Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.)

The Au.D. program at Wayne State University provides students with the greatest clinical education opportunities available. The clinical and academic curricula are designed to help students meet the credentials of licensure and to be consistent with the standards of the Council on Academic Accreditation. Students have the option of following a clinical curriculum that will lead to certification by ASHA.

The Doctor of Audiology degree is the entry-level degree that is required to practice as an audiologist. The Au.D. degree program at Wayne State University is designed to prepare students to meet Michigan state licensure requirements for entering clinical practice as an audiologist.

The Au.D. program is specifically designed for individuals who have completed an undergraduate degree from an accredited university and who have met the prerequisite requirements for admission to the Au.D. This is a four-year (11 consecutive semesters, 122 credits) full-time academic and clinical program. Most applicants will have also completed introductory coursework in speech-language pathology and audiology; however, this is not required. Information on careers in audiology is available from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Admissions

Admission is based on academic performance, letters of recommendation and a personal essay. Transcripts, scores and a completed application must be submitted in total prior to consideration for admission. The department will arrange a personal interview with applicants in person.

If you're interested in our Au.D. program and do not currently hold an undergraduate degree in communication sciences and disorders, please see our post-bachelor program for information on the prerequisites required for application to the Au.D. program.

Contact

For more information, please contact the department's admissions officer at csdgradapplications@wayne.edu.

Academic program

The integrated four-year curriculum includes coursework in all aspects of audiology (see AUD courses for a listing of courses from the university's Graduate Bulletin). Full-time on-campus faculty lead the program. In addition, because of its unique location in Metropolitan Detroit, the department is able to draw on the rich experience of a number of local experts in audiology, speech-language pathology, deaf education, and related disciplines. The first two years of the Au.D. curriculum include basic coursework in acoustics, hearing science, hearing disorders, instrumentation, and basic clinical audiology. The third and fourth years include coursework in advanced topics such as cochlear implants, intra-operative monitoring, vestibular electrodiagnosis and central auditory processing.

Clinical practicum

In 2011, Henry Ford Health System and Wayne State University began an affiliation designed to enhance the clinical training of audiology students. Under the direction of Brad Stach, Ph.D., the faculty and staff of the Division of Audiology in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at Henry Ford assumed primary responsibility for and oversight of clinical training activities of audiology students in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at WSU. The audiology staff at Henry Ford works in conjunction with their WSU clinical faculty counterpart, Mary Kassa, Au.D., to manage the administrative aspects of the clinical program. Together, the departments support students to provide the best clinical education possible.

During the first year of study, students are introduced to clinical practice in the Wayne State University Audiology Clinic. Here, students learn clinical skills in a sheltered environment. During non-clinic hours, students utilize the clinical space for laboratory exercises designed to strengthen their knowledge base. Clinical competency examinations are used to determine student preparedness to progress toward more advanced clinical training. In the second year, students rotate through the four audiology clinics of the Henry Ford Health System, serving an economically and culturally diverse population. In the third year, while participating in advanced audiology coursework, students rotate through each of three "specialty" facilities, including pediatrics, adult geriatric, and private practice settings. Students spend 20 hours per week at each site per semester. The fourth year consists of an immersive, 12-month, full-time clinical externship experience in which the student progresses gradually toward independence under the supervision of a clinical educator.

Externships

Wayne State's audiology program offers a unique and clinical experience in multiple settings! Audiology students are placed in several part-time clinical externships in their second and third years, as well as a full-time 12-month externship in the fourth year.

• Henry Ford Health - Division of Audiology
  • Henry Ford Medical Center (Fairlane) - Dearborn, MI
  • Henry Ford Hospital - Detroit, MI
  • Henry Ford Medical Center (Pierson) - Grosse Pointe, MI
  • Henry Ford Medical Center (Lakeside) - Sterling Heights
  • Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital - West Bloomfield, MI
  • Henry Ford Medical Center (Templin) - Wyandotte, MI

• Michigan Medicine
• C.S. Mott's Children's Hospital
• John D. Dingell Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
• Ann Arbor V.A. Medical Center
• Michigan Ear Institute
• Children's Hospital of Michigan
• Ear, Nose, and Throat Consultants
• Beaumont Hospital
• Numerous other diverse medical and private practice clinical rotations!

Accreditation

The Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) education program in audiology (residential) at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI) is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.

Complaints related to standards for accreditation

A complaint related to accreditation standards for the M.A. and Au.D. programs may be submitted to the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) by any student, instructional staff member, speech-language pathologist, audiologist, and/or member of the public.

For complete information on how to submit a standards-related complaint to the CAA, see Section XIII of the CAA Accreditation Manual .

Non-discrimination policy

Wayne State University (WSU) is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity in all of its operations, employment status, educational programs and related activities. As part of WSU, the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders adheres to this same policy for faculty and students as well as for clients of the department's clinics. Students, faculty, staff and persons served in the department's clinics are treated in a nondiscriminatory manner that is, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national or ethnic origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, citizenship or status as a covered veteran.