Hearing and Speech Sciences

Doctor of Audiology Program Curriculum & Clinical Education

Vanderbilt’s Doctor of Audiology is a four-year, post-baccalaureate program training students to assess and treat hearing in all ages.

What You’ll Learn

  • Program Format: Full-time, in-person, year-round
  • Program Length: Eleven semesters
  • Semester Start: A new AuD class begins each fall
  • Clinical Hours: Begin during the first semester and continue throughout
  • Certification: AuD graduates will take the Praxis exam in Audiology to qualify for the American Speech Language Association’s Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology.
  • Topics You’ll Study: Acoustics, Calibration & Instrumentation, Measurement of Hearing, Research in Communication Sciences & Disorders, Child Language Acquisition and more.

Clinical Education

Your clinical training begins in your first semester across a variety of sites and culminates in an externship at a site of your choice in your final two semesters. Students should be prepared to travel up to 60 miles from the Vanderbilt University campus to reach off-site placements. Placement locations encompass all major areas of clinical audiology and include:

  • Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center outpatient clinics
  • Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
  • Veteran’s Administration locations
  • Local medical clinics

Optional Specialty Tracks

Specialty tracks offer intensive training in pediatric audiology or vestibular sciences. Specialty track students participate in a three-week Maymester practicum during the spring of the third year at one of many sites throughout the United States and are expected to complete a Capstone project in their area of specialty.

  • Pediatric Audiology

    Students enrolled in this specialty track will complete additional coursework and practicum experience to prepare them to work with infants and children who are deaf or hard of hearing. This interdisciplinary approach to training combines core courses with speech-language pathology, audiology, and training with deaf education students.

    For more information, view the program flyer or email Dr. Anne Marie Tharpe.

  • Vestibular Sciences

    Students in this specialty track will gain specialized skills in the assessment of the peripheral and central vestibular system [i.e. vestibulo-ocular reflex, vestibulo-spinal and vestibulo-collic reflexes]. Additionally, graduates will learn about rehabilitative options available to patients with either unilateral or bilateral vestibular system impairments. Coursework will include three formal courses in vestibular sciences.

    Specialty track students have priority for practicum experiences in the Balance Disorders Clinic that assesses more than1400 patients per year.

    For additional information, email Dr. Gary Jacobson, Director, Specialty Track in Vestibular Sciences.

Sample Curriculum

  • Year 1

    Year 1 – Fall Semester (13-16 credit hours)

    • Acoustics, Calibration & Instrumentation
    • Measurement of Hearing
    • Research in Communication Sciences & Disorders
    • Child Language Acquisition (if not taken as undergrad)
    • Introduction to Clinical Case Conference
    • Practicum & Clinical Case Conference

    Year 1 – Spring Semester (15 credit hours)

    • Anatomy & Physiology of Hearing Mechanisms
    • Prof. Issue, Ethics, and Spec. Topics in Audiology I
    • Amplification I & lab
    • Psychoacoustics
    • Practicum & Clinical Case Conference

    Year 1 – Summer Semester (9 credit hours)

    • Auditory Clinical Electrophysiology
    • Introduction to Neuroscience
    • Practicum & Clinical Case Conference

    Curriculum subject to change. The number of credit hours depends on your electives and
    specialty track

  • Year 2

    Year 2 – Fall Semester (12 credit hours)

    • Pediatric Audiology
    • Vestibular Sciences I
    • Amplification II
    • Practicum & Clinical Case Conference

    Year 2 – Spring Semester (14 credit hours)

    • Aural Rehabilitation for Children
    • Pathology of the Auditory System
    • Prof. Issues, Ethics, and Spec. Topics in Audiology II
    • Capstone I
    • Practicum & Clinical Case Conference

    Year 2 – Maymester (1 credit hour)

    • Optional/Elective Specialty Track Externship (required for specialty track)

    Year 2 – Summer Semester (8 credit hours)

    • Vestibular Sciences II
    • Family-Centered Counseling & Interviewing
    • Practicum & Clinical Case Conference

    Curriculum subject to change. The number of credit hours depends on your electives and specialty track.

  • Year 3

    Year 3 – Fall Semester (10-12 credit hours)

    • Cochlear Implants
    • Capstone II
    • Vestibular Sciences III – Optional/Elective
    • Practicum & Clinical Case Conference

    Year 3 – Spring Semester (9-15 credit hours)

    • Hearing Loss & Speech Understanding – Optional/Elective
    • Prof. Issues, Ethics, and Spec. Topics in Audiology III
    • Amplification III
    • Seminar in Auditory and Vestibular Science Seminar – Optional/Elective
    • Practicum & Clinical Case Conference

    Year 3 – Summer Semester (3 credit hours)

    • Externship

    Curriculum subject to change. The number of credit hours depends on your electives and specialty track.

  • Year 4

    Year 4 – Fall Semester (3 credit hours)

    • Externship

    Year 4 – Spring Semester (3 credit hours)

    • Externship

    Many 4th-year externships offer stipends or salaries of varying levels. Tuition support received from the department during the first three years does not extend through the fourth year. Departmental faculty will assist students in determining which sites offer remuneration and at what levels.

Schedule a Visit