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Lawrence J. Raphael, Coordinator
In 1986, Adelphi University instituted the first Doctor of Arts program in communication disorders in the nation. The Doctor of Arts degree was conceived to emphasize the professional and clinical aspects of the discipline. Its primary objectives are to offer the advanced training needed to prepare leaders in the field of communication disorders and to meet the growing demand for doctoral-level personnel in clinical settings.
Candidates are required to complete a minimum of 60 credits beyond the master's degree or its equivalents. A doctoral dissertation is required and must be based on substantive research on a topic related to:
- clinical problems
- symptom analysis of communication impairments
- remediation of communication disorders.
The Doctor of Arts is a part-time program. Candidates have ten years to complete the degree requirements.
Admission and Maintenance: Eligibility and Procedures
The program is open to students who have already completed a master’s degree in speech language pathology from an accredited institution of higher education. Admission criteria also include applicants’ undergraduate and graduate records. Applications must include three letters of recommendation from (former) instructors and employers.
The Doctor of Arts is a part-time program. Consistent with University policy, students must complete all requirements for the D.A. degree within ten years. Requests for an extension will be considered on an individual basis. Students seeking an extension must petition the Doctoral Program Committee in writing. No more than two one-year extensions can be granted.
Students are expected to conform to the policies and procedures contained in the Doctoral Program Advisement Manual issued by the department of communication sciences and disorders.
Students must register for at least one course each semester (fall and spring) during the academic year. Exceptions to this policy must have the approval of the academic adviser. Registration for SPH 799 (Continuous Matriculation) is required for every semester during which a student does not register for a course (e.g., after the completion of course requirements). Continuous registration is essential to secure student status within the program, and maintenance of campus privileges. Failure to maintain continuous registration may result in dismissal from the program.
Students seeking a leave of absence must formally petition the Doctoral Program Committee for approval. Leaves of absence will be approved only for substantial cause. The duration of a leave of absence may not exceed one academic year. Students wishing to extend a leave of absence must reapply at the conclusion of its specified term.
Degree Requirements
Course Work
A student must obtain a minimum of 60 credits beyond the master’s degree, or its equivalent. Of these 60 credits, a maximum of 12 postmaster’s credits may be transferred from other educational institutions upon approval of the doctoral faculty. The student must apply for the doctoral qualifying examination upon completion of 30 credits of required course work.
Grading Policy
If doctoral students receive a grade of C+ or lower in a course, they may no longer continue in the program.
Qualifying Examination
A qualifying exam will be given to determine candidacy. The qualifying exam will consist oaf series of three related scholarly essays, each written under the supervision of a member of the doctoral faculty. After the essays have been approved, they will be distributed to the faculty.
The student will then be given an oral examination before the doctoral faculty. Successful completion of the exam will advance the student to candidacy. Students who do not complete the oral examination successfully will be allowed to take it a second time.
Research Tools
Students must demonstrate proficiency in one of the following areas:
- Foreign Language: Demonstration of competence in translating a research article into English from a foreign language. Student’s major adviser upon consultation with the doctoral faculty will choose the article.
- Instrumentation: Demonstration of competence in using a variety of instruments to measure acoustic, physiological, and perceptual behaviors of normal and/or disordered populations.3.
- Computer Programming: Demonstration of competence in developing a computer program suitable for use in an experimental design with a normal and/or a clinical population.4.
- Advanced Statistical Design: Demonstration of competence in employing an advanced statistical design to process data gathered from an experimental or descriptive study of a clinical or normal population.5.
- Research Design: Demonstration of competence in developing a research design for an experimental or descriptive study of a clinical or normal population.
Research Requirement—Dissertation
A doctoral dissertation is required, based on substantive research into a specific topic relevant to the discipline of speech-language pathology. The dissertation may be descriptive or experimental in nature. The candidate will develop the topic of the dissertation under the guidance of a major adviser and two other faculty members. These three faculty members will constitute the candidate’s dissertation committee. The committee must approve a written proposal for the dissertation study before the candidate commences work on it. An outside reader, agreed upon by the candidate and the dissertation committee, will be invited to read the completed study. The outside reader may come from another department within Adelphi University or from an outside institution.
A successful oral defense of the dissertation before the dissertation committee, the outside reader, and the full doctoral faculty is required for the completion of the degree. At the oral defense, the dissertation committee will determine if the dissertation should be accepted as written, accepted with minor revisions (to be approved by the major adviser only), accepted with major revisions (to be approved by the full dissertation committee and outside reader), or not accepted. If the dissertation is not accepted, the dissertation committee will afford the candidate the opportunity to re-write the study for re-approval before defending it again.
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Contact
For additional information, please contact:
Lawrence Raphael, Ph.D.
Program Director
Adelphi University
Hy Weinberg Center, Room 128
Garden City, NY 11530
p - 516.877.4784
e - raphael@adelphi.edu
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