Audiology

OFFICE: Speech, Language, and Hearing 221
TELEPHONE: 619-594-7746 / FAX: 619-594-7109
WEBSITE: http://slhs.sdsu.edu/programs/aud

Director of School: Tracy E. Love-Geffen, Ph.D.

Faculty

The following faculty members of the cooperating institutions participate in the Au.D. program. These faculty teach courses, provide clinic instruction, provide research experiences, or are available as members of joint doctoral committees and advisers for student doctoral projects.

San Diego State University:
Carol L. Mackersie, Ph.D., Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Director of Program (Graduate Adviser)
Peter Torre, III, Ph.D., Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
Laura Dreisbach Hawe, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

University of California, San Diego:
Co-Director of Program: Erika M. Zettner, Ph.D., Clinical Professor, Department of Surgery
Faculty: Harris, Ryan, Spriggs

Doctoral Program

General Information

A professional doctorate in audiology (Au.D.) is offered jointly by San Diego State University (SDSU) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The joint doctoral program in audiology is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. The Au.D. program is a four-year graduate degree program designed for individuals who intend to specialize in clinical practice and to meet professional standards requiring a clinical doctorate as the entry-level degree for a licensed and ASHA certified audiologist. Graduates of this program will have the knowledge base, research exposure, and advanced clinical skills to enter the workforce in any setting, and will be prepared to function as independent audiology professionals in the expanding health care arena. The program encompasses academic, clinic, and research experiences in audiology and otology through the combined resources from the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at SDSU and the Division of Surgery (Otolaryngology) in the School of Medicine at UCSD. An Au.D. provides the essential education, technical training, research, and creative experience necessary for professional activity, college-level teaching, and precepting.

Admission to the Au.D. Program

Students will apply to the Au.D. joint doctoral program through SDSU. It is expected that students will come into this program from a variety of different science backgrounds, including speech, language, and hearing sciences, biological and physical sciences, engineering, psychology, nursing, or a pre-med curriculum. Applicants for admission to the Au.D. program must meet the general requirements for admission to both universities with classified graduate standing as outlined in the respective catalogs. Applicants must also meet the special requirements of this program. These include (a) submission of scores on the GRE; (b) prerequisite completion of at least one course in statistics, one course in biological science, one course in physical science, one course in behavioral/social sciences, and one course in American Sign Language. Coursework to remove deficiencies in these areas must be completed before advancement to candidacy.

Applicants must submit transcripts of all post-secondary coursework, three letters of recommendation from former or current professors, supervisors, or other appropriate persons able to judge their academic potential, and an applicant essay. Details of these requirements are available on the school’s website. Assuming that the requirements for admission outlined above have been met, each student admitted to the program will have a program adviser evaluate their preparation, career goals, and professional certification requirements.

Applicant files are reviewed as a group by an Admissions Committee composed of Au.D. program faculty from each campus. Other Au.D. program faculty may review files and make recommendations to the Admissions Committee. Given the limited number of spaces available (10-12 new admissions each year are anticipated, subject to available facilities), the Admissions Committee will select the best-qualified applicants to fill the available spaces. No minimum set of qualifications will guarantee an applicant admission to the program. The Admissions Committee will make recommendations for admission to the graduate deans from each campus.

Application

Students seeking admission to the Au.D. program should consult the school’s website for instructions and deadlines for applying. For additional information, write directly to the SDSU Au.D. Program Directors, School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA 92182-1518.

Students will be admitted to the Au.D. program only in the fall semester (first year is at SDSU). Applicants must complete two online applications (Cal State Apply and the program’s application) by the deadline posted on the SDSU Au.D. website (http://slhs.sdsu.edu/programs/aud) to be considered for the program beginning in the following fall semester. International students should submit materials at least two weeks earlier than other applicants.

Students applying for admission should electronically submit the university application available at http://www.calstate.edu/apply along with the application fee by the deadline provided on the school’s website (typically by December 15) at http://slhs.sdsu.edu/programs/aud. Indicate “Audiology (AuD)” as your Major/Program Objective. Indicate “Doctorate” as the Degree Objective. Students must also electronically submit the program’s online application by the posted deadline. See website for other required application materials.

Details of the admission process can be found on the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences website at http://slhs.sdsu.edu. All applicants must submit admissions materials separately to SDSU Graduate Admissions and to the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Graduate Admissions

The following materials should be submitted as a complete package directly to:

Graduate Admissions
Enrollment Services
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-7416

Official transcripts (in sealed envelopes) from all postsecondary institutions attended;
- Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance.
- Students with international coursework must submit both the official transcript and proof of degree. If documents are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
(GRE scores (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682);
English language score, if medium of instruction was in a language other than English (https://www.ets.org/toefl SDSU institution code 4682).

School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

The following admissions materials must be submitted electronically via the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS) at https://csdcas.com by January 12:

Essay;
Curriculum vitae or resume;
Transcripts*;
Three letters of recommendation (Applicants must provide names and e-mail addresses for recommenders. At least two of the letters should be from faculty members. Recommenders will be sent an e-mail to complete the letters of recommendation electronically).

*Official transcripts must be mailed to CSDCAS Verification Department, P.O. Box 9113, Waterton, MA 02471

For information regarding the admissions process, visit the program website at http://slhs.sdsu.edu/programs/aud/admissions.

Once the above requirements have been satisfied, the Cal State Apply application is complete, and all transcripts and test scores have been submitted to Enrollment Services, the applicant’s file is considered complete and eligible for review by the school’s admissions review committee. Admission to a graduate program is guided by careful consideration of all the above materials. Applicants whose files are incomplete will not be eligible for admission to classified graduate standing. The number of new admissions is restricted and is determined by space availability; therefore, admission is based on consideration of all application materials and the relative merits of individual applicants among all eligible applicants.

Post Master’s Degree Admissions

Students admitted to the Au.D. program with a master’s degree in audiology will be expected to complete the four-year Au.D. curriculum. However, some students may have had a master’s preparation in audiology in which some of the coursework was similar to some of the foundation courses in the Au.D. program. Upon entering the program, each individual will be assessed to determine competencies/knowledge in material that would put them on par with expectations for the Au.D. program. For some of the foundation core courses offered the first year at SDSU, e.g., AUD 705 , AUD 710 , AUD 725 , students may be given credit for the courses or be required to substitute a Doctoral Special Study (AUD 798 ) course for one or more of these courses to ensure competencies or remediate deficiencies if approved by the program faculty. Credit for some of the first year clinic units may also be approved based on work experience; however, a full-complement of expected clinical skills must be demonstrated.