The mission of the Audiology program is to prepare audiologists to function as clinicians, educators, administrators and collaborators in research.
As clinicians, graduates will be prepared as healthcare providers who study hearing, vestibular / balance, tinnitus, and auditory processing. They will be able to provide assessment and intervention for patients from newborns to geriatrics to promote hearing healthcare.
In education, graduates will be prepared to teach in undergraduate departments of Communication Sciences and Disorders, hospitals and community health care environments, and serve as clinical preceptors to audiology graduate students.
As administrators, graduates will plan, establish and evaluate audiology services in a variety of settings.
In research, graduates will have the skills that enable them to analyze new information in the field and apply it to clinical practice.
The program objectives are to prepare audiologists to:
- Practice within the health care system in a variety of settings by providing a broad base of knowledge to serve patients of all ages.
- Use research skills to critically analyze new information in the field and develop independent research programs.
- Function as clinicians who are able to identify the hearing health needs of individuals and design, implement and evaluate treatment plans to meet those needs.
- Function as educators to teach in community health care environments as well as in undergraduate Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) departments and in master’s SLP programs.
- Function as administrators who are able to plan, establish and evaluate audiology services in a variety of settings.
- Function as clinical preceptors to provide clinical mentoring to future students in audiology while they complete their off-campus clinical placements and their fourth-year clinical externship.
- Communicate care to others such as patients, colleagues and other health care professionals.