Attend one of the upcoming open houses to learn more about the Doctor of Audiology program. All open houses will be held from 9-11 am at the NIU Speech Language Hearing Clinic. Please contact Jennifer Gregory at 815-753-1484 to sign up for one of these events. Friday, October 26, 2012 Monday, November 26, 2012 Friday, March 22, 2013 (Admitted Students Only). 

• NIU Au.D. graduates have a 95% pass rate on the national PRAXIS exam
• NIU Au.D. grads have an 84.6% program completion rate
• NIU Au.D. graduates have a 92% pre-graduation employment rate; 100% within 2 months of graduation
• Clinical rotations begin the first semester of the program in a state-of-the-art new facility
• Students take part in multidisciplinary assessment teams for early intervention, auditory processing, and balance
• Fourth year placements include nationally-competitive sites

Program Summary

Coursework includes the study of acoustics/psychoacoustics, adult and pediatric diagnostics, adult and pediatric rehabilitation, amplification systems, implantable devices, noise/hearing conservation, electrophysiological measures, professional practices, tinnitus, and balance. The curriculum includes allowances for some areas of professional interest to be developed through courses outside of audiology.The program consists of three years of academic coursework and integrated clinical experiences followed by an external clinical practicum year.

Audiology is a part of the School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders, allowing students access to expertise from related areas. Faculty from the Rehabilitation Counseling program at NIU provide a unique counseling perspective. The relationships between audiology and speech-language pathology and physical therapy provide for interesting topical guest speakers and joint experiences. Classes are small, and individual student-faculty contact is maximized. The necessity of an evidence base for clinical practice is emphasized throughout the program. 

During the second and third years, students are guided by faculty mentors through the process of developing and completing a clinically-oriented capstone research project culminating in a written prospectus and poster presentation.

Practicum experiences begin immediately within the Department's outstanding new Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic in the Family Health, Wellness and Literacy Center. Specific experiences include comprehensive auditory assessment including electrophysiological measures and auditory processing evaluations on patients of all ages; hearing aid evaluation, dispensing, and orientation including assistive listening devices; and comprehensive audiologic rehabilitation including an active, long-standing adult group rehabilitation program. Many of these experiences are available with individuals who have severe-to-profound hearing losses. Placement in practica is balanced with student ability and level of training, with opportunities for mentoring relationships between beginning clinicians and more advanced students.  Students rotate through placements on assessment teams including balance and auditory processing.  Students also participate in the newborn hearing screening and follow-up program for the area hospital which is managed by the clinical faculty.

Students are assigned to external practicum rotations following establishment of core clinical skills, with placements available throughout the country. These include private audiology practices, hospitals, physician-owned offices, rehabilitation facilities, and schools. Rotations may be assigned one day per week during an academic semester and/or for several weeks at a time between semesters.  In addition, students are given the opportunity to participate in special activities such as industrial noise studies, community programs, and school and community screenings.

The Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) program at Northern Illinois University is accredited in Audiology by the:
Council on Academic Accreditation in 
Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the 
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
2200 Research Boulevard #310
Rockville, Maryland 20850
(800) 498-2071 or (301) 296-5700