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Audiology - Au.D.

Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium

The School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at The University of Akron and the Program of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Kent State University, in affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, have united to provide a professional doctoral program, the Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium (NOAC). NOAC is jointly administered by the two universities. Applicants must apply through the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS).

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Program Information for Audiology - Au.D.

Program Description

Full Description

The Doctor of Audiology degree is a professional doctorate that prepares students to be licensed clinical audiologists. The program emphasizes the principles and practices underlying evaluation, treatment and provision of hearing care services. Graduates are independent professionals who specialize in the diagnosis, management and treatment of hearing and balance disorders.

The Au.D. degree is a full-time, continuous, 45-month, post-baccalaureate course of study designed to integrate classroom, laboratory and clinical experiences, culminating in the qualification for national certification and state (Ohio) licensure as an audiologist. All students attend full-time and take a fixed sequence of classroom- and clinic-based courses.

This program may be undertaken sequentially with Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

The Au.D. degree in Audiology is offered in affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Akron.

Admissions for Audiology - Au.D.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

Applications to the Northeast Ohio Audiology Consortium through Kent State University needs to be submitted through the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Services (CSDCAS) by the application deadline.

  • Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university (not necessarily in speech-language pathology and audiology)
  • Minimum 3.000 GPA on a 4.000-point scale
  • Official college transcript(s)
  • GRE scores (starting with fall 2025 admission term, the GRE will no longer be required)
  • Goal statement
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Starting with fall 2025 admission term: Interview during NOAC Visitation Day or remote videoconference when unable to attend this event
  • English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:1
    • Minimum 94 TOEFL iBT score
    • Minimum 7.0 IELTS score
    • Minimum 65 PTE score
    • Minimum 120 DET score
1

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores will not be considered for admission.

Application Deadlines

  • Fall Semester
    • Priority deadline: January 15
      Applications submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission.
Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate a broad-based knowledge of the foundations, theories and application of audiology.
  2. Demonstrate clinical competencies in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hearing and balance disorders.
  3. Demonstrate knowledge of research principles and their integration into evidence-based clinical practice in audiology.
  4. Demonstrate knowledge and skills in the principles and practices of patient and family-centered care.
  5. Demonstrate knowledge of the ethical standards and conduct expected in the profession of audiology.
Coursework

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Major Requirements
SPA 70192GRADUATE AUDIOLOGIST I 3
SPA 70292GRADUATE AUDIOLOGIST II 3
SPA 70392GRADUATE AUDIOLOGIST III 6
SPA 70492GRADUATE AUDIOLOGIST IV 8
SPA 70592GRADUATE AUDIOLOGIST V 8
SPA 70615CENTRAL AUDITORY PROCESSING EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT 2
SPA 70616HEARING AID FITTING AND SELECTION ACROSS THE LIFESPAN 4
SPA 70618IMPLANTABLE TECHNOLOGY 4
SPA 70627MULTICULTURAL ISSUES IN AUDIOLOGY 2
SPA 70630PRACTICE MANAGEMENT IN AUDIOLOGY 3
SPA 70691SEMINAR IN AUDIOLOGY 2
SPA 70701BASIC AND APPLIED PHYSICAL ACOUSTICS FOR AUDIOLOGY 4
SPA 70702ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF PERIPHERAL AUDITORY AND VESTIBULAR SYSTEMS 4
SPA 70703SPEECH ACOUSTICS AND SPEECH PERCEPTION 2
SPA 70704CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH IN AUDIOLOGY 2
SPA 70705AUDITORY DISORDERS 2
SPA 70706ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY UNDERLYING NEURO-OTOLOGY 4
SPA 70707PSYCHOACOUSTICS 3
SPA 70708CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH 2
SPA 70709AUDIOLOGIC ASSESSMENT 3
SPA 70710INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY NOISE 3
SPA 70712DIAGNOSIS OF AUDITORY DISORDERS 3
SPA 70713HEARING AID TECHNOLOGY 4
SPA 70714GERONTOLOGICAL ISSUES IN AUDIOLOGY 3
SPA 70717PEDIATRIC AUDIOLOGY 3
SPA 70719COUNSELING IN AUDIOLOGY 3
SPA 70721EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF BALANCE DISORDERS 3
SPA 70725MEDICAL MANAGEMENT OF AUDITORY DISORDERS 2
SPA 70726ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES IN AUDIOLOGY 3
SPA 70732AUDIOLOGIC TREATMENT ACROSS THE LIFESPAN 4
SPA 70733ADVANCED ELECTROPHYSIOLOGIC AND VESTIBULAR MEASURES 4
SPA 70734PRINCIPLES IN PRECEPTING 1
SPA 70753LABORATORY FOR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES IN AUDIOLOGY 1
SPA 70754LABORATORY FOR EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF BALANCE DISORDERS 1
SPA 70755LABORATORY FOR ADVANCED ELECTROPHYSIOLOGIC AND VESTIBULAR MEASURES 1
SPA 70791FOURTH YEAR SEMINAR (course is repeatable)2
SPA 70892INTERNSHIP III 2
SPA 70992INTERNSHIP IV 2
SPA 74592CLERKSHIP I 1
SPA 74692CLERKSHIP II 1
SPA 75792INTERNSHIP I 1
SPA 76792INTERNSHIP II 1
Minimum Total Credit Hours:120

Graduation Requirements

Minimum Major GPA Minimum Overall GPA
- 3.000
  • Accrue 2000 clock hours of clinical experience
  • Meet the requirements for conditional Ohio licensure in audiology
  • Pass academic and clinical competency-based examinations

Clinical Setting

For any clinical practicum (on campus or off campus) in speech pathology or audiology that requires candidates to be placed within the on-campus speech and hearing clinics. school or agency setting, candidates are required to complete Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCII) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background checks and submit the results to authorized personnel at their assigned clinic/school/agency before the beginning of their placement or the first day of the semester in which the practicum will take place. Authorized school/agency personnel will determine whether a candidate may participate in practicum in the off-campus setting. The BCII and FBI background checks are good for one year, and the candidates will need to complete one each year that they are in the Au.D. degree.

Electronic fingerprinting is available for BCII and FBI in 221 White Hall and should be completed one month prior to clinical practicum. Candidates are responsible for fees incurred for this requirement. For more information on this policy, contact the clinical coordinators for the Speech and Hearing Clinics. Visit the Ohio Department of Education website for more information about background check requirements for those wishing to hold pupil personnel licenses in Ohio. Contact the Office of Professional Conduct at the Ohio Department of Education for specific information about the results of the background check.

Program Delivery
  • Delivery:
    • In person
  • Location:
    • Kent Campus
Accreditation for Audiology - Au.D.

The Doctor of Audiology degree in Audiology (residential) at Kent State University is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.

Important Dates for Prospective Students
  • Admissions deadline: December 15— Applicants should apply to Kent State University through the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service or CSDCAS. To access the system go to: https://portal.csdcas.org/
    • For updated information on applying to NOAC, click here.
  • Visitation Day (interviews and tour): First Friday in February. Invitations will be extended to students who have completed their applications by the December 15 deadline. For more information, please contact Dr. Erin Miller at elm@uakron.edu
Visit Information

At our annual NOAC campus visitation date, interested potential students will meet faculty and present students as well as tour facilities at The University of Akron, Kent State University and the Cleveland Clinic. For more information, please contact Dr. Erin Miller at elm@uakron.edu.

Spring 2024 Informational Meeting about NOAC program: Feb. 9, 2024
Our in-person visitation day is scheduled for Friday, February 9, 2024.  NOAC Visitation Day allows applicants to visit our campuses and meet directly with all the NOAC faculty. We hope to see you at our upcoming informational event!

Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium (NOAC) Information

The University of Akron and Kent State University have been nationally recognized for their graduate audiology programs and are ideally suited to offer a collaborative professional doctorate. The collaborative nature of the Au.D. program merges the assets of these two strong audiology programs to form one unified professional doctoral degree program. This program has a close affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, which is internationally recognized as providing excellent health care.

Learn more about the NOAC

NOAC Mission Statement

The mission of the Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium is to be an innovative program of excellence that provides Ohio with a pool of independent and competent professional audiologists.

To this end, the consortium seeks to:

  1. Prepare audiologists through professional education and clinical training who can diagnose, manage and treat individuals with hearing, tinnitus, and balance disorders
  2. Enhance service to the professional community through presentations, mentoring, consulting, and scholarly activity
  3. Provide for research and clinical service through entrepreneurship and external funding
Placement Objectives for Graduates

A goal of the Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium is to educate students in all aspects of audiologic diagnosis and treatment. As such, graduates are prepared for placements in any type of audiology practice including hospital, clinic, private practice, school, or industrial settings.

Meeting the Needs of Ohio

There is a clear local, regional, and national need for audiologists. Employment for audiologists is expected to grow at a faster than average rate through 2031, with 10% growth expected from 2021-2031. This demand for audiologists is expected since hearing loss and balance disorders are associated with aging, and there is a rapid growth in the population of individuals aged 55 and older due to the aging of the “baby boomer” generation. Additionally, the survival rate of infants, trauma and stroke victims continues to improve and these individuals often require the services of an audiologist.  U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2022-23 Edition, Audiologists (visited August 1, 2023). 

Ohio has a critical need for additional audiologists. Ohio’s elderly population is projected to increase by 33.4% between 2010 and 2023. By 2030, Ohioans aged 60 and older will make up 26.3% of Ohio's total population.  Given the prevalence of the rate of hearing impairment in the elderly population (nearly 25% of those aged 65-74 and 50% of those aged 75 and older), significant need exists for additional audiologists. While Universal hearing screenings of all newborns is mandatory in Ohio, there are fewer than 30 licensed audiologists serving the thousands of children with periodic and/or permanent hearing problems in Ohio's primary and secondary schools. More educational audiologists are needed if children with hearing problems are to be identified and served properly.

Program Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to apply for Audiology licensure in all 50 U.S. States.  If appropriate options are selected during your time in the program, you may also become eligible to apply for licensure as a P12 practitioner in the State of Ohio, as approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

Helpful NOAC Links

The Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium website houses important information for all current and prospective students.

Below you will find helpful links from their site: 

NOAC Strategic Plan

Vision Statement

We aspire to be the premier Doctor of Audiology program in the country with a reputation for excellence, innovation, and leadership in the education of students and in the generation, integration and dissemination of knowledge concerning audiology.


Click here to view the NOAC Goals and Strategies.


Assessment Timeline:

This strategic plan will be evaluated over the next five years. Data concerning each goal will be collected and assessed annually.

Rev. 04-23

Council on Academic Accreditation Audiology Logo

Accreditation

The Doctor of Audiology (Au. D.) education program in audiology (residential) at the Northeast Ohio Au. D. Consortium is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Boulevard #310 Rockville, Maryland 20850 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.

Learn More About Accreditation

View Student Outcome Data

View additional accreditation REQUIREMENTS

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries for Audiology - Au.D.

Audiologists

13.3%

much faster than the average

13,800

number of jobs

$81,030

potential earnings

Health specialties teachers, postsecondary

20.5%

much faster than the average

254,000

number of jobs

$99,090

potential earnings

Notice: Career Information Source
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.