Why get a Ph.D. in Audiology?

A PhD in Audiology prepares you to be a successful scholar and a leader in the field.  This degree is appropriate for those who wish to pursue academic and research careers, while the AuD is a clinical degree which prepares individuals to become independent clinicians and supervisors of clinical practice. The PhD program in Audiology includes experience conducting research in your area of interest under the guidance of a faculty mentor or mentors. You will gain valuable academic experience preparing you to study important topics in the field. The job market for graduates with a PhD is excellent, as programs in communication sciences in disorders report a critical shortage of PhD faculty.  The PhD degree can lead postdoctoral fellowships, or to jobs at universities, research laboratories, clinics, hospitals, industry, and other prestigious organizations.

Why consider Syracuse University for a Ph.D.?

Each student in the PhD program at Syracuse University has an individualized experience. You will work with a mentor with expertise in your chosen area. You develop a program of study with your mentor and take graduate-level courses that are relevant to your areas of interest. Our program is small, allowing for individualized training and close collaborations with faculty. You will be provided with personalized support on important academic skills: designing research, preparing manuscripts for publication, presenting at local, state, and national conferences, networking with top professionals in the field, and teaching in your areas of expertise.

Syracuse University is in close proximity to three local medical centers (Crouse Hospital, Upstate University Hospital, and the Syracuse Veterans Administration) and houses an on-campus speech-language-hearing clinic (the Gebbie Clinic). A number of collaborative research projects are conducted among these and other institutions. 

Each faculty member has dedicated research laboratory space, and students enrolled in the PhD program will have the opportunity to assist with ongoing research and conduct their own research under the guidance of their assigned mentor. There is dedicated office space for PhD students.

Laboratories and Research Space

Audiology laboratories feature a range of equipment, including:

• Large double-walled sound-attenuated booths
• Otoacoustic Emissions
• Regular and wideband acoustic immittance
• 64-channel Electroencephalography (EEG) to measure neural activity and event-related potentials
• Clinical multi-channel evoked potential equipment
• Multichannel audiometers and sound presentation systems
• State-of-the-art hearing aid testing equipment
• Sound field speaker systems
• Pediatric behavioral audiometry

Please see the faculty webpages for further information.

Optional Concentration in Neuroscience

The department in Communication Sciences and Disorders is part of a university-wide interdisciplinary Neuroscience initiative. A concentration in Neuroscience is available for students in the PhD program. The interdisciplinary neuroscience offering includes coursework that spans several departments such as Communication Sciences and Disorders, Psychology, and Biology.

Is an Au.D. required prior to entering the Ph.D. program?

Students who already have an AuD degree or equivalent may apply directly to the PhD program. In some cases, students may wish to pursue a PhD without obtaining a clinical degree. These may be evaluated on a case by case basis.

Syracuse University also offers a combined AuD/PhD degree program for those students interested in receiving both a professional doctoral degree (AuD) and a research doctoral degree (PhD). The AuD/PhD is 110 a credit program, which allows students to pursue both their clinical training and their research training in a rigorous, intensive and streamlined program.

All students must first be accepted into the AuD program, and application to the dual AuD/PhD program is made after successful completion of a minimum of the first year of the AuD program. Each student in the AuD/PhD program must have a faculty research sponsor, and this sponsorship must be agreed upon prior to the time of enrollment in the dual program. Students must pass a prequalifying exam at the end of their first year in the AuD/PhD program, and qualifying exams at the end of their coursework. The academic and research experiences lead to the dissertation, which is typically begun in the fourth year of study. It is anticipated that the dual degree can be completed in 6 years of full-time study.