PhD IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY

The Doctor of Philosophy degree offered by the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) permits specialization in a various disciplines. The doctoral curriculum provides an individualized broad-based education within which a specific scholarly expertise is developed and culminates in a basic or applied research mentoring program. Experienced faculty advisors guide students through each stage of the program: Prospective Candidacy (completion of pre-dissertation coursework and the General Examination) and Candidacy (completion of the dissertation and satisfactory oral defense).

Doctoral competencies include mastery of skills developed through research, grant-writing, and teaching/supervision experiences. Students typically demonstrate these by successfully presenting or publishing independent research, completing an application for extramural funding, and receiving positive student/supervisor feedback from courses taught.

Students are encouraged to develop professional leadership skills through active participation in local, state, and national academic societies.

The interdisciplinary nature of learning is emphasized during doctoral education, and students from a variety of academic disciplines are encouraged to apply. Full-time enrollment in doctoral study is strongly recommended as the preferred educational path.

Stipend and assistantship funds may be available for some full-time doctoral students.

Departmental faculty are committed to fostering productive and independent scholarship in a positive learning environment.

Upon admission, the Department Chair will meet with the student for preliminary advising. In consultation with the student, the Chair will assign an academic advisor before beginning the first semester of enrollment. This advisor will meet with the student to recruit a Doctoral Advisory Conference Committee and collectively develop a proposed Program of Study. This individualized curriculum will include a minimum of 90 post-baccalaureate credit hours focused on the student's research interest area(s). At least 25 credit hours of the program will be devoted to courses covering core doctoral material. Up to 44 previously earned non-practicum graduate credits relevant to the present course of study and approved by the Advisory Committee may be included among the 90 credit hour minimum. A maximum of 15 credit hours of dissertation research may count toward the program of study.

In addition to coursework, requirements for the degree include:

1) satisfactory completion of rotations, assistantship experiences, and a pre-dissertation research project, 
2) satisfactory completion of an oral and written General Examination, and 
3) satisfactory oral defense of an approved dissertation.

To be considered for admission, an applicant must meet all Graduate College (see current catalog) and Departmental minimum requirements, which include the following:

Application Procedure

Students may expect additional costs that include but are not limited to a personal computer, textbooks, lab fees, insurance, and supplies. Students are required to assume financial responsibilities for expenses associated with clinical requirements. For financial aid information, contact the Financial Aid Office at (405) 271-2118.

Additional cost information:
Bursar's Office Tuition and Fees
Student Financial Aid

The Higher Learning Commission accredits the PhD program in Speech-Language Pathology.

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS = minimum 90 post-baccalaureate; graduate transfer credits: 38-44 hrs. plus 52 hrs. per the following coursework: 

YEAR 1 

Fall Semester (8 hrs.)

Spring Semester (9 hrs.)

Summer Semester (3 hrs.)

Year 2

Fall Semester (9 hrs.) 

Spring Semester  (3 hrs.) 

Summer Semester (4 hrs.)

Year 3

Fall Semester (6 hrs.) 

Spring Semester (6 hrs.)

Summer Semester

Curriculum Notes

Program Notes:

Twelve (12) hrs. of statistics courses are required of all students.  BSE 5013, 5163, and 5164 are required. BSE 5653 is recommended but will be only offered on a biennial basis beginning in 2010. If BSE 5653 is not available, then an alternative course may be substituted on the degree plan.

It is recommended that students complete an introductory research course (such as CSD 5133 Research Foundations or its equivalent) before entering CSD 6563 Research Methods in Communication Disorders. Please note that CSD 6563 Research Methods CSD will be taught in alternating calendar years.

The Graduate College requires that all students who conduct research must complete a course in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). NURS 6101 is the course that the Dept. of CSD employs to fulfill that requirement.

Seminar in Communication Science (CSD 5540) provides 1 credit hour of readings and discussion in a student’s area of research interest plus 2 credit hours of independent research. Students must identify a research mentor during the first semester of enrollment. It is expected that the majority of Seminar courses will be completed under the direction of the mentor and that at least one research project arising from the courses will be presented nationally and/or published in a refereed journal.

Students must enroll in at least 20 hrs. of dissertation coursework to meet  minimum requirements for the degree. If  students enroll in more than 20 hrs. of CSD 6980, only 20 hrs. will be credited toward the 90 hr. minimum required for the degree. A successful oral defense of an approved written dissertation is a requirement for the degree.

Students with graduate assistantships will be required to show full-time enrollment during the semesters that they receive funding. This may occasionally necessitate enrollment in additional credit hours than those shown on the curriculum outline. Full-time enrollment for graduate assistants =  6 hrs. fall/spring and 3 hrs. during the summer session. Full-time enrollment for graduate students who do not hold graduate assistantships = 9 hrs. fall/spring and 6 hrs. during the summer session. Students are responsible for enrolling in sufficient credit hours to meet their individual financial aid needs.

Process Notes: 

The Department of CSD’s standing Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) is the “Departmental Advisory Committee” that guides each student through completion of the General Examination and that makes determinations of satisfactory progress toward the degree. Individual “Doctoral Dissertation Committees” guide students through the dissertation process and make determinations of satisfactory progress toward the degree. Both types of committees are structured in accordance with requirements outlined in the online Graduate Bulletin.

By the end of the second year of the program, all doctoral students will be expected to successfully present a research project to the CSD faculty and to a university (e.g., GREAT, Alpha Eta Research Day, OU-Norman Research Day, etc.), state, regional, or national conference. This requirement must be met before seeking permission to take the General Examination for the doctoral degree.

During the third year of the program, each doctoral student will teach one complete undergraduate course under the supervision of a graduate faculty mentor. Students must be enrolled when teaching. Successful completion of this teaching experience is a requirement for  the PhD degree.

Doctoral students will take the written and oral portions of the General Examination when they near completion of pre-dissertation coursework. Students must be enrolled in a graduate course in order to take the General Examination.

Successful completion of the exam constitutes admission to Candidacy for the Degree upon approval by the Graduate Dean. Students are not permitted to enroll in CSD 6980 Research for Doctor’s Dissertation until the General Examination has been successfully completed.

The PhD is a research degree. Although clinically-related topics may be studied, graduate clinical practicum courses may not be counted toward the minimum requirements for the degree.

Students must maintain good academic standing and demonstrate satisfactory academic progress during the course of their degree programs. All rules and regulations, as outlined in the online Graduate Bulletin, will be followed. Students are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the contents of the Graduate Bulletin since this document serves as the handbook for graduate study at the OUHSC.

* Advanced coursework required of all doctoral students. Core CSD courses will be taught in alternating years. Students will complete these courses within the first two years of their doctoral programs.

** Elective courses in area of concentration (voice science, neural processing, psychoacoustics, auditory disorders, etc.) pertaining to specific area of interest. Additional elective coursework in an outside discipline to broaden student knowledge base in support of specific area of interest and/or elective courses within discipline which are related to but outside of the area of concentration.

Course Descriptions

View Program Brochure

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
College of Allied Health
The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
1200 N Stonewall Avenue, Room 3091
Oklahoma City, OK  73117-1215

Andrew John, PhD
Associate Professor
Phone:  (405) 271-4214 Ext. 46065
Fax:  (405) 271-3360
Email Dr. John

Office of Academic and Student Affairs
Phone:  (405) 271-6588
Email the Office of Academic and Student Affairs

Prospective students are encouraged to visit the prospective student's page to utilize the transfer equivalency tables, admission statistics, job shadowing, gpa calculation, tuition cost, scholarships, student life, campus resources, etc.