Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences — PhD

A total of 63 credit hours is required for students admitted to the program with a Doctor of Audiology degree or a Master’s Degree* in speech-language pathology (or related area, such as linguistics). This includes the following:

Major Content Areas: 26 credit hours of select advisor approved credits in SLHS 6000-8999

  • Required
    • SLHS 8000** Professional Development for Research Careers in Health Sciences (for a total of 5 credits across 3 semesters)
    • SLHS 8850** Grant Proposal Preparation in Health Sciences (3 credits)
  • Due to the highly individualized nature of our program, the remaining credits in the major content area will be determined through an alignment of student and faculty interest and expertise.  Plan of study decisions will be made in consultation with their committee and likely consist of the following credits:
    • SLHS 7930 Directed Study
    • SLHS 7970 Special Topics Seminar
    • Selections from current 7000/8000 coursework in SLHS

Minor Content Areas: 12 credit hours of interdisciplinary coursework (6000 level or higher) in areas such as Kinesiology, Psychology, and Rehabilitation and Special Education (see attached letters of support). Specialty interdisciplinary coursework is required to provide students the opportunity to obtain an understanding of how related academic fields can be integrated into SLHS. In consultation with their advisor the student will select courses in a field related to their specific career goals. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the SLHS Department, courses within the Department may also qualify for a portion of a student’s minor content area, with advisor and committee approval (e.g., an audiology-focused PhD student may potentially count an SLHS graduate course on language development toward their minor content areas).

Research Design and Statistics: 15 credit hours; These courses will be taken in collaboration with related disciplines, such as Psychology, Educational Research Methods and Analysis, and Rehabilitation and Special Education (see attached letters of support).

Research and dissertation: 10 credit hours

The proposed program allows for a fair degree of flexibility in the specific courses that may be applied to meet the program requirements across different PhD students. This more individualized plan of study reflects the diverse specialty areas represented in the Auburn University Department of SLHS, as well as the field of SLHS as a whole. In addition, the proposed PhD program would not follow a cohort model, and greater flexibility in course requirements will allow potential PhD students to progress through the program efficiently and with greater relevance to their specific area of specialization. Please see the attached document "Examples of Other PhD Programs with Individualized Plans of Study" for examples of other PhD programs that allow for more individualized plans of study, both in related fields at Auburn and in other SLHS (a.k.a., CSD) programs in the state.

An example generic curriculum map that aligns with the above requirements can be found in the attached "SLHS PhD Curriculum Map" document. This document also includes two potential examples of how the proposed curriculum could be applied for a PhD mentee working with current academic faculty in the Department of SLHS who have different specialties in the field.

*Students admitted to the program with a graduate degree in an unrelated area, or without a graduate degree, would require additional coursework, at the discretion of their advisor and committee. Please see the attached document "SLHS PhD Curriculum Proposal" for an overview of the suggested general credit hour requirements for students admitted to the proposed PhD program with these different educational backgrounds.

**These courses are suggested additions to the current SLHS Department course offerings, specific to the needs of the proposed PhD program.