天堂鸟先生

The purpose of the Joint option program is to provide a student who wishes to pursue a PhD in speech and language science the opportunity to take doctoral-level courses, directed studies, and engage in research experiences during the MA program, which primarily focuses on clinical training. This is highly beneficial for those select students for three reasons: a) they have an incentive to apply to and complete the PhD, given that they have already started some of the coursework; b) they are more prepared for successful study at the doctoral level; c) they can complete two degrees (MA + PhD) in 5 years (instead of 6 years). A student pursuing this option is required to complete the same curricular requirements as all students who pursue the MA.

A student who wishes to pursue this option may express interest in the application to the MA program. The program is highly selective, with one or two students enrolled each year. The HSLS faculty members have a formalized process in place to determine the student鈥檚 qualification for the Joint option. The minimum criteria include a formalized interview process and one letter of recommendation from a faculty member that supports the student鈥檚 outstanding research potential.

If accepted, the student will be assigned a faculty mentor and will be advised on a program of study that will integrate doctoral level coursework and experiences (e.g., research directed studies, statistics, working in a mentor鈥檚 research lab) into the coursework required for the MA. Each student in the Joint option is also expected to work on a predissertation research project in the first two years. Each plan of study for a student in the Joint option will be unique, given their area of research interest. At the time of admission into the Joint option, the student is informed that they must still apply for the PhD at a later time and that PhD acceptance is not guaranteed. By the semester in which the student applies to the PhD program (end of Year 2), the student will have completed 48 hours for the MA program and a total of 34 hours for the PhD (note: No more than 34 credits from MA coursework may be applied to the doctoral degree).

At the end of Year 2, students apply to the PhD program and must meet the following criteria: a) cumulative GPA of at least 3.0; b) completion of pre-dissertation research project (or substantial progress made); c) acceptable performance on research mentor鈥檚 lab work. All of the expectations for doctoral coursework in the MA program as well as the PhD entrance criteria are clearly described in the student鈥檚 letter of acceptance in the Joint option.

The curriculum requirements of the standard program and the Joint option for the master鈥檚 degree are the same. The differences are: a) it will take the student longer to complete the MA (up to one academic year) because they are integrating doctoral experiences into their MA coursework; and b) the sequencing of coursework, that is, having doctoral-level studies and research experiences prior to applying to the PhD program.

天堂鸟先生 to the program is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the following core undergraduate classes:

• Introduction to Communication Disorders, Phonetics, Speech Science, Anatomy/Physiology of Speech and Language, Hearing Science, Basic Audiology, American Sign Language I, Language Development, and Aural Rehabilitation*

*MA students can take Aural Rehabilitation as part of their graduate program, although taking it as an undergraduate course provides you with a greater opportunity to take special topic electives during your graduate studies.

In addition, ASHA requires students to have a course in each of the following content areas:

• Biological Sciences (human or animal sciences), Physical Science (chemistry or physics), Social/behavioral Sciences, Statistics (stand-alone course)

*Courses associated with doctoral-level study. Each student's program will be unique, and the course topics and directed studies will vary according to a student's research area of interest.

Note: HSLS 6340, 6920, and 6910 are repeatable clinical methods, practicum, and externship courses.