Welcome to our graduate program website! The Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences offers multiple graduate degrees, designed to train students in the broad range of clinical and research domains that make up our field.   We offer two graduate degrees to train professional Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists. The MA program in Speech-Language Pathology is an academically-based, clinically-oriented, full-time program designed primarily to prepare professional Speech-Language Pathologists. The Doctoral Program in Clinical Audiology is a full-time, clinically-oriented program designed to prepare professional Audiologists. This doctoral program has two tracks: one track focuses on clinical practicum and coursework and leads to the Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) degree; the second track is a dual-degree program that provides similar clinical training in addition to more extensive research training and leads to both the Doctor of Audiology and the Doctor of Philosophy (Au.D./Ph.D.) degrees. Our state-of-the-art academic and clinical facilities are located in the heart of the main campus, while our proximity to Washington, DC and Baltimore as well as our ongoing relationships with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and numerous world-class area hospitals, clinics, and educational institutions provide our students with an outstanding range of additional clinical opportunities.

Finally, we offer a traditional PhD degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. This program provides extensive research experience as well as coursework to train students interested in careers in academia or as independent researchers at government or private institutions, including industry. We have strong ties with a number of other departments and programs on campus, which provide our students with a wealth of opportunities to develop ambitious interdisciplinary expertise. Our faculty and students are affiliated with the new Maryland Language Science Center, the Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) and the Center for the Comparative and Evolutionary Biology of Hearing (C-CEBH). The university also hosts the new Maryland Neuroimaging Center (MNC), which offers our students training opportunities in a variety of imaging techniques. Finally, our students have received research training in a variety of outstanding neighboring institutions, such as the National Institutes of Health and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

For students interested in pursuing both a Ph.D. in speech or language sciences and clinical training, our department offers options for a Combined Program for M.A. and Ph.D. in Speech-Language Pathology.

Our department is recognized as one of the top-ranked Graduate Programs by U.S. News and World Report (America's Best Graduate Schools 2012). The University of Maryland graduate programs in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology residential are accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA), and are in the top 10% of graduate programs in the discipline nationwide. One hundred percent of our graduate students have passed the Praxis exam on the first try. Our retention and graduation rates for the past three years were 90%. The employment/job placement rate for our graduate students is over 95%.

In short, through state-of-the-art coursework, research, and clinical training, our graduate students are prepared for the career direction of their choice.