4.2.1 Electives
A total of 4 elective credits are required for the degree. Student performance in all academic courses or projects is assessed using letter grades. Students may select from courses offered at the Institute, special topics courses in hearing, a mentored project, or a combination of the three.
Institute Courses
Students may meet the elective requirement by enrolling in one or more courses in other programs within the Institute. It is the student’s responsibility to:
1) demonstrate that the course is consistent with the AuD program of study,
2) obtain permission from the instructor before enrolling in a course, and
3) maintain a >3.0 GPA.
Elective Coursework
CAH-800A-C Special Topics in Hearing (2 credits each) Students may select elective courses from a series of current topics in audiology offered within the program.
Mentored Project
While academic coursework and clinical training are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills required to be successful audiologists in the profession, student may elect to engage in a 4-credit, elective, mentored project to learn skills necessary to lead the profession in the future.
Potential projects are presented to students during the Year 2 Orientation. Interested students should identify a project mentor to discuss a mutual area of interest. To help guide the decision process, six general areas for consideration are shown in Table 3 along with an example product for each and potential professional aspirations. Other areas of interest not listed in the table will be considered and approved if the resources are available to complete the project. Students are expected to generate new knowledge for their work on their project through the collection, analysis, and interpretation of their own data or the compilation of data from multiple other sources.
Table 3. Mentored Project Areas of Interest
| Science |
Clinical or Basic Research |
Research Lab or Clinic |
| Teaching and Learning |
Delivery teaching/learning in audiology |
Academia or Continuing Education |
| Interprofessional Clinical Practice |
Develop Clinical Skills or technology development |
Specialized Clinical Service Provider |
| Entrepreneurship |
New product proposal/business model |
Business Owner or Consultant |
| Advocacy and Policy |
Legislative or Professional Policy gap |
Professional Leadership |
| Quality Improvement |
Assessment of clinical or academic program/service delivery |
Management Administration |
Once an area of interest has been identified, the mentor and student will work together to complete the AuD Mentored Project Agreement form. This form specifies the parameters of the project, the timeline, the expectations of the student and the mentor, and the deliverable that will be used to assess the student’s performance at the end of the project. This form must be submitted to the student’s advisor for approval before the project may begin.
CA-891-6 Mentored Project (1 credit each) In this mentored experience, students identify a knowledge gap in an area of audiologic practice or hearing science and generate new knowledge through meta-analysis of existing data or through original research. Students may enroll for up to 6 credits but no more than 3 credits in a semester. Prerequisites: None