The Ph.D. program is variable in length, with most students taking four to five years to complete their training. The first two years are devoted primarily to taking classes and developing basic research skills. The final years are devoted almost exclusively to research experience, including the dissertation. The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 90 credit hours, but students can transfer up to 30 credit hours from their Master’s or Au.D. degrees.

Coursework during the first two years is broadly based and includes classes in research design and statistics, as well as a variety of courses and seminars specific to your chosen major area. The focus of our Ph.D. program is to train future scholars and scientists. Because most students come with a clinical master’s degree and considerable clinical experience, emphasis is placed on the acquisition of a fundamental knowledge base and the development of research skills.

Yes. IU has accredited clinical programs in audiology and speech-language pathology. Students should contact the coordinator of the Ph.D. program to discuss specific options for a combined research and clinical track. The specific program will depend on the student’s interest and prior experience.

To be admitted to the fall semester for each year, students must have their application in to IU by January 1 (or by Dec. 1 if you are an international student). The Ph.D. program accepts students on a rolling basis, so you can be admitted to the spring and summer semesters. However, we may not be notified by the university of these applications. Consequently, you will need to discuss your application with the Ph.D. coordinator so that we will know to expect it.

Admission letters are typically sent out in early March indicating whether a student has been accepted and whether the student will be offered funding or is being considered for funding. Students who are accepted to the program have until April 15 to reply.

Most of our Ph.D. students receive funding through the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. Currently, we are offering many students four year of guaranteed funding, with the possibility of additional years. These funding packages typically include tuition waivers, health insurance coverage, and a yearly stipend. These funding packages support students who meet our admissions criteria and have research interests that overlap with the available mentors in the department.

If you apply to the program by January 1 for consideration of admission to the fall semester, you will automatically be considered for funding. Students are encouraged to describe their teaching and research experiences in their application to the graduate program to maximize the chances of being made a funding offer.

Learn about funding opportunities

The admissions committee at IU will thoroughly review your application to determine the best laboratory match, given your research interests. We encourage you to peruse the Research section of our website so that you can indicate your research preferences and lab selections in your application to our program. We will do our best to match you with the mentor who can provide you with the best training to meet your interests. However, not all mentors are able to take students each year. For this reason, we will on occasion admit students without a mentor. These students may find that exploring the labs at IU would better meet their needs.

Learn about our research

If you have questions about Indiana University’s residency requirements, please contact the Registrar’s Office.

Of course, we always welcome student visits. Please contact our Graduate Secretary,  Susan Palmiotto, spalmiot@iu.edu to schedule a visit.