Admission Standards/Requirements

Academic

The UW Au.D. program is interested in recruiting strong students from a variety of backgrounds who are interested in a rewarding career as an audiologist. A communicative disorders undergraduate major is not required for admission to the Au.D. program but is recommended. Potential applicants who do not have an undergraduate degree in communicative disorders must make up any deficiencies before or during their Au.D. program.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Admission to the Doctor of Audiology program requires at least a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA (4.0=A) and a 3.0 in the major; however the grade point average of students accepted into the AuD program is typically much higher than this. In rare circumstances a student whose GPA is below 3.0 may be considered for admission. For a special review, the student with a GPA below 3.0 must submit a Letter of Appeal stating reasons for the low GPA (including a rationale for an exception) in addition to the Statement of Professional Intent.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

GRE scores must be submitted and the AuD Admissions Committee will use results from the verbal, quantitative and written assessment subtests to determine acceptance criteria.

Practicum

The applicant should have completed a minimum of 25 guided clinical clock hours of observation. If this requirement has not been met, the applicant will be required to obtain observation hours prior to enrollment or during their first semester of Au.D. practicum.

International Student Applicants

The Doctor of Audiology is a clinical degree and students must have adequate spoken English skills for clinical practice.  If your native language is not English, or your undergraduate instruction was not in English, the AuD program requires the following before you can engage in clinical practice:

(1) Demonstrate proficient spoken English by achieving one of the following: (a) a minimum criterion score of 60 on the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK), (b) a minimum scaled score of 26 on the speaking section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language-Internet based version (TOEFL-iBT), or a minimum scaled score of 26 on the TOEFEL Academic Speaking Test (TAST).

(2) Pass a speech intelligibility screening administered by the Doctor of Audiology program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison or Stevens Point.

If a student's spoken English skills do not meet these two criteria, they must participate in a discussion with the AuD Advisor to develop a plan for improving their proficiency in spoken English.  After completion of this planned course of study for improving their spoken English skills, they will again need to try to meet the described two criteria.  If they are unable to meet the criteria, they may choose or be advised to pursue a non-clinical degree in Normal Aspects of Speech, Language, and Hearing.