2019-2020 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) - Program Description
For additional information about opportunities your college offers, please refer to the College of Health Professions section in this catalog.
Website: www.gvsu.edu/csd
An audiologist is a licensed allied health practitioner focused on the ear and hearing. The entry-level degree to practice as an audiologist is the doctorate. A Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) is a professional who specializes in diagnosing, managing, and treating hearing- and balance-related disorders, treating patients from birth through adulthood.
Accreditation
The accrediting body for programs in audiology is the Council for Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA), which is affiliated with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The entry-level for practitioners of audiology is a doctoral degree, and only doctoral-level programs are accredited by CAA. Programs desiring accreditation must first apply for candidacy status, which must be granted prior to enrolling students. Candidacy is a "pre-accreditation" status with the CAA, awarded to developing or emerging programs for a maximum period of five years. The rationale for the candidacy program is that CAA standards include a number of student outcome measures that would be impossible to demonstrate without any students. Applicant programs must be able to demonstrate sufficient resources and commitment on behalf of the institution, and a plan must be in place for complying with all of the standards. During the candidacy period the program demonstrates that the plan has been implemented and that students are achieving the required outcomes. At that point, a program must apply for full accreditation status.
The profession of audiology is a licensed field of practice that requires completion of a doctoral degree from an accredited institution. It is not possible to become licensed as a new audiologist without the doctoral degree. The Doctor of Audiology degree program at GVSU will prepare students to qualify for licensure.
Minimum Number of Hours in Program: 84
Admission Requirements
To be eligible for consideration, applicants must have:
- Completion of a bachelor's degree: Generally, a 3.0 cumulative grade point average is the minimum required for full admission. Applicants with less than a 3.0 GPA may meet alternative admissions criteria by demonstrating strong potential for success through factors such as GRE test scores, GPA for the last 60 credits of undergraduate coursework, relevant work experience, and possible other considerations that program faculty deem exceptional.
- Prerequisites: Prior to beginning the program all students must have completed coursework in:
- Basic sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics, statistics)
- Basic science skills (e.g., scientific methods, critical thinking)
- Basics of communication sciences (e.g., acoustics, psychoacoustics, and neurological processes of speech, language, and hearing)
- General GRE scores (verbal, quantitative, and writing).
- Professional vita or resume.
- References: Names and contact information for three individuals willing to serve as a reference. Actual letters are not required; references may be contacted by phone.
- Personal interview: Interviews are scheduled for finalists upon invitation by the program, not the applicant, after the application deadline.
- Essential functions: Applicants must be able to perform all essential functions specified by the program. The essential functions document will be provided to all prospective applicants.
- English proficiency: Test scores from the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), or IELTS (International English Language Testing System), or MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery) or PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English Academic) for applicants whose native language is not English. The following minimum scores are expected: TOEFL is 80, IELTS is 6.5, MELAB is 77, and PTE Academic is 53. Scores must be received by the institution prior to the admission deadline.
Students applying for admission to the Doctor of Audiology program should be aware that some of the clinical placement sites in which students are required to complete clinical practica will require the student to produce a current criminal background check. It is the student's responsibility to arrange for the check, to keep it current in order to comply with the requirements of the various clinical sites, and to advise the university and program if the status of the student's criminal record changes at any time during the student's program of study. Applicants should also be aware that clinical practica will require travel.
The following program is available: