Degree Requirements

Course Work

The AuD requires a minimum of 50 credit hours of academic coursework and 21 credits for clinical practicum.

Graduate course credits may be transferred to this department only on approval of the AuD Program Director and the Graduate School. It is expected that full-time students will complete their academic coursework by the end of the second spring semester of the program. The AuD program starts in the summer, the second week of July.

Students complete the following coursework as part of the qualifications for admission to candidacy:

  • Students will take series of required courses in CDS (47 credits) and electives (3 credits) either in CDS or other departments.
  • Students will complete a research methods course (3 credits) and complete a research project with one of the CDS faculty. Students must take at least one 3-credit statistics course prior to entering the Audiology program. 
  • Students who enter the program without a background in speech-language pathology and audiology are required to complete a set of pre-requisite courses within the discipline prior to starting the Audiology program (see below). These courses need to be completed before starting the AuD program, and may lengthen time to degree by 1 year if not completed prior to starting the AuD program.

Prerequisites

Students need not hold a Bachelor's degree in Communicative Disorders and Sciences to be admitted as graduate student into the AuD program. 

For individuals who do not hold a Bachelor’s degree in Communicative Disorders and Sciences or have completed equivalent coursework, pre-requisite undergraduate-level courses must be completed prior to starting the AuD program. Continued advancement in the graduate program is dependent upon satisfactory academic performance (e.g., GPA of 3.0 or better) in these pre-requisite courses.  

Prerequisite courses for graduate study in Audiology:

Fall
  • CDS 301: Child Language
  • CDS 304: Perception of Sound  
  • CDS 529 Aural Rehabilitation
  • Statistics
  • Electives - Chemistry/Physics/Bio, Math, Computer Science, CDS electives

Spring

  • CDS 389: General and Speech Acoustics
  • CDS 480: Clinical Observation
  • Electives - CDS 390 Introduction to Audiology, Chemistry/Physics/Bio, Math, Computer Science, CDS electives

Please contact the Audiology program advisor for details.

Curriculum Plan

A general course of study for the entire AuD program. It is intended as a guide to help students in planning their course of study each semester.

*The revised curriculum is pending final approval by NYS Department of Education

Grades

A minimum 3.0 GPA must be maintained in academic courses and successful performance in clinical practicum must be maintained as indicated by a Satisfactory (S) grade on an individual's grade report. See the probation policy  for details in the event this criteria is not met.

Residency

All doctoral students are expected to be engaged in the department's activities and are expected to attend full-time. A minimum of two academic years of full-time residency is required. Please note that university regulations stipulate that all graduate work credited to the doctoral degree must be completed within seven years of the first registration date in the doctoral program. Students must maintain continuous registration until the degree is conferred.

Clinical / Certification Requirements:

Clinical Practicum

Students will register for clinical practicum in each semester during the first two years of the program. During the first year of the AuD program, students are closely supervised as they work with patients. As students develop more expertise, clinical judgment, and confidence, they assume more responsibility with a greater degree of independence for case management.

Gateway Examination: In spring of year 1, students must pass an exam that evaluates basic clinical skills and knowledge. The goal of this exam is to determine if each student has the interpretive skills for them to go to clinical placements outside of the UB clinic. Students must successfully complete the Gateway Exam prior to being assigned to an externship placement. 

Comprehensive Examination: In spring of year 2, students must pass a written comprehensive examination, demonstrating strong academic and clinical skills. Students must successfully complete the Comprehensive Exam to move into their third-year (and final) externship.

ASHA Examination: Students do not need to pass the ASHA (Praxis) examination prior to graduation. In most cases, students will be encouraged to take the ASHA examination during the spring semester of their second year of the AuD program.

Research Project

Each student will complete a research project in collaboration with a CDS faculty member. The student will be matched with a faculty  mentor in the fall semester of their first year and will work on their project as part of the research methods class during the spring semester of their first year.

Upon completion of hte project, the final outcomes must be orally presented to the departmental faculty at a public forum.

Third-Year Externship

Following two years of academic and practicum work, students will engage in a full time third-year externship dedicated to clinical practice. This placement can typically take place at any approved site within the United States that includes supervision by an audiologist with ASHA's Certificate of Clinical Competence.

Certification

 The AuD program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, and graduates of the program will be eligible for clinical certification and state licensure. 

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