combined quantitative and verbal scores of 300 or higher).
3. Three letters of recommendation in support of the applicant (letters should outline the applicant’s potential success for graduate-level coursework. Letters from faculty members are most useful. We do not use a standard form; letters should be submitted on stationery with letterhead).
4. A 200-word statement describing the reasons for pursuing graduate study in audiology (successful applicants submit statements that are free of grammatical errors and demonstrate proficiency in written communication).

GRE test scores and transcripts should be mailed to:

Arizona State University
Graduate Admission Services
PO Box 870112
Tempe, AZ 85287-0112

Application Deadline: Jan. 15

A complete application for admission, including transcripts and GRE scores, along with the statement of intent, must be on file by January 15 for consideration for fall admission. Applications received after that date may not be reviewed. A limited number of openings exist and applicants are encouraged to complete the application process at their earliest convenience. Spring admission is not available.

The Online Video Submission (New for 2018 Applicants)

Applicants meeting the first-stage admissions criteria will be notified and invited to provide additional information to complete the second stage of the admissions process. All other applicants will be denied admission. In lieu of an on-campus interview, invited applicants who wish to continue the application process will provide a 10 to 15 minute video introducing themselves and answering several questions from the admissions committee. The same questions will be given to all applicants along with instructions about format and submission. Applicants who do not submit a video will be denied admission. The committee will make final decisions regarding admission from the videos received. Space is available for a total of 15 students.  Invitations will be sent by the end of February with a deadline for video submission in mid-March.

Undergraduate Leveling Coursework

Students admitted to the AuD program with an undergraduate degree in another discipline will be required to complete all of the courses listed below.  The admissions committee or advisor may also determine that a student with an undergraduate degree in speech and hearing science has insufficient basic science preparation for graduate-level professional coursework.   As needed, selected courses will be required.  Students will be notified of possible deficiency requirements in their admission letter with specific requirements to be determined by the audiology admissions committee.

Deficiency Coursework for the AuD degree

• SHS 310 - Anatomical/Physiological Bases of Speech (3 credits)
• SHS 311 - Physical/Physiological Bases of Hearing (3 credits)
• SHS 367 - Language Science (3 credits)
• SHS 375 - Speech Science (3 credits)
• SHS 501/401 - Introduction to Audiology (3 credits)
• SHS 565/465 - Speech & Language Acquisition (3 credits)

Opportunities

Clinical opportunities

Doctor of Audiology students at ASU have numerous clinical opportunities that add value to their clinical training experience.  The ASU Speech and Hearing Clinic is an on-campus clinic that provides high quality evidence-based clinical training under the supervision of experienced clinical professors.  The ASU Speech and Hearing Clinic is a full-service, state-of-the-art clinical facility that offers students an excellent foundation.  Students are expected to complete a minimum of three (3) semesters of clinical training on campus prior to moving to off-campus clinical rotations.  A variety of off-campus placement sites are available (see tab for Audiology Clinical Placements) to offer varied experiences.  During the 3rd-year of clinical preparation, AuD students can participate in ASU AUD Super Clinic designed to refine clinical skills and instill independence and autonomy.  Super Clinic is an on-campus, advanced clinical placement under the supervision of ASU clinical professors who supervise remotely using CORS (Clinic Observation Recording System). 

Research and Teaching Opportunities

The ASU AuD program does not have a required capstone project.  However, interested students, in good standing, may fulfill their required electives by engaging in research with a research mentor or a comprehensive mentored teaching experience.  Descriptions of the departments research laboratories are available on the Department web site at https://chs.asu.edu/programs/schools/department-speech-and-hearing-science/research. 

Featured Research Lab Videos

• Cochlear Implant Lab
• Auditory Neurophysiology Lab
• Pediatric Amplification Lab

Financial Support

Tuition

• General tuition and fee information
• Estimated total tuition and fees for the AuD program

Fellowships and awards

There are scholarships available to incoming graduate students. Speech and Hearing Scholarship applications are due by February 1. For more information visit College of Health Solutions Scholarships

Financial aid

There is no financial aid available through the department, although such aid is available through the Office of Graduate Education; visit their site to explore financial aid opportunities.

Careers 

The AuD degree will prepare students for a career as an audiologist, a field expected to grow rapidly in the next several years.

• O*NET Occupation Summary
• Occupational Outlook Handbook

Job Search Resources

• http://www.asha.org/careers/
• https://www.arsha.org/careers

Curriculum

The three-year course of study for the Doctor of Audiology degree is comprised of basic science coursework, professional knowledge coursework, and clinical practicum experiences.  The curriculum is designed such that, upon completion, students will have satisfied all academic and clinical requirements necessary for state licensure.  Full-time commitment is critical because graduate courses are offered once per academic year.  In addition, course content and the sequence of courses are closely tied to clinical practicum assignments. Moreover, full-time enrollment assures timely completion of the program.

The AuD program requires 86 semester credit hours, of which 20 are required clinical credits and 66 are required academic credits provided within the Speech and Hearing Science department at Arizona State University.  Students have the option of graduating after completion of the three-year Program of Study or enrolling in a clinical externship during their 4th-year for up to an additional 3 credits of clinical training.  A minimum of 850 hours of clinical training will be obtained during the first three years of training.  Completion of the 1820 practicum hours required for Clinical Certification in audiology (CCC-A) by ASHA can be met by completion of the 4th-year externship under the supervision of an ASHA-certified audiologist. 

Accreditation

The Doctor of Audiology education program at Arizona State University is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.

Curriculum by Semester

The three-year course sequence for students entering the AuD program is shown below.

Clinical Placements

The AuD clinical training program at ASU has been designed such that upon completion, students will have met all the requirements for licensure as audiologists.  In addition, they will have met the standard of excellent set for all graduates from the ASU AuD professional training program.  The training is designed to maximize students’ employment opportunities upon entry into the professional job market. 

The Department of Speech and Hearing Science houses the ASU Speech and Hearing Clinic, which provides the campus-based clinical training for the AuD program.

The ASU Speech and Hearing Clinic provides diagnostic and rehabilitative audiology services to the public on a fee-for-service basis.  Graduate AuD students provide the clinical services under direct supervision of the departments ASHA-certified clinical faculty members.  Clinical audiology services include comprehensive diagnostic assessment using behavioral and physiologic measures, dispensing of hearing aid and hearing assistive technology, cochlear implant mapping, vestibular assessment, and provision of individual and group audiologic rehabilitation and therapy services. Clinical populations include toddlers, preschoolers, school-aged children, adults, and developmentally and multiply-handicapped persons.

Practicum Rotations

The clinical component of the AuD program stresses the importance of students first gaining exposure, then supervised experience, and eventually independent service provision as they progress through a series of on- and off-campus clinical rotations.  All students are required to complete a semester of clinic preparation and observation (SHS 526 Launch to Clinic), and a minimum of three on-campus and three off-campus clinical rotations.  To be recommended for Clinical Certification in Audiology to ASHA, a student must accumulate a minimum of 1820 hours of supervised clinical practicum sufficient in depth and breadth to achieve the knowledge and skills outcomes stipulated in the 2012 ASHA certification standards in audiology.  The additional practicum hours can be completed during the optional 4th-year externship or post-graduation under the supervision of an ASHA-certified audiologist.

Our Practicum Partners

The AuD program at Arizona State University has the dual advantages of location in a moderate-sized city and proximity to all the resources of a metropolitan center thus providing varied clinical placements.  The clinical placements will provide experience in different clinical settings and with different populations to support the development of a wide range of skills and a student’s clinical interests.  The Department has established affiliations with a wide variety of highly reputable local and national audiology facilities that partner with ASU to provide clinical training to our AuD students.  These off-campus experiences offer the AuD student comprehensive opportunities for professional development with a rich diversity of professionals, clientele, hearing disorders, and clinical methodology.  The greater Phoenix Metropolitan area offers students clinical placements from a large selection of hospitals, clinics, private practice audiology or ENT offices, and educational facilities. 

Below are links to a few of our off-campus clinical placement sites.

Flexible Clinical Externship Training

Students have the option of graduating after completion of the three-year ASU AuD program or completing a 4th-year clinical externship by enrolling in 1 credit per semester.  To date, ASU AuD students have been competitively placed at externship sites nationwide.  Some of the sites include: Boys Town National Research Hospital, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, University of California San Francisco, University of Michigan Health System, Pittsburgh VA Hospital, Dallas Ear Institute, Central Institute for the Deaf, Rady Children’s Hospital, Henry Ford Health System, Boston Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Walter Reed national Military Medical Center, Portland VA Medical Center, and the John Tracey Clinic, are among the sites.   The flexible 4th-year offers students and preceptors the opportunity to tailor the externship experience.  The student may graduate at the end of any semester of the 4th-year as planned with their preceptor or as necessary (e.g. the externship site makes the position permanent, unforeseen changes at the externship site).

Download the Fall 2017 Student Handbook

Milestones

All students pursuing the Doctor of Audiology degree must complete the following requirements:

• Formative Exam (Year 1)
  Pass a formative exam given at the end of the first academic year of the program. This is a 100-question, multiple-choice test covering the content of the courses taken during the fall and spring semesters. Students receiving scores <80% will be giving one opportunity to retake the exam. 
• Summative Exam (Year 2)
  Pass a summative exam given at the end of the second academic year of the program. This is a comprehensive written and oral exam pertaining to clinical
• Grade-Point Average
  All students pursuing the Doctor of Audiology degree must maintain a cumulative grade-point average >3.0 for the program of study. 
• National Certification Exam (Praxis)
  All students pursuing the Doctor of Audiology degree must pass the Education Testing Service (ETS) Praxis Examination in audiology prior to graduation from the program.  A passing score must be on file in the Department office in order for processing of final graduation forms.
• Course Credits
  Successfully complete 66 semester credit hours of required academic coursework and 20 semester credit hours of clinical experiences.
• Clinical Clock Hours
  Successfully complete 855 hours of supervised clinical clock hours at both on-campus and off-campus internship sites.