Audiology, Au.D.

(Major Code: 12202) (Academic Plan Code: 550191AUDS)

Upon admission to the program, each student will be assigned a faculty adviser. The faculty adviser will help the student select a program of study to meet all program requirements. The Au.D. program is a four-year program, including summer semesters. An exact unit minimum is not specified due to the mixing of semester units (SDSU) and quarter units (UCSD) and differences in clinical hours at different settings; however, the program is approximately 140 semester-equivalent course units. All students in the Au.D. program will fulfill the following requirements. Any alternative method of fulfilling these requirements requires advanced written permission from the program directors.

Policy on English Proficiency for Students in the SDSU/UCSD Au.D. Joint Doctoral Program. The academic and clinical components of the Au.D. program are based on proficiency (understanding and use) of English, in oral and written forms. Students enrolling in the SDSU/UCSD joint Au.D. program must satisfy the English proficiency requirements of both universities. For admission to the joint Au.D. program, students applying from an international institution must submit one of the following as proof of English proficiency: (1) TOEFL, (2) IELTS, or (3) transcripts indicating that the student has studied full time for one uninterrupted academic year at a university-level institution where English is the language of instruction and in a country where English is the dominant language. Proficiency examinations must have been taken within the past two years. Students must meet the minimum TOEFL or IELTS test standards for both SDSU and UCSD.

Residency Requirements. After formal admission to the Au.D. program, the student must complete a minimum of course hours that is equivalent to one year’s full-time enrollment at each campus. The definition of residence must be in accord with the regulations of San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego. The program is designed to be shared between the two campuses. The first year is entirely at SDSU, the second year is entirely at UCSD, and the third year is primarily at SDSU, but should include some options at UCSD. The fourth year of the program is a full-time clinical externship at a program-approved clinic agency/site. Both campuses will share in the academic, clinic, and research components of the program.

Course Requirements. The program for each student will consist of 14 core courses, half of which are to be taken at each campus, and 14 elective courses, with a minimum of four to be taken at each campus. The student’s faculty adviser must approve all courses.

A student who earns less than a 3.0 grade point average in academic and/or clinical coursework in any given term will be placed on academic probation for the next term. If, at the end of the probationary term, the student fails to achieve a 3.0 grade point average in academic and/or clinical coursework, the student will be subject to disqualification from the program. See the Au.D. student handbook on the program’s website regarding performance and disqualification policies.

Clinic Requirements. Each student will progress through a variety of clinical experiences involving patient assessment and management throughout their program of study. Clinic experiences will require concurrent enrollment in clinic courses appropriate for the campus in which they are doing the clinical work. These precepted clinical experiences are completed in the SDSU Audiology Clinic, UCSD Otology/Audiology Clinic, and in community field sites. Clinic courses require adviser approval prior to enrollment. Students must maintain an average grade of B or better to pass clinic courses. Students are assessed across clinical skill categories to include advocacy/consultation, assessment, education/research/administration, foundations of practice, intervention, prevention and identification, and professional skills. Prior to the fourth year externship, each student will complete approximately 700 hours of clinic experience.

Preceptorship in Otology. All students will have at least one quarter of a clinical rotation with otology staff associated with UCSD. Students will accompany one of the otology faculty during their clinics and receive exposure in one or more of the following areas: balance disorders, clinical otology, medical treatment, and pre- and post-operative assessment of patients. Students will attend a minimum of four different types of surgeries, including cochlear implantations, endolymphatic sac shunt placements, labyrinthectomies, outer- and middleear surgeries, and tumor removals.

Clinical Staffings. In addition, all students will be required to participate in an informal weekly clinical case study/ staffing class. On both campuses, these clinical staffings include student and faculty presentations and discussions of interesting cases seen in their clinics.

Fourth Year Externship. The fourth year externship is a full time clinical experience in an approved agency/site. These externships may require a competitive interview process by the agency. Externship sites may be in other parts of the country. All students in their fourth year externship must also enroll in the online clinical seminar at SDSU each semester.

Examinations. All students in the program will be evaluated at the following levels:

1. First-Year Evaluation: Students must have achieved a 3.0 cumulative grade point average for core and elective courses during the first year and have appropriate clinical skills. The student’s ability to integrate the academic material and clinic procedures appropriate for the end of the first year will be assessed through a First Year Qualifying Examination. The First Year Qualifying Examination may be repeated once following additional directed study by the student’s adviser. Students must pass the First Year Evaluation in order to enroll in second year courses.
2. Second-Year Evaluation: Students must have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 for core and elective courses, and have appropriate clinical skills. The student’s ability to integrate the academic and clinic procedures appropriate for the end of the second year will be assessed through a Second Year Qualifying Examination. The Second Year Qualifying Examination may be repeated once following additional directed study by the student’s adviser. Students must pass the Second Year Evaluation in order to enroll in third year courses.
3. Third-Year Examination: In the third year, and after Advancement to Candidacy (see below), the student will take a written Third-Year Examination that covers broad professional content. Students may not enroll in externship until passing the examination.

Advancement to Candidacy. Candidates will be recommended for Advancement to Candidacy after successfully completing all prerequisite course requirements, all course and clinic requirements for Year 1 and Year 2 (with a minimum grade point average of 3.0), satisfactory performance on the first and second year Qualifying Examinations, and approval of the doctoral project proposal. Students cannot enroll in the doctoral project course, take the comprehensive examination, or register for their externship until advanced to candidacy. The program’s Executive Committee recommends students eligible for advancement to candidacy to the graduate deans of both institutions.

Doctoral Project. Each student will complete a data-based doctoral research project. Students will select a Doctoral Project Committee comprised of two Au.D. program faculty (one from each campus) and at least one additional tenured faculty member from either campus external to the program. The chair of the committee can be from either campus. The Executive Committee will approve each student’s Doctoral Project Committee. All doctoral projects will be written in a format approved by the student’s Doctoral Project Committee. The student’s final written document will be approved by the student’s Doctoral Project Committee and presented in a forum open to all faculty and students. Each student will enroll in two sections of the appropriate doctoral project course depending on the campus in which their committee chair resides. Students enrolling in AUD 299 at UCSD must also enroll at SDSU in a program course or three units of AUD 897 .

Award of the Degree. The Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) degree will be awarded jointly by the Regents of the University of California and the Trustees of The California State University in the names of both cooperating institutions.

Financial Support

Funding for graduate students cannot be guaranteed, although every effort will be made to provide some financial support for as many students as possible, through graduate/teaching assistantships, research grants, clinical traineeships, and/or scholarships. Financial support will be awarded consistent with the policies of the two universities. Tuition and fees will be charged in accordance with the extant policies at the campus in which the student is matriculated in a given year.