Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences

Ph.D. in Auditory Sciences

IU’s Ph.D. program in auditory sciences trains future scholars/scientists for the field of audiology. The first two years of the three- to four-year program are devoted primarily to developing basic research skills and taking broadly based course work, including research design and statistics, neural sciences, sensory and cognitive psychology, computer sciences, programming/instrumentation, and advanced seminars in audiology. During the first two years, you are also required to complete first-year and second-year research projects, which are thesis-like in nature and culminate in a publication, presentation, or both The last one-to-two years are devoted exclusively to research experience, including the dissertation.

The auditory sciences program at IU focuses on a select research areas that are compatible with the unique strengths of the faculty and facilities at the university. IU can offer you one of the best training experiences in any of the following areas:

psychoacoustics in normal and hearing-impaired listeners;
speech recognition and speech perception in normal and hearing-impaired persons;
auditory physiology, both basic and applied; and
amplification for the hearing impaired.

We can also offer exciting research opportunities in the area of rehabilitative audiology, including research on cochlear implants and vibrotactile devices, through our affiliations with the IU Medical Center in Indianapolis.

At present, the faculty members from our department who have major roles in the Ph.D. program in auditory sciences are Larry Humes (psychoacoustics, amplification), Diane Kewley-Port (speech perception), Robert Withnell (auditory physiology), Jennifer Lentz (psychoacoustics), Rachael Holt (speech perception), William Shoffner (auditory psychophysics), and Gary Kidd (psychoacoustics, auditory perception).