In addition to the required courses outlined in the UConn Graduate Catalog, Au.D. students must take three credits of a graduate-level statistics course and three credits of a graduate-level elective course. Students should select the appropriate statistics and elective courses in consultation with their major academic advisor.

Year One: Fall Semester

• SLHS 5351. Amplification I.
• SLHS 5354. Psychological Acoustics.
• SLHS 5356. Audiologic Assessment.
• SLHS 5375. Anatomy & Physiology.
• SLHS 5337. Clinical Practicum.
• SLHS 5327. Intro to Clinical Topics in Audiology.

Year One: Spring Semester

• SLHS 5321. Otologic Bases of Hearing Loss.
• SLHS 5362. Speech Perception.
• SLHS 5373. Pediatric Audiology.
• SLHS 6401. Amplification II.
• SLHS 5337. Clinical Practicum.
• SLHS 5327. Intro to Clinical Topics in Audiology.

Year One: Summer Term

• SLHS 5324. Counseling for Persons with Hearing Loss.

Year Two: Fall Semester

• SLHS 5322. Electrophysiology I.
• SLHS 5344. Pediatric Rehabilitative Audiology.
• SLHS 5337. Clinical Practicum.
• SLHS 5328. Intermediate Clinical Topics in Audiology.
• SLHS 5401. Research Methods.
• Elective or Statistics.

Year Two: Spring Semester

• SLHS 5325. Adult Aural Rehabilitation.
• SLHS 5362. Speech Perception.
• SLHS 5372. Central Auditory Processing.
• SLHS 5400. Cochlear Implants.
• SLHS 5337. Clinical Practicum.
• SLHS 5328. Intermediate Clinical Topics in Audiology.

Year Two: Summer Term

• SLHS 5337. Clinical Practicum.
• SLHS 6319. Capstone Research.

Year Three: Fall Semester

• SLHS 5309. Statistics.
• SLHS 5323. Professional Issues.
• SLHS 5326. Geriatric Audiology.
• SLHS 6319. Capstone Research.
• SLHS 5337. Clinical Practicum.
• SLHS 5329. Advanced Clinical Topics.

Year Three: Spring Semester

• SLHS 5369. Electrophysiology II.
• SLHS 6402. Hearing Conservation.
• SLHS 6319. Capstone Research.
• SLHS 5337. Clinical Practicum.
• SLHS 5329. Advanced Clinical Topics.
• SLHS 6410. Vestibular System.

Year Three: Summer Term

• 4th-Year Externship begins.

Year Four: Fall & Spring Semesters

• SLHS 6930. 4th Year Externship.

Students are introduced to clinical practice at the UConn Speech and Hearing Clinic beginning in their first semester. Our clinic operates year-round and serves pediatrics through geriatrics in an outpatient setting. It offers diagnostic evaluations, central auditory processing evaluations, electrophysiologic testing, and treatment services. Students also have the opportunity to participate directly in a variety of hearing screening opportunities both on and off campus. The clinic offers designated times on a weekly basis when Au.D. students can practice in the clinic on their own or complete assigned labs.

Students typically begin working with patients on a more regular basis from the second semester through their third year, including summer rotations. After successfully completing several on-campus rotations, students will move to contracted off-campus sites where they will be under the direction of licensed audiologists in a variety of settings.

From UConn Storrs, we have access to a diverse group of placements within about an hour’s drive of campus. Frequent hospital practice sites include:

• Lawrence & Memorial Hospital.
• Yale New Haven Hospital.
• Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
• Women’s and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island.
• UMass Memorial Hospital.
• Baystate Medical Center.
• VA Hospitals in RI, CT, and MA.
• Birth-to-three educational and rehabilitation centers such as Soundbridge and the New England Center for Hearing and Rehabilitation.
• A variety of private ear, nose, and throat offices and private audiology practices in the CT, MA, and RI areas.

Students in UConn’s Au.D. program must be able to carry out certain essential functions to be successful in clinical training. It is necessary for students to meet minimum technical standards noted below in order to carry out required activities, and to perform clinical activities competently and safely in supervised patient care experiences.

1. Observation. Students need to be able to accurately observe clients’ physical status, including body type, posture, ability to ambulate, fine motor skills, and response to sensory stimuli. Additionally, students must be able to accurately observe clients’ behavior including verbal and nonverbal communication patterns. Finally, students must be able to comprehend and produce text, numbers, and graphs.
2. Communication.
   1. Students must be able to:
      1. Communicate effectively, sensitively, and efficiently with clients and colleagues; comprehend technical, procedural, and professional materials; and follow instructions.
      2. Readily communicate observations and findings.
      3. Prepare progress notes and correspondence, as well as evaluation and treatment reports, in a clear, logical, and professional manner.
      4. Perceive the speech of clients and accurately judge its quality.
      5. Readily comprehend language expressed in oral, graphic, and gestural forms.
   2. In addition, the student's speech and English language skills must be such that:
      1. Colleagues and clients consistently understand them
      2. They are intelligible to permit the administration of speech understanding in a reliable and valid manner.
3. Motor Coordination. Students must be able to travel to various clinical practicum locations, access and control equipment, and safely perform an otoscopic examination of the ear as needed.
4. Intellect. Students must be able to problem solve effectively; and to analyze, integrate, and synthesize data concurrently in a multi-task setting. In addition, students must be able to comprehend multi-dimensional relationships and understand the spatial relationships of anatomical structures, physiology, and pathology.
5. Behavioral and Social Attributes. Students must possess the emotional health required to exercise good judgment, and safely carry out responsibilities in a timely manner. They must be able to adapt to change, display flexibility, and function appropriately in stressful situations. Students must exhibit empathy for others and focus on the needs of the clients. They must exhibit polite behavior and integrity, and they must be able to manage criticism, be reliable and punctual, and be respectful of clients and their families.