Doctor of Audiology (Accelerated)

IMPORTANT: Admission to our accelerated Doctorate of Audiology program is currently suspended through fall 2023.

Western Michigan University's 4 + 3 accelerated Doctor of Audiology degree program provides an opportunity for students who begin college with an interest in audiology to take coursework in that and related areas early and to begin entry level graduate coursework in their senior year, thus saving approximately six months of graduate study relative to the current 4 + 4 model.

Students who wish to apply for the professional doctorate in audiology through the accelerated graduate degree program do so through the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Services and Sciences program, which has coursework with increased applicability to the professional practice of audiology and a designated concentration in audiology.

Undergraduate students with senior standing can take up to 12 credit hours of designated 5000 and/or 6000 level courses for graduate credit which can be counted toward both the bachelor degree and graduate degree. 

Pre-professional coursework in biology, statistics, physics and psychology, along with the professional interdisciplinary health services core courses and an audiology concentration will establish a strong background that will enable undergraduate students to apply for and complete a 4 + 3 model leading to a doctoral degree in audiology.

 

Courses

The following graduate courses represent 12 credit hours to be taken in the fourth year of the healthcare services and sciences undergraduate program by students in the accelerated graduate degree program, as well as by first year graduate students from other programs:

  • SLHS 6030 Anatomy of Audition and Balance (2 credit hours)
  • SLHS 6210 Diagnostic Audiology I (4 credit hours)
  • SLHS 6220 Hearing Aids (3 credit hours)
  • SLHS 5840 Pediatric Audiology (3 credit hours)
  • SLHS 5800 Psychoacoustics will be taken by undergraduates for 3 credit hours of undergraduate credit, counting toward the 122 credit hours required for the Bachelor of Science Healthcare Services and Sciences.

Applying to the program

Admission to the accelerated graduate degree program may occur during the third year of undergraduate study.

Application must be made through the Graduate College and the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences during the spring semester of the third year of undergraduate study, so that students will be eligible to take specified graduate courses in the following fall semester.

Admission to the accelerated program is competitive and is limited to the most qualified applicants. Students must complete the GRE and submit scores, and must submit a personal statement and three letters of recommendation. 

Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA throughout their baccalaureate program in undergraduate courses and in each of the graduate courses being counted for the undergraduate degree. 

Students who successfully complete only the undergraduate portion of the accelerated program will receive undergraduate credit for the 12 credit hours of 5000 and/or 6000 level courses selected for the AGDP. Students who successfully complete the Au.D. program will also receive graduate credit for those courses.