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2025-2026 University Catalog
Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences/Gerontology, PHD
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 Return to: College of Health and Human Sciences (Graduate)
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About the Program
The PhD program in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Purdue provides training for the next generation of scientists in speech, language, and hearing sciences. Students will receive world-class training from leading experts in outstanding research facilities. The program includes several major research-focused milestones that help students craft a professional portfolio to prepare for teaching and research in academic settings. Students will have opportunities to work with multiple faculty members with compatible research interests, including colleagues from other departments, to investigate disorders related to speech, language, hearing, swallowing and balance. Dual-Title PhD in Gerontology: Students may enroll in the groundbreaking dual-title PhD in gerontology. This degree program links the disciplinary depth of a traditional PhD with the interdisciplinary breadth of gerontology. Students are admitted through and meet all course requirements in their home department, while taking courses in aging in at least three disciplines and focusing their dissertation on an aging related issue or problem. Program Website: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Program Website: Gerontology Program Requirements
90 Credits Required(30 credits from a Master’s may be applied.) Required Courses (24 credits)
Proseminar (8 credits)
All students are required to take a Proseminar (1 credit) every semester they are in residence at the University. The student and major professor will discuss what combination of seminar series in and outside of SLHS the student will attend. The student must attend on average one seminar meeting per week at minimum. The student is encouraged to attend the Proseminar in the department and to choose seminars broadly in scope and topic. Students must attend all departmental Proseminars that cover professional issues and responsible conduct of research topics, as per the training grant requirements. Students will present a minimum of two completed research projects at the Proseminar during the course of their program. Statistics/Methodology (6 credits)
All doctoral students are required to complete advanced work in statistics through the equivalent of PSYC 60100. One course in statistical methods and one course in experimental design are required at minimum. Suggested courses listed below. If students prefer to take a different set of courses to fulfill this requirement, a request for approval should be submitted to their advisory committee. Writing Courses (6 credits)
Ethics Course (3 credits)
Teaching Requirement (1 credit)
Teaching Experience: All doctoral students are required to complete a mentored teaching experience. Advisors will help students determine what that experience will be. To meet this requirement, the minimum experience would be the student teaching at least three weeks of one course at the undergraduate or graduate level. The teaching experience should be supervised by the faculty member who regularly teaches that course. At the other end of the continuum, the student could meet this requirement by planning and teaching an entire course while being mentored by his/her advisor or another faculty member. To formally document this experience, in the semester when students are completing their mentored teaching experience, students will enroll in a 1-credit reading course (e.g. SLHS 59000) with the instructor of record that documents their participation in this activity. Research Project (18-24 credits)
Students must be involved in research experience prior to the initiation of the dissertation research. Each student is required to complete two major preliminary research projects: 1. One project will be started, typically in the first year, with the major professor.
2. A second project will be started, typically in the second year, with a member or members of the committee. The two projects can be co-supervised by other faculty members to enhance interdisciplinary research experiences. One of the projects must culminate, at a minimum, with a presentation by the student in the Proseminar and a written product in a format that is suitable for a submission for publication. Ideally, the first preliminary project will lead to a peer-reviewed publication, and the data from the first project will be used in the manuscript preparation course during the student’s second year. The second project can result either in a traditional presentation/manuscript or meet pre-specified goals that support student’s training needs. At minimum, the completion of the preliminary projects should demonstrate the following: - Familiarity and ability to critically evaluate the relevant scientific literature.
- Expertise in a methodology.
- Evidence of creative contribution.
Electives (17-60 credits)
Electives entail courses, seminars, and independent studies, depending on the student’s plan of study and the Ph.D. program requirements. General Electives (8-51 credits)
Students are required to take at least four 600-level courses of 2 credits or more each, for at least 8 credits. Students are encouraged to take broad seminar courses which will expand the breadth of their knowledge, not just seminars closely focused on their area of research. Two of these courses should be taken within the SLHS department if possible. Students are strongly encouraged to take one SLHS 600-level seminar in their first and second years of the program, even if the topic is outside their major area. A broad understanding of speech, language, and hearing sciences is critical for the student’s career. The other two courses can be taken within the department or outside the department. Seminars in the student’s related area may apply to this requirement. Related Area Electives (9-52 credits)
Students must take at least 9 credits in a related area of study (for example, Linguistics, Neuroscience, Kinesiology, Gerontology). The related area must be outside of the SLHS department. This area must be represented by one member of the advisory committee on the plan of study. In this outside related area, it may be appropriate to list courses at the 300 or 400-level, but these lower level courses cannot exceed 6 credits on the plan of study. Outside areas do not need to be defined by departments. In other words, an outside area may include coursework from more than one department. Dissertation Research (xx credits)
Relatively early in the planning stages of the dissertation study, the student will meet with the full advisory committee for approval of the proposed research. The usual practice is for the student to have written a formal research proposal prior to this committee meeting. The proposal may include a review of the literature, a statement of the research problem, and a description of the experimental methodology and the statistical analysis to be done. Any subsequent changes in the design of the study must have the approval of the student’s advisory committee members. Geronotology Requirements for Dual Title
Requirements for Interdisciplinary Program (18 credits)
Additional Information
Preliminary Examination: The major professor and members of the advisory committee in consultation with the student will determine the nature, content, and format of the preliminary examination. The committee could consider the student’s chosen area(s) of research in planning the preliminary examination. The advisory committee has the ultimate responsibility for determining the nature and design of the preliminary examination. In general, the preliminary exam consists of written and oral components: 1. The written component should consist of a description of the research projects. Each student should provide a written description of their research projects to the committee which includes background, purpose, methods, results, and interpretation. Ideally, one or both of these would be manuscripts submitted for publication. It is up to the advisory committee to determine the nature and scope of the written component. 2. The oral component should consist of an oral examination of the student’s knowledge in areas deemed by the advisory committee to be important to candidacy. Students may provide a brief presentation about each research project and then take questions. Alternatively, the oral defense can be a question and answer period. It is up to the advisory committee to determine the nature and scope of the oral component. The preliminary exam should include a defense of the work completed on the two preliminary projects and the student’s preparation in related areas. In other words, the purpose of the preliminary exam is to discover whether the student is ready to enter candidacy for the doctoral degree, and thus should not consist solely of a “narrow” defense of the two research projects. GPA Requirements
A grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 is considered the minimum level of academic performance for all SLHS graduate students. This includes statistics, if it is taken during the graduate program. At the end of every semester, the graduate committee reviews the record of each student. Students with cumulative or semester GPAs below the minimum level are fully evaluated and decisions are made regarding their continuation in the program. Students must achieve a grade of C- or better in each course they plan to count toward the Plan of Study. Graduate Programs Disclaimer
- The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Students should consult with their advisor/department for more information.
- Not all graduate programs may be actively recruiting students and course modality availability may vary.
- Please refer to the Explore Graduate Programs website for a list of currently available graduate programs.
- Transfer credit policy: Credits earned for graduate study at other universities (both domestic and international) may be applied toward an advanced degree. Only credit hours associated with graduate courses for which grades of B- or better were obtained will be eligible for transfer. Any additional conditions under which credit transfers may be made are determined by the various departments.
- Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
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Return to: College of Health and Human Sciences (Graduate)
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