This document provides information about the AuD program at the University of Illinois. It summarizes the strengths of the program, including excellent faculty and a variety of clinical opportunities. It then describes the areas of research expertise among faculty, including topics like cochlear implants, speech perception, and auditory development. The document outlines the requirements and structure of the 4-year AuD program, including coursework, clinical experiences, and capstone project requirements. It also lists financial support options and sample external clinical placement sites.

1. Audiology at Illinois
Information for Prospective Graduate Students

2. Why get your AuD at the
University of Illinois?

3. What makes us special?
• Faculty are national leaders and excellent teachers
• Strong academic and clinical training
• Small cohort: ~8 Au.D. students per year
• Variety of clinical opportunities

4. Our Areas of Expertise
• Diagnostics
• Amplification and
Rehabilitation
• Pediatrics
• Electrophysiology
• Neurodevelopment
• Cochlear Implants
• Speech Perception
• Tinnitus
• Room Acoustics
• Otoacoustic Emissions

5. Justin Aronoff, PhD
Binaural Hearing Lab:
binauralhearinglab.shs.Illinois.edu
• Adult cochlear implant users:
– Understand how information from the two ears is combined
– How we can improve cochlear implant users’ access to cues for
localizing sound and understanding speech in noisy environments
– Improve cochlear implant users’ ability to control their voice

6. Pasquale Bottalico, PhD
Speech Accommodation to Acoustics, SPAA Lab
Vocal dosimetry in
classrooms
Voice and noise dosimetry
in college voice teachers
Lombard Effect In Restaurant Setting: How Much
Would You Spend To Eat At This Restaurant?
Vocal fatigue

7. Ron D. Chambers, PhD, CCC-A
Auditory Electrophysiology Laboratory
Current Areas of Research:
• Sensory gating based on measurement of the auditory
cortical P50 response
• Investigations of the Level-Specific Chirp (designed by Claus
Elberling) for enhanced measurement of the parameters of
the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)
Current AuD Student Capstone Project Topics:
• Effects of Level-Specific Chirp Stimuli on the Amplitude and
Latency of Wave V of the Auditory Brainstem Response
(ABR): Level-Specific Chirp Type and Stimulus Level
• Use of the Level-Specific Chirp to Elicit the Binaural
Interaction Component (BIC) of the Auditory Brainstem
Response (ABR)
• The Effects of Scalp-Electrode Montage on the Amplitude
and Latency of Wave V of the Auditory Brainstem Response
(ABR): Vertical versus Horizontal Montage

8. Mary Flaherty, PhD
Child Speech Research Lab
childsrl.shs.illinois.edu
Development of children’s speech perception in complex
acoustic environments -
• Age Effects
• Effects of hearing loss and amplification
• Can speech perception improve for children in noise with
hearing loss at different points of development?
Current Studies:
• Impact of talker in noisy environments – Is it easier to
understand your mom?
• Children’s ability to use voice pitch differences to
understand words and sentences
• Capstone project underway: The Development of Speech
Recognition in Children with High Functioning Autism
Spectrum Disorders

9. Fatima Husain, PhD
Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience Lab:
www.acnlab.com
How does tinnitus occur? /
How does it affects the individual?
The lab uses a number of different techniques
• Online surveys to understand demographic factors
related to the condition
• In-lab behavior testing to understand hearing-related
factors of tinnitus
• Brain imaging techniques to understand changes in the
brain with tinnitus

10. Ian Mertes, PhD, AuD, CCC-A
Hearing Research Lab:
hrl.shs.illinois.edu
• Peripheral and central auditory mechanisms involved in
speech-in-noise perception
• Adults with normal hearing and with sensorineural
hearing loss
• Methods include otoacoustic emissions, auditory
electrophysiology, and speech perception

11. Brian Monson, PhD
Auditory Neuro Experience Lab
anexlab.shs.illinois.edu
AUDITORY NEURODEVELOPMENT OF PRETERM INFANT
• Focuses on the NICU acoustic environment
• Goal of this research:
– Develop interventions that will optimize auditory experience for
preterm infants to
– Promote healthy auditory brain development, speech perception,
and language acquisition during infancy and childhood.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF EXTENDED HIGH FREQUENCIES TO
SPEECH/VOICE PERCEPTION
Extended high-frequency energy (energy produced at frequencies >8
kHz) provides the auditory brain with useful information for speech
and singing voice perception, including cues for speech source
location, speech/voice quality, vocal timbre, and even speech
intelligibility. These cues are likely utilized more readily by children,
who typically have much more sensitive high-frequency hearing than
adults.

12. Overview of the AuD Program
• 4 year program
– Years 1-3: Coursework and clinical experience
– Year 4: Full-time clinical externship
– Program includes summers
• Coursework
– 112 total hours (includes clinic and capstone project)
– Foundation/Theory courses lead to advanced clinical
courses
• Clinical Experience
– Equivalent of 12 months of full-time experience by end
of Year 4
– University Clinic, Private Practice, Hearing Aid
Manufacturers, VA, ENT practices, hospitals

13. Additional Requirements
• Capstone Project
– Supervised research project or review of clinical literature
– Begins Fall Year 2, completed by end of Spring Year 3
– Includes preliminary exam, final exam, and written document
• Comprehensive Exam
– Multiple choice exam on 5 content areas
– Taken in Summer Year 2
• Other Requirements
– Graduate-level statistics course
– American Sign Language I

14. Unique Courses We Offer
• Tinnitus
• Auditory Processing Disorders
• Hearing Conservation
• Digital Signal Processing
• Business Practice
• Departmental Proseminar

15. AuD Year One• Fall 1
– Psychoacoustics
– Auditory Anatomy and Physiology
– Assessment of Audition and Auditory Disorders
– Audiological Assessment Lab
– Hearing Conservation
– Clinical Practicum (University Clinic)
– Proseminar in Speech and Hearing Science
• Spring 1
– Diagnosis of Hearing Impairment in Infants
and Young Children
– Hearing Aids and Amplification
– Amplification Lab
– Medical Audiology
– Clincal Practicum (University Clinic)
– Proseminar in Speech and Hearing Science
• Summer 1
– Professional Ethics and Legal Issues
– Clinical Practicum (University Clinic & External)

16. AuD Year Two
• Fall 2
– Tinnitus
– Vestibular Assessment and Rehabilitation
– Quantitative Reasoning
– Counselling in Communication Disorders
– Systems and Signals
– Capstone
– Clinical Practicum (University Clinic & External)
• Spring 2
– Electrophysiology
– Advanced Aral Rehabilitation
– Sensory Prosthetic Devices
– Clinical Practicum (University Clinic & External)
– Capstone
• Summer 2
– Business Practice Seminar
– Capstone
– Clinical Practicum (University Clinic & External)

17. AuD Years Three & Four
• Fall 3
– Auditory Processing Disorders
– Cochlear Implants
– Statistics
– Capstone
– Clinical Practicum (External)
• Spring 3
– Capstone
– Advanced Audiological Assessment
– Educational Audiolog
– Clinical Practicum (External)
– Defense of Capstone Project
• Summer 3, Fall 4, Spring 4
– Full-Time Clinical Externship

18. Sample of External Placement Sites

19. We are here to support you!
• Meet with your faculty adviser each semester
• Faculty reviews each student annually
• Other support includes:
– Dr. Raksha Mudar, Director of Graduate Studies
– Speech and Hearing Science faculty and staff
– Campus resources
• McKinley Health Center
• The Counselling Center
• Student Assistance Center
– Your fellow AuD students!

20. Student Achievement Data

23. Financial Matters
• Students can apply for departmental funding each semester:
– TAs for individual courses
– Hourly positions as graders
– Research assistants on faculty grants
– Time commitments are typically 10 hours per week
• Other sources of employment on campus:
– Disability Resources and Educational Services – academic coaches, transcribers
– McKinley Health Center
– Athletic Department – academic coaches, tutors
– We also connect you with the Campus Job Board

24. We hope that you choose
the University of Illinois!