U.S. News Best Grad School for Audiology 2021

Ranked No. 9 by U.S. News & World Report, highest ranked program in Indiana

The Doctor of Audiology (AuD) program provides you with a solid foundation in the science of hearing and the skills to conduct and promote evidence-based clinical practice in a culturally sensitive manner. You will learn to apply these skills in a wide variety of clinical settings, through a combination of academic and clinical education and research participation.

The doctoral program in audiology (AuD) at Purdue 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, Maryland, 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.

Student Outcome Data

Program Highlights

  • The AuD program’s high-quality clinical education addresses the full scope of practice in audiology through hands-on experience in the Purdue University M.D. Steer Audiology Clinic. You will work under the direct supervision of clinical faculty members to gain experience providing diagnostic and rehabilitative audiology services to the community.
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Admissions/Requirements

Applications for admission to our clinical programs (AuD, MS-SLP) require materials to be sent both via the Centralized Application Service for Communication Science & Disorders (CSDCAS) and via Purdue’s online systems.

Application Materials to Be Submitted to CSDCAS

To be considered for admission, your application should be marked by CSDCAS as “Complete” or as “Verified” before January 15.

Material to be submitted to CSDCAS:

  1. Application fee.
  2. Three letters of recommendation.
    In the normal case, the department strongly recommends that applicants to our clinical graduate programs solicit letters of recommendation from three academic faculty members. Ideally, at least two of these letters should be from faculty in speech, language, or hearing sciences or a closely related field, or from two such faculty members and a clinical practitioner who has supervised your work or volunteer activities for a significant period. If you are only able to obtain two letters from academic faculty or clinical supervisors, a third letter from a person for whom you have worked for at least a year in a closely supervised non-clinical position may be acceptable. At a minimum, all referees should know you well enough to attest to your academic abilities and potential to excel in a clinical graduate program, and at least two of them should be familiar with the demands of graduate study, ideally, with the demands of clinical graduate study in speech-language pathology or audiology.

    The department recommends that you do not solicit letters from individuals whose primary qualification is that they are your neighbors, family friends, clergypersons, or employers (except as described above).
  3. Official transcripts from all institutions attended. This includes dual credit transcripts. Please refer to CSDCAS instructions.
  4. Official evaluations of any international transcripts.
  5. CV or resume. Please be sure to include relevant experience in the areas of leadership, collaboration, critical thinking and community advocacy.
  6. Personal essay. Your personal essay should address how your experiences have shaped your interest in speech or hearing, what your career goals are and why you believe you are a good fit for our program. 
  7. Other Additional Essay
  8. Video response to question prompt. Please follow the instructions given in the CSDCAS application.

Please contact the Graduate Program Secretary with any questions.

CSDCAS Application

Applications Materials to Be Submitted to Purdue University

  1. Application submitted and fee paid (Click here for the Purdue Graduate Application)
  2. Copies of official transcripts as directed in the Purdue Graduate School application
  3. For those whose first language is not English, official English proficiency test scores less than 2 years old
  4. CV or resume
  5. Academic Statement of Purpose – Please upload your CSDCAS “Personal Essay” to the Purdue Graduate Application portal.
  6. Personal History Statement – Please upload your CSDCAS “Other additional Essay” to the Purdue Graduate Application portal.

    Copies of these documents from the CSDCAS application should be uploaded to the Purdue application portal.  Copies should be received BY JANUARY 3, 2024 in order to be used for any fellowship or award considerations.

AuD Clinical Program Requisites

You may take these courses before or during the graduate program. Taking these courses during the program creates a heavier course load; if possible, you are encouraged to complete these courses prior to beginning the graduate program.

  • 1 course in biological science (focus on animal or human biology)
  • 1 course in physical sciences (focus on chemistry or physics)
  • 1 course in behavioral/social sciences
  • 1 course in statistics covering t-tests, analyses of variance, chi-square, regression and correlation

AP transfer credit for biological, physical and social sciences can only be used if the original scores meet Purdue minimums. AP credit cannot be used to meet the statistics requirement.

Applications for International Students

Please note, the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (SLHS) has higher minimum requirements for English language proficiency for a clinical degree than the Purdue University Graduate School. Also, SLHS does not waive this requirement, even if you have earned a degree within the past 24 months from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction.

To be eligible for admission into the clinical programs or to be eligible for departmental funding as a PhD student (unless other arrangements are made with the students’ PhD supervisor), all international applicants must meet the higher department standards.

English proficiency test scores are required of all international applicants whose first language is not English.

TOEFL Ibt: a minimum total score of 100 with minimum individual scores of 28 for speaking; 22 for writing; 22 for listening; and 22 for reading.

IELTS: a minimum score of 7.5 with no single band score lower than 7.0. International transcripts must be uploaded or submitted in their original form and in translation, along with copies of any diplomas awarded. Please send any paper transcripts to the SLHS Graduate Secretary.

Dual-Track Degree Program

Eligible students may pursue a combined clinical and research dual-track degree program to pursue both a master’s and doctoral degree. You will typically start with coursework in the AuD clinical program while simultaneously beginning to participate in research. Completion of the clinical degree usually precedes advancement to candidacy in the doctoral program, but a proportion of required hours of clinical supervision within the clinical degree may be satisfied through appropriately supervised research activities.

View Admissions Criteria View Course List AuD Sample Plan of Study AuD Handbook

Research

The AuD program prepares you to become grounded in experimental research into auditory processes in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired individuals. By participating in research, you will have opportunities to work alongside faculty to investigate solutions to hearing- and balance-related challenges and disorders.

Student in Audiology lab

Research Opportunities

  • Computational modeling
  • Hidden hearing loss
  • Neurophysiology and electrophysiology
  • Psychophysics
  • Speech perception

Research Areas

  • Hearing science
  • Hearing disorders

Research Facilities

  • Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience Lab
  • Auditory Electrophysiology Lab
  • Auditory Neurophysiology and Modeling Lab
  • Psychoacoustics Lab
  • Research in the Experimental Amplification Research Lab
  • Speech Perception and Cognitive Effort Lab
  • Systems Neuroscience of Auditory Perception Lab
Shannon Van Hyfte

Program Director

Shannon Van Hyfte, AuD, CCC-A, is a clinical associate professor in the department of speech, language, and hearing sciences at Purdue University.