Graduates work in multiple professional settings with people of all ages who have disorders in the areas of hearing, auditory processing, balance, and other hearing disorders related to communication. It is required as part of the process to become a certified audiologist.
The doctoral program in audiology is designed to meet the academic, clinical practicum, and degree requirements of the ASHA for certification and the licensure requirements of the LBESPA for entry-level practice as an audiologist. The academic and clinical components of the AuD interface in a logical manner through the training sequence. The earliest portion of the program includes intensive academic training in conjunction with the progressive development of clinical skills. During the third year of the program, students are involved in a series of intensive clinical externships and return to campus for academic course work, development of the dissertation or research project, and the comprehensive examinations. In the fourth year, students complete a full-time clinical residency in facilities/clinical sites with which the program has established clinical affiliation agreements. Also in the fourth year, students complete all degree requirements including the dissertation or research project.