Program Overview
College of Natural and Health Sciences
General Doctoral Degree Admission Requirements
View delivery options, start terms and admission requirements.
Chair: Donald S. Finan, Ph.D.
Location: Gunter 1400
Telephone: 970-351-1897
Fax: 970-351-2974
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/audiology-speech-language-sciences/
This certifying clinical doctoral degree program in audiology (Au.D.) is fully accredited and provides excellent academic, research, and clinical preparation.
Areas emphasized include:
- Basic sciences underlying the hearing and balance mechanisms;
- Diagnosis of hearing disorders in persons ranging in age from infants through older adults;
- Audiological treatment of persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, including counseling and specific treatment procedures for children and adults;
- Diagnosis for and dispensing of hearing aids and other amplification and auditory prosthetic devices;
- Educational audiology for diagnosis and treatment of hearing disorders in early childhood and K-12 educational settings;
- Consultation for and execution of hearing conservation programs for industry, schools and other agencies;
- Instrumentation used in evaluation and treatment of hearing and balance disorders;
- Fundamentals of applied research.
Specific exceptions to Graduate School requirements for doctoral degrees have been approved. These exceptions relate to the dissertation proposal, dissertation, defense of dissertation, advancement to candidacy and doctoral committees. Because of the clinical focus of this degree, rigorous academic standards are maintained through measurement of clinical competencies throughout the program rather than completion of a dissertation. Students will be required to complete a doctoral scholarly project research project.
This program offers extensive supervised clinical experience through the well-equipped UNC Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Clinic and ancillary clinics in Colorado. The Au.D. program leading to certification is accredited by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Students who complete this program are eligible to apply for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and/or for Board Certification in Audiology awarded by the American Board of Audiology (ABA). Graduates can also qualify for licensure from the Colorado Department of Education and/or the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies.
Career opportunities include positions in hospitals; audiology clinics; otolaryngology medical practices; rehabilitation centers; schools; industry; and private practice.
Students will be admitted to this limited-enrollment program on the basis of:
- Academic record
- Three letters of recommendation
- Current curriculum vitae or resume
- Written response (see question 1 prompt)
- Video submission (see question 2 prompt)
Admission to the Graduate School does not guarantee admission to the Audiology graduate program.
Prerequisites: This program assumes an undergraduate background in audiology and/or speech-language pathology. Students who do not have such a background must fulfill academic requirements as determined by their major advisor. These requirements must be met before admission to the graduate program.
Degree Requirements — 97 Credits
Core Requirements — 59 credits
| CSD 555 | Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology of Communication | 3 |
| CSD 564 | Audiology Clinical Simulation | 1 |
| CSD 570 | Rehabilitative Audiology And Counseling | 2 |
| CSD 571 | Speech and Hearing Science | 3 |
| CSD 575 | Advanced Clinical Applications I | 1 |
| CSD 576 | Advanced Clinical Applications II | 1 |
| CSD 577 | Advanced Clinical Applications III | 1 |
| CSD 677 | Tinnitus and Hyperacusis | 2 |
| CSD 711 | Auditory Physiology | 3 |
| CSD 712 | Amplification I | 4 |
| CSD 721 | Psychoacoustics | 2 |
| CSD 723 | Amplification II | 2 |
| CSD 724 | Differential Diagnosis of Auditory Disorders | 3 |
| CSD 728 | Educational Audiology | 3 |
| CSD 731 | Cognition and Auditory Processing Disorders | 2 |
| CSD 741 | Hearing Loss Prevention | 3 |
| CSD 742 | Advanced Diagnosis of Auditory Disorders | 2 |
| CSD 743 | Medical Aspects of Audiology | 4 |
| CSD 744 | Vestibular Assessment and Management | 3 |
| CSD 768 | Cochlear Implants | 3 |
| CSD 772 | Audiology Practice Management | 2 |
| CSD 774 | Professional Issues in Audiology | 2 |
| CSD 775 | Advanced Electro-diagnosis | 4 |
| CSD 782 | Pediatric Audiology | 3 |
Clinical Practicum — 9 credits
| CSD 574 | Clinical Practicum in Audiology | 1 |
| CSD 594 | Practicum and Advanced Topics in Audiology | 1-6 |
Internships — 9 credits
| CSD 592 | Internship in Public Schools | 1-15 |
| CSD 692 | Internship in Medical Settings | 1-16 |
CSD 592: Eight weeks of Internship in Public Schools (CSD 592) are required to obtain licensure from the Colorado Department of Education for employment as an audiologist in the public schools.
CSD 592: 4 credits required
CSD 692: 5 credits required
Externship — 17 hours
Students are expected to complete CSD 792, Clinical Externship (Residency), over three semesters.
Research Courses —3 credits
| CSD 615 | Research in Audiology | 1-4 |
| CSD 715 | Applied Research in Audiology | 1-4 |
CSD 615: 1 credit required
CSD 715: 2 credits of each required
The required CSD 615 and CSD 715 credits will encompass work on the clinical doctoral scholarly project (DSP).
Students who voluntarily wish to complete a comprehensive research doctoral scholarly project (DSP) will need to register for additional CSD 615 and/or CSD 715 credits.
Program Note
A grade of 'B-' or better must be earned in all courses required for the degree.