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Faculty are involved in independent and collaborative research in the areas of audiology, hearing science, and speech-language pathology. Projects include cochlear implant processing, treatment of speech disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease, language and literacy, quality of life and hearing aids, and many other topics related to communication disorders. Faculty members publish in professional journals and present at international, national and state meetings. Summaries of faculty research and professional activities are available on-line at the Department's Web site. Students are encouraged to participate in the research process, including development of hypotheses, data collection, and presentation or publication of results.
Thesis
The faculty's commitment to research and the belief that an appreciation of scientific endeavors is valuable to the clinical process provide the basis for an optional thesis. Many students in graduate school choose to do a thesis, thereby gaining valuable research experience. A thesis project is data-based and may be an original or replication study. Often students present the results of their research at a professional meeting or publish results in a professional journal. The thesis project is optional in the speech-language pathology curriculum, and students are encouraged to consider choosing this option. Students exploring the thesis option must have a minimum GPA of 3.4 at the end of their first term of enrollment. Audiology students have opportunity to complete a thesis in lieu of the Investigative Project. The complete thesis policy is found in the Student Manual for the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences.
Investigative Project
Students enrolled in the Doctor of Audiology program complete the Investigative Project during the third year of the curriculum. The objectives of the Investigative Project are to synthesize a body of literature related to a specific topic in audiology, to cultivate professional writing skills, to acquire didactic skills for dissemination of professional information, and to develop organizational and verbal tools needed for professional presentations. Ordinarily, the investigative project includes two options: a.) Evidence Based Practice Systematic Review or b.) Experimental Project. A complete description of the Investigative Project is found in the Student Manual for the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences. |
