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Communication Sciences And Disorders

Curriculum

Degree Requirements

Program requirements: The following is a description of the degree requirements for the Ph.D. program in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

  1. Degree requirement hours: Each student must earn a total of 81 graduate semester credit hours to meet the requirements for a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Note that the total degree requirement hours may consist of a combination of graduate transfer hours and graduate hours completed within the program.
    • Students with a graduate degree in Communication Disorders may transfer up to 24 graduate semester credit hours to the Ph.D. program. Transfer of graduate credit hours will be subject to concurrence by the student’s Planning Committee and approval by the Director of Doctoral Studies.
    • Students with a graduate degree in a field other than Communication Sciences and Disorders may transfer up to 12 graduate semester credit hours to the Ph.D. program. Transfer of graduate credit hours will be subject to concurrence by the student’s Planning Committee and approval by the Director of Doctoral Studies. These students will also be required to enroll in 12 additional graduate credit hours in Communication Sciences and Disorders, as determined by the student’s Planning Committee. These additional 12 semester credit hours will serve as a basic foundation in the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
    • All students must complete a minimum of 57 semester credit hours in the Ph.D. program.
  2. Requirements of all students in the program:

    Pre-comprehensive exam hours: Each student will be required to complete a minimum of 48 credit hours prior to the comprehensive exam.

    • Statistics/research design hours: Each student will be required to complete a minimum of 9 semester credit hours in statistics/research design.
      • Courses will be determined by the student’s planning committee. Courses that fulfill the 9 semester credit hour requirement must be selected from either the Department of Mathematics and Statistics or the Department of Psychology at Texas Tech University.
      • Courses in statistics/research design are not limited to 9 semester credit hours, as the student’s planning committee may require additional hours, based on student interest and/or proficiency.
    • The student will be required to complete a minimum of 12 semester credit hours that will be offered within the Department of Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences, as determined by the student’s Planning Committee, and based on interest and need.
    • The student will be required to complete a minimum of 9 credit hours offered outside of the Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences as determined by the student’s Planning Committee, and based on interest and need. (Note that these 9 credit hours do not include the required courses in statistics/research design.)
    • Each student will be required to complete a minimum of 15 additional semester credit hours that will be offered either within or outside of the Department of Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences, as determined by the student’s planning committee, and based on student interest and need.
    • Each student will be required to complete a minimum of 3 research credit hours of a pre-dissertation project, as determined by the student’s Pre-dissertation Committee. Upon completion of the pre-dissertation project, each student must pass a formal defense of the project.
  3. Comprehensive Examination: Each student will be required to pass a comprehensive examination.
    • The pre-dissertation research project must be completed and defended prior to the onset of the comprehensive examination.
    • The comprehensive examination will consist of a 3-week take-home examination of 3-4 questions composed by the student’s Comprehensive Examination Committee.
    • The student will be required to pass a formal oral defense of the comprehensive examination.
  4. Dissertation: Each student will be required to complete a dissertation project.
    • The student will be required to enroll in a minimum of 9 credit hours of dissertation research.
    • The student will be required to pass a formal prospectus proposing the dissertation project (i.e., a formal oral presentation of the proposed research project to the Dissertation Committee).
    • The student will be required to pass a formal oral defense of the dissertation and submit a written dissertation document.
  5. Teaching and research experience: Each student will be required to complete at least one semester as a teaching assistant and one semester as a research assistant.
  6. Committee requirements: Each student will be required to select and assemble a series of committees. Note that the following committees may or may not include the same members with the exception of the student’s major adviser who will consistently serve as the committee chairperson.
    • Planning committee: Responsible for planning the student’s academic curriculum and course load. This committee will consist of a minimum of 3 members, 2 of whom must be within the department.
    • Pre-dissertation project committee: Responsible for overseeing the student’s pre-dissertation research project. This committee will consist of a minimum of 5 members, 3 of whom must be within the department.
    • Comprehensive examination committee: Responsible for overseeing the student’s comprehensive examination. This committee will consist of a minimum of 5 members, a minimum 3 of members from within the Department of Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences and a minimum of 1 member from outside the department.
    • Dissertation-project committee: Responsible for overseeing the student’s dissertation research project. This committee will consist of a minimum of 5 members, 3 of whom must be from within the department and 1 of which must be from outside the department.
  7. Students Without a Completed Master’s thesis
    • Research project: Each student who enters the program without completing a graduate research project must complete a minimum of 3 additional credit hours of research, prior to the pre-dissertation project.
    • The student will be required to complete a research project under the direction of the project committee. This committee will consist of a minimum of 3 members, 2 of which must be from within the department.
    • Upon completion of the project, the student must pass an informal project defense.
  8. Students Transfers from another Ph.D. program in Communication Disorders and Sciences
    • Pre-dissertation transfer hours: A student who transfers from another Ph.D. program to the program may transfer up to 24 doctoral pre-dissertation semester credit hours.
    • Pre-dissertation research project: A transfer doctoral student’s completed pre-dissertation research project may be transferred to the program, upon approval by the director of Doctoral Studies.
    • Comprehensive examination: The student will be required to complete the comprehensive examination at TTUHSC.
    • Dissertation research project: The student will be required to complete the dissertation research at TTUHSC.

Semester credit hour requirements:

The following table summarizes the semester credit hour requirements for the Ph.D. program in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Course requirements Semester credit hour requirements
Foundation courses Graduate degree in communication disorders – may transfer up to 24 graduate hours
Graduate degree in a field other than communication disorder – may transfer 12 graduate hours and complete an additional 12 graduate hours within the department
Required courses 9 hours of statistic/research design
3 hours of pre-dissertation project
9 hours of dissertation project
12 hours within the department prior to the comprehensive examination
Prescribed elective courses 9 hours outside of the department prior to the comprehensive examination, excluding statistics/research design requirements
Freely elected courses 15 hours additional hours either within or outside the department
Other 3 hours for students without a completed Master’s Thesis
Total degree hours Minimum of 81

Curriculum