The Ph.D. degree is the highest scholarly degree offered by the University. The Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders is a research degree. Therefore, course work and other requirements of the Ph.D. program are designed to prepare students for research careers. This document outlines the requirements for the Ph.D. Students should be thoroughly familiar with the requirements listed here as well as those stated in the bulletin of the Graduate School. Some program requirements are more extensive than those of the Graduate School.
Funding, Residence Requirements, and Duration of Study
Under normal circumstances, all Ph.D. students entering the program are provided four years of funding. First year students are typically funded by University Fellowships that cover full-time tuition expenses for the academic year and provide a 12-month stipend. During years two and three students are supported on teaching assistantships again providing full tuition and a 12-month stipend. Fourth-year funding assumes that students have met Ph.D. candidacy requirements and includes a stipend comparable to previous years' support, plus tuition at the level charged to post-candidacy students. Some students are funded for part, or all, of their program by research grants. Students are expected to engage in full-time study (3-4 units per quarter) until they have been admitted to candidacy. Students are strongly encouraged to aim for completion of the requirements for admission to candidacy during the third year of doctoral work. Not only does this indicate a good pace of moving towards completion of the degree, but it also has financial implications. Tuition costs are substantially lower once a student has been admitted to candidacy; and in most cases, financial assistance for a doctoral student's tuition will be reduced to that lower level following the twelfth (including summer quarters) quarter in residence.
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Summer Requirements
Work toward the doctorate is required during the summer for all students in the Ph.D. program.
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Non-Course Assignments
In order to provide strong doctoral training that will prepare students for teaching and research careers, Ph.D. students are active in both teaching (including clinical) and research activities, in addition to regular academic work . Doctoral students are given teaching assistant (TA) assignments as well as research assistant (RA) assignments. The balance between teaching and research assignments is somewhat dependent on each student's source of funding. However, attempts are made to assign students to both TA and RA experiences each quarter. TA assignments are given to provide a variety of teaching experiences; whereas RA assignments are made based on the student's interest area, where possible. These assignments average approximately 20 hours per week. Typically students are assigned for at least half of this time (10 hours) as an RA (typically in their major professor's research laboratory). Students funded on research grants spend most of their 20-hour assignment in the research lab. However, they also are provided with some TA experiences during their doctoral program.
Importantly, the effectiveness of the department's teaching and research activities depends in part on the activities of the Ph.D. students. As a result, assignments cannot always be made in accordance with the student's desires.
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Research Forum
All Ph.D. students and faculty regularly attend scheduled Research Forum presentations. Attendance is required for first year students, unless formally excused by the Department Chair and facility administrator. Three to four Research Forums are scheduled each quarter; both student and faculty research is presented.
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Grade Requirements
Doctoral students must maintain at least a B average in their course work to remain in good standing. Any Cs must be balanced by As. At any time when the student's doctoral record reflects less than a B average, he/she is placed on academic probation. Failure to reach an acceptable average during the subsequent quarter may result in termination of the student's program. Note. Required courses cannot be taken pass/no-pass (P/N).
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Progress Evaluations
Faculty reviews of each doctoral student take place at or near the end of the spring quarter of each year. The purposes of these reviews are to evaluate and appraise the student's (a) course performance, (b) performance in non-course assignments, (c) progress toward completion of Ph.D. requirements, and (d) potential to do independent research. Students must have completed their Plan of Study Form prior to the first year review. Members of the student's program/qualifying committee will complete a Doctoral Student Review Form at the completion of each review meeting. The completed form will be placed in the student's file, kept by his/her academic advisor. It is the responsibility of the student to arrange review meetings and to ensure that the proper forms are filed.
Upon completion of each review, the student will be given feedback regarding issues discussed. The completed Doctoral Student Review Form will be given to the student to review and to sign. Student's progress will be discussed with the full faculty annually.
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Clinical Experience
Doctoral students may gain clinical experience in the Speech and Language, Learning Disabilities or Hearing Clinics. Some may wish this experience because of research interests with special populations. Others may seek clinical practice because of deficiencies in their clinical backgrounds. In consultation with their advisors, students should plan to register for clinic during any quarter in which they will be participating actively in clinical work. Ordinarily, Ph.D. students take three courses per quarter. If 498 is taken, it will usually be a fourth course.
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