The Au.D. is a professional doctoral degree and is rapidly becoming the dominant entry level degree for the practice of Audiology. A professional doctorate is the highest university degree given in a particular field of study. The following is a brief history of the recent evolution of the professional doctorate in Audiology.
In 1978 the ASHA Task Force on Science discussed the need for a professional doctorate to free Ph.D. programs from becoming corrupted. In 1983 ASHA underwrote a study concluding the master’s degree did not provide adequate professional preparation and in 1984 an ASHA Task Force recommended a professional doctorate. In 1986 the ASHA Audiology Task Force recommended the Au.D. become the entry-level degree by 1998. In 1988, ADA sponsored the "Move the Mountain" Education Conference, which called for Audiology training to move to a doctoral level. In 1989 the Audiology Foundation of America (AFA) was formed with a charge to "transform Audiology to a doctoral profession with the Au.D. as its distinctive designator". In the same year, an ASHA Task Force recommend that "ASHA should strongly endorse the concept of the professional doctorate" and recommended that it should be post-bachelor’s, not post-master’s. In the period from 1990-1992, six independent surveys reported that the majority of audiologists supported the Au.D. degree. In 1992, the ASHA Ad Hoc Committee on Professional Education recommended the Au.D. as the entry level degree to practice setting the year 2001 as a target date for implementation. Several Audiology related professional organizations (RPO’s) called for ASHA to facilitate Au.D. degree development and implementation.
In 1994, AFA awarded a $25,000 grant to Baylor College of Medicine for establishing the first Au.D. program. In 1995, AFA sponsored the Au.D. Standards and Equivalency (S&E) Conference. Numerous audiology organizations participated, including ADA. The goal of the S&E Conference was to develop mechanisms to recognize the experiential equivalency of current practitioners and to develop standards of education for the Au.D. degree programs. In 1995, ASHA recommended a doctoral degree for entry level to practice Audiology (not necessarily the Au.D.). However, in 1997, ASHA postponed the transition to a doctoral degree as entry to the year 2012. In 1997, ADA helped AFA sponsor fellowships for Au.D. students in 4 universities. By 1998, six residential Au.D. programs were available. In 1999, Nova Southeastern University began the first distance learning Au.D. program for practicing audiologists. Shortly following, the University of Florida, Central Michigan University, Pennsylvania College of Optometry and the Arizona School of Health Sciences opened up other distance learning programs for practicing audiologists.
Today, the Au.D. is rapidly becoming the preferred degree for the practice of Audiology. In the words of Raymond Carhart, "…as long as ASHA or clinical Audiology are satisfied to accept the Masters degree and a moderate amount of supervised experience, the field cannot expect to be recognized as equal to professions who hold the doctorate as one of their inviolate requirements." |
