speech clinician demonstrating throat technique to 5-year-old girl

Speech & Hearing Science

Promote effective communication, a human right, through research and clinical practice. Prepare for a career that improves lives.

Requirements for PhD in Speech and Hearing Science

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Speech and Hearing Science is a research oriented degree that prepares students for academic research careers in the field of communication sciences and its disorders.

In addition to completing an individualized program of coursework and research experiences, it is anticipated that students will establish a record of scholarship and gain teaching experience as they prepare for positions in higher education, public agencies, research institutions, and clinical research settings.

General Requirements

Admission to the doctoral program requires completion of a bachelor's degree. Individual programs of study will be tailored to the student's areas of scholarly and research interests and are planned by the student and the adviser. The program may be planned with specialization in many areas of audiology, speech-language pathology, and speech, language or hearing science. The minimum academic course requirements for this degree are 40 graduate hours beyond those required for a master's degree or equivalent, a qualifying exam, and a dissertation.

Every doctoral student is required to submit a self-assessment of annual progress to the department, along with an updated curriculum vitae in December/January of each year.

Requirements for the PhD in Speech and Hearing Science

  1. A minimum of 64 credit hours are required beyond a master's degree; 96 beyond a bachelor's degree
    1. 3 courses in statistics-related areas (12 credits), approved by department
    2. SHS 590 History of CSD (4 credits)
    3. SHS 592 Proseminar in SHS (2-4 credits)
    4. SHS 594 PhD Early Research Project (6-8 credits)
    5. 1-2 advanced SHS 500-level seminars (4 credits)
    6. Restricted elective hours (8-12 credits; not including SHS 592, 594, 599; 40-42 credits if entering with a bachelor's degree)
  2. A minimum of 20 hours must be taken in Speech and Hearing Science (as specified above)
  3. SHS 592 Proseminar (0-1 hour) is required every semester on campus.
  4. Competency in research methodology appropriate to the area of study is required; this is typically demonstrated by completion of 12 credit hours of research methods/statistics.
  5. Successful completion of a Qualifying Exam; this is required to provide evidence of the student's scholarly independence prior to beginning a dissertation proposal.
  6. A minimum of 24 hours of dissertation research (SHS 599) is required.
  7. Successful completion of a Preliminary Exam; the dissertation prospectus serves as the preliminary examination and includes both a written and an oral component.
  8. Successful completion of a Final Exam; a final defense of the completed dissertation presented to the dissertation committee is required. As required by the University, the final examination is oral and open to the public.
  9. Electronic deposit of the dissertation with the Graduate College

Contact

Graduate contact — for questions about the application and admission process

Brian Monson, Ph.D., Director of Graduate Studies — for questions about the Ph.D. program