Doctoral degree program

The University of Kansas Intercampus Program in communicative disorders has recently changed the designate of its clinical doctoral program in audiology from PhD to AuD. The AuD program has received accreditation by the ASHA Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language pathology.

The Kansas program will continue to offer the basic PhD degree, and both the PhD and AuD programs are designed so that students may earn an MA along the way, said John A. Ferraro, professor and chairman of KU's Hearing and Speech Department. Although the MA program will be ineligible for accreditation after 2006, continuing to offer this degree offers advantages to both students and the program, he said. "That is, students who enter the doctoral program, but for whatever reasons do not complete it, may leave with an MA degree in hand. This degree, in turn, may be a helpful credential for other career options."

The KU Intercampus Program combines the faculty, classrooms, laboratories, clinics and other resources of the hearing and speech department at the KU Medical Center in Kansas City, and the department of speech-language-hearing on the Lawrence campus. The AuD program is designed to be completed in four years. In addition to the basic core of audiology courses and clinic practicum, the AuD curriculum also will include coursework in such areas as pharmacology, genetics, and molecular biology.

Students also have the option of applying to the PhD program while completing the AuD to earn both degrees. A minimum of five years of post-baccalaureate study is anticipated for students who wish to earn the combined AuD-PhD degrees.

Copyright American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Nov 2, 2004
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