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Proposal:
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The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences’s Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences proposes to establish a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Hearing and Speech Sciences. This program will serve as an “exit” option for students enrolled in one of the department’s two doctoral programs: the Doctoral Degree in Clinical Audiology (Au.D.) or the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Hearing and Speech Sciences. Doctoral students in one of the two doctoral programs offered in the department generally succeed and earn their degree. Occasionally, students enrolled in one of these programs choose to leave the program after enrollment for two or more years in the program. These students currently have no option other than to depart the program without any degree in hand. The Graduate School at UMD has encouraged doctoral programs to create a pathway for students to obtain a Master's degree in these circumstances. This program directly meets this need.
The program will be available exclusively to doctoral students enrolled either in the department’s Au.D. or Ph.D. programs. Students are required to complete 36 credits to earn the M.A. The courses that students have taken in pursuit of their specific doctoral program will constitute the course requirements for the M.A.
Although students will not have met their initial objective of graduating with a doctoral degree, by virtue of completing at least 36 credits, they will have acquired fundamental knowledge of basic and applied science in the area of speech, language, and/or hearing, with an appreciation of the scientific basis of the discipline. Students who graduate with an M.A. will not be eligible for clinical positions, but will be more marketable than those who only have bachelor’s degrees and will be prepared for administrative or research positions in the discipline. The Washington, DC area in particular has multiple associations and institutes that have administrative and research positions available in this field.
There will be no additional resources necessary for this program, as it will serve students in already established programs.
The proposal was approved by the Graduate School PCC committee on October 28, 2022, and the Senate Programs, Curricula, and Courses committee on November 4, 2022.
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