The program’s academic and clinical activities are now housed in the NIU Family Health, Wellness and Literacy Center in DeKalb’s medical corridor.
November 25
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Courtney Mwangi
(class of 2011) received competitive national funding this summer to travel to Kenya as part of her capstone project.
The Doctor of Audiology at Northern Illinois University is a clinically-oriented program which prepares students as independent providers of hearing and balance care for patients of all ages. The curriculum is designed to emphasize evidence-based practice and hands-on clinical skills. Graduating students are eligible for national certification from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and state licensure in audiology. The program boasts an enthusiastic faculty of three tenured/tenure-track members and five clinical/professional members who are devoted to working together to guide student development.
The program consists of three years of academic coursework and integrated clinical experiences followed by an external clinical practicum year. Coursework includes the study of acoustics/psychoacoustics, adult and pediatric diagnostics, adult and pediatric (re)habilitation, amplification systems, implantable devices, noise/hearing conservation, electrophysiological measures, professional practices, and balance. The curriculum includes allowances for some areas of professional interest to be developed through courses outside of audiology. Audiology is a part of the Allied Health and Communicative Disorders Department, allowing students access to expertise from related areas. Faculty from the Rehabilitation Counseling program at NIU provide a unique counseling perspective. The relationships between audiology and speech-language pathology and physical therapy provide for interesting topical guest speakers and joint experiences. Classes are small, and individual student-faculty contact is maximized. The necessity of an evidence base for clinical practice is emphasized throughout the program. During the second and third years, students are guided by faculty mentors through the process of developing and completing a clinically-oriented “capstone” research project culminating in a written prospectus and poster presentation.
Practicum experiences begin immediately within the Department's outstanding new Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic in the Family Health, Wellness and Literacy Center. Specific experiences include comprehensive auditory assessment including electrophysiological measures and auditory processing evaluations on patients of all ages; hearing aid evaluation, dispensing, and orientation including assistive listening devices; and comprehensive audiologic rehabilitation including an active, long-standing adult group rehabilitation program. Many of these experiences are available with individuals who have severe-to-profound hearing losses. Placement in practica is balanced with student ability and level of training, with opportunities for mentoring relationships between beginning clinicians and more advanced students. Students rotate through placements on assessment teams including balance, early identification, and auditory processing. Students also participate in the newborn hearing screening and follow-up program for the area hospital which is managed by the clinical faculty.
Students are assigned to external practicum rotations following establishment of core clinical skills, with placements available throughout the country. These include private audiology practices, hospitals, physician-owned offices, rehabilitation facilities, and schools. Rotations may be assigned one day per week during an academic semester and/or for several weeks at a time between semesters. In addition, students are given the opportunity to participate in special activities such as industrial noise studies, community programs, and school and community screenings.
The Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) program at Northern Illinois 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.
For more information about NIU’s Doctor of Audiology program, please contact:
Tina M. Grieco-Calub, PhD, CCC-A
School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
Office Phone: 815-752-8389
E-mail: tgriecocalub@niu.edu