Heather Hitchcock Central Michigan University Audiology September 1, 2011 The university I'd like to attend to obtain my Au.D.

is Central Michigan University (CMU), in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. This program was accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Auditory Education (ACAE) in 2007 (http://www.acaeaccred.org/foracademicprograms.html [Dec. 2010]). Additionally CMU is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and also has the longest running Au.D. Program in the nation (http://www.cmich.edu/chp/x1468.xml

[2011]) . These three traits give me satisfaction knowing they are

well equipped in educating and equipping students in Audiology. Application Requirements include a $50 application fee, interview that can be by phone, a bachelor's degree in CSD or core prerequisites that include: American Sign Language; Intro to Speech, Language and Hearing Disorders; Descriptive Phonetics; Language Development; Introduction to Audiology; the Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Hearing; Introduction to Acoustic Phonetics; Mentor Practicum in Communication Disorders; and Aural Rehabilitation, GRE score not older than five years; 3.0 GPA without any one course grade below a 2.0; possess the technical standards:observation, psycho-motor, affective/behavioral skills and cognitive abilities, and three references which two must be from professors in CSD and the other one cannot be from any Teaching Assistant, Friend, Family member, or co-worker of any type (http://www.csdcas.org/programs/centralmichigan-aud.html#application[2011]) and (http://www.cmich.edu/chp/Documents/college_of_health_professions/CDO/AUD/aud_tech_standards.pdf [2011]). According to admissions the average accepted Au.D. student applicant has a GRE score is 1063 which is verbal and qualitative components and a 4.4 on analytical writing (http://www.cmich.edu/chp/x20536.xml [2011]). Additionally, accepted students have an average cumulative GPA of 3.73 with a GPA of 3.83 in the student's major (http://www.cmich.edu/chp/x20536.xml [2011]). These standards are above the national average therefore showing that the CMU Au.D. program wants students that are highly motivated to work hard and genuinely want to succeed in this profession. The Au.D. Coursework includes four years in which the first two years the student participates in clinical experiences, the third year involves classroom work, advanced clinical practicum and work on a doctoral
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Heather Hitchcock Central Michigan University Audiology September 1, 2011 research project and the forth year in a clinical residency [http://www.cmich.edu/chp/x1558.xml (2011)]. Specifically, during the first year the following courses are in the curriculum: Anatomy and Physiology Underlying Neuro-Otology, Experimental Studies in Communication Disorders, Diagnostic Audiology, Amplification for the Hearing Impaired, Intro to Practicum, Disorders of Hearing, Neuroanatomy, Cochlear Implant Devices, Advanced Auditory Assessment, and Speech Audiometry. The second year includes: Pediatric Audiology, Electrophysiological Techniques and Audiology, Psychosocial Aspects of Hearing Loss, Intermediate Practicum, Audiological Rehabilitation Considerations in Education, Advanced Amplification Fitting Strategies, Evaluation and Management of Balance Disorders, Audiologic Rehabilitation for Adults, and Advanced Hearing Science. Year three of the program contains: Occupational and Environmental Hearing Conservation, Advanced Electrophysiological Techniques in Audiology, Doctoral Project, Professional Issues in the Practice of Audiology, Advanced Practicum. Then in the last year starting in the summer you being your Clinical Residency to finish in the Spring. Additionally, externships are available in the summer with one week at a hearing aid manufacturer, with the following summer for ten weeks in a private practice/medical center (http://www.cmich.edu/chp/x33144.xml [2011]). The CMU Audiology Clinic, which is off-campus, provides audiological services for central and northern Michigan. Patients may receive hearing assessments, hearing aid evaluations, fittings, and service. Also a patient may receive central auditory processing assessments and audiologic rehabilitation. The Audiology Clinic has a total of eight testing booths which include five double room suites, a cochlear implant mapping room, four ear mold impression labs, and four 4 digital hearing aid fitting rooms in additional to other labs and rooms. The CMU Audiology Clinic also has an infant hearing impairment identification program. Audiology students receive valuable clinical experience through participation in the more than 4,000 patient visits at the clinic each year (http://www.cmich.edu/chp/x1591.xml [2011]). The on-campus clinic contains modern facilities that include nine audiometric booths, hearing and physiology laboratories, an assistive listening device demonstration center and many therapy rooms just for audiological rehabilitation. Additionally, the clinic also has many high-end computers with industry-specific software. In addition to on-campus, the program coordinates student placement off-campus as well. These

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Heather Hitchcock Central Michigan University Audiology September 1, 2011 opportunities are at facilities such as schools, otology practices, hospitals, adult foster care sites, and more. Also students can gain clinical experience through specialized programs such as the Summer Specialty Clinics (SSC). The SSC is a summer program that began in 1946 that offers services to as many as 100 children with communication disorders, including those with varying degrees of hearing loss (http://www.cmich.edu/chp/x1591.xml [2011]). All students in the Doctorate of Audiology Program at CMU receive at least a partial graduate assistantship during their first year which includes being awarded in-state tuition rates for all four years. Also, students can apply for scholarships within the department. One scholarship is the Keith L. Maxwell Scholarship for graduate students that requires the student to be full time with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Also there is the Nicholas P. Redfield Memorial Scholarship for third year Audiology graduate students that demonstrate a clientcentered approach in their clinical performance and where volunteer works and efforts to better the audiology program at CMU are considered [http://www.cmich.edu/chp/x1592.xml (2011)]. Not only does Mount Pleasant, Michigan offer an exemplary program for a Doctorate in Audiology, but it is also a lovely place to live. There is the Nelson Park that is a five-acre park centrally located in the city. The park has a canoe landing, picnic tables, grills, a fishing deck, and a modern restroom (http://www.mtpleasant.org/depts/pr/prhomepage/cityparks/nelson.html). Also while at Nelson Park you can hop on a tube from Floaters Tubing Rentals and float down the Chippeawa River (http://www.floaterstubing.com/ ). If you're more into snow, or want to experience what to do with snow (here in the South, most of us rarely even see snow), there is Snow Snake Ski & Golf where you can snow tube, snow board and snow ski and in times of no snow, they have an excellent zip-line and even a golf course. (http://www.snowsnake.net/our_facilities.php) The combination of the town of Mount Pleasant and very educational CMU makes a great place to attend school to obtain your Doctorate in Audiology. The educational experiences and opportunities are virtually limitless at CMU. The many recreational activities available allow you to take a break from your studies to relax. All these attributes together is what makes CMU my choice for my doctoral education in Audiology.

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