Communication Sciences and Disorders, Ph.D.
Degree Requirements (57 Post-Masters Hours; 75 Post-baccalaureate Hours)
Doctoral students must complete a minimum of 45 semester hours of graduate course work beyond the master’s degree in speech-language pathology plus 12 semester hours of dissertation preparation (COMD 899). Students who are nationally certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association generally pursue two years of academic/research preparation followed by one or more years to complete the dissertation. Master’s-level speech-language pathologists who are wishing to pursue their ASHA certification while enrolled in the doctoral program will take slightly longer. Finally, students with bachelor’s degrees from other related scientific disciplines (e.g., psychology, linguistics, engineering, exercise science), who aspire to become speech-language-hearing scientists with no interest in clinical practice, take three years of course work (up to 18 additional semester hours, as determined by their doctoral planning committee) prior to the dissertation year. All Ph.D. students must take PUBH 700.
Post-Master's Requirements (57 Hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| COMD 811 | Survey of Research in COMD (must enroll for 2 semesters for a total of 2 credits) | 2 |
| COMD Core Science Courses - select two of the following (additional courses from this list can be taken as electives): | 6 | |
| Advanced Speech Science | ||
| Advanced Hearing Science | ||
| Normal Bases of Speech Production | ||
| Normal Bases of Language | ||
| Connections between Oral and Language Literacy | ||
| Gerontology and Communicative Disorders | ||
| Cochlear Implants | ||
| Seminar in Speech Pathology | ||
| Advanced Topics in Speech Pathology | ||
| Advanced Study of Language Disorders in Adults | ||
| Professional Requirements | ||
| GRAD 701 | Graduate Teaching/Instructional Assistant Development | 0 |
| COMD 810 | Professional Seminar in Communication Sciences and Disorders (Must enroll for 4 semesters for a total of 4 credits) | 4 |
| COMD 890 | Teaching Fundamentals in Communication Sciences and Disorders | 1 |
| PUBH 700 | Perspectives in Public Health | 3 |
| COMD 815 | Mentored Teaching in COMD | 1 |
| COMD 812 | Scientific Writing in COMD: Papers & Grants | 3 |
| Statistics/Research Design - select a minimum of 12 credit hours with at least 3 credits hours in statistics and at least 3 credit hours in research design from the following: | 12 | |
| Concepts and Methods of Biostatistics | ||
| Intermediate Biostatistics | ||
| Research Methodology (strongly recommended) | ||
| Seminar in Speech Pathology (strongly recommended) | ||
700-level or above research or statistics course in BIOS, EPID, EDRM, PSCY, or HPEB approved by the graduate director | ||
| Electives | 13 | |
800-level COMD courses for independent research studies | ||
Course options listed in the COMD core science course list if not taken to fulfill that requirement | ||
700-level courses from COMD, BIOS, EPID, EDRM, PSCY, HPEB, EDEX, EDFI, EDRD, EDPY, EXSC, GRAD, LING, PUBH, STAT, PHAR, or NSCI if content is important to research and study plan. Note: 500-level courses will only be counted if approved by the graduate director. | ||
| Dissertation | 12 | |
| Doctoral Research and Dissertation Preparation | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 57 | |
Post-baccalaureate Requirements (75 Hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| COMD 811 | Survey of Research in COMD (must enroll for 2 semesters for a total of 2 credits) | 2 |
| COMD Core Science Courses - select two of the following (additional courses from this list can be taken as electives): | 6 | |
| Advanced Speech Science | ||
| Advanced Hearing Science | ||
| Normal Bases of Speech Production | ||
| Normal Bases of Language | ||
| Connections between Oral and Language Literacy | ||
| Gerontology and Communicative Disorders | ||
| Cochlear Implants | ||
| Seminar in Speech Pathology | ||
| Advanced Topics in Speech Pathology | ||
| Advanced Study of Language Disorders in Adults | ||
| Additional COMD coursework as determined by the doctoral planning committee | 18 | |
| Professional Requirements | ||
| GRAD 701 | Graduate Teaching/Instructional Assistant Development | 0 |
| COMD 810 | Professional Seminar in Communication Sciences and Disorders (Must enroll for 4 semesters for a total of 4 credits) | 4 |
| COMD 890 | Teaching Fundamentals in Communication Sciences and Disorders | 1 |
| PUBH 700 | Perspectives in Public Health | 3 |
| COMD 815 | Mentored Teaching in COMD | 1 |
| COMD 812 | Scientific Writing in COMD: Papers & Grants | 3 |
| Statistics/Research Design - select a minimum of 12 credit hours with at least 3 credits hours in statistics and at least 3 credit hours in research design from the following: | 12 | |
| Concepts and Methods of Biostatistics | ||
| Intermediate Biostatistics | ||
| Research Methodology (strongly recommended) | ||
| Seminar in Speech Pathology (strongly recommended) | ||
700-level or above research or statistics course in BIOS, EPID, EDRM, PSCY, or HPEB approved by the graduate director | ||
| Electives | 13 | |
800-level COMD courses for independent research studies | ||
Course options listed in the COMD core science course list if not taken to fulfill that requirement | ||
700-level courses from COMD, BIOS, EPID, EDRM, PSCY, HPEB, EDEX, EDFI, EDRD, EDPY, EXSC, GRAD, LING, PUBH, STAT, PHAR, or NSCI if content is important to research and study plan. Note: 500-level courses will only be counted if approved by the graduate director. | ||
| Dissertation | 12 | |
| Doctoral Research and Dissertation Preparation | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 75 | |
Additional Information
Upon the completion of a program of study, approved by both the student’s academic program committee and The Graduate School, and prior to embarking upon a dissertation, doctoral students must successfully pass written and oral comprehensive examinations. The doctoral program culminates in the successful defense of the dissertation, consisting of the collection and analysis of original scientific data.