Program Requirements
Students who are enrolled in a part time or full time Ph.D. program for Communication Sciences and Disorders are required to complete the following components of the program in order to successfully obtain a Ph.D. degree. Please be advised that students’ academic experiences will vary depending upon identified needs of the student as determined by their program/ faculty advisor, although every student will be required to complete every requirement in this section of the handbook, unless otherwise approved by the program director.
There are three primary requirements of the Ph.D. program in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Molloy University. These are: 1) Coursework and exams 2) Research and 3) Teaching. All requirements related to these areas are described in the Ph.D. program handbook for CSD students.
Coursework and Exams
Course requirements for students entering with a Master’s degree
All students in the program who come in with a Master’s degree will be required to take a 35 credits of required and elective coursework and complete a minimum of five credits of research work.
Course requirements for students entering with a Bachelor’s degree
Those who come in with a Bachelor’s degree will need to complete the 35 credits of required and elective coursework and complete a minimum of five credits of research work and an additional 15 credits of Bachelor’s or Master’s level coursework as determined by the program director for Ph.D. in CSD.
Exams
Students will be required to take three examinations (oral and written) during the course of their Ph.D. degree in CSD. These are as follows and are described in detail in a later section:
- Qualifying examination advancing to candidacy (Written and Oral)
- Dissertation Proposal Defense (Oral)
- Dissertation defense (Oral)
Research
Research in the Ph.D. program has a number of components. Ph.D. Students in CSD are required to complete lab rotations, pre-dissertation and dissertation research. In addition, all Ph.D. students are expected to participate in submission of abstracts for conference talks and posters, submission of manuscripts from research they have participated in to peer-reviewed research journals in CSD and related fields, and in any opportunities for workshops and tutorials for grant writing or manuscript reviewing that may be provided. Finally, Ph.D. students are expected to attend Ph.D. program colloquia to learn about research conducted by established researchers and faculty in CSD and related fields.
Teaching
Learning to disseminate knowledge and skills is an important aspect of the Ph.D. program in CSD at Molloy University and is completely aligned with both Boyer’s (1990) model of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning as well as with the university’s mission. In accordance with this tennet of the Ph.D. program in CSD, students are expected to complete formal coursework (see details in the coursework section) related to teaching in CSD along with at least one semester of practicum in which the Ph.D. student teaches a face-to-face (in-person) undergraduate course in CSD as determined by the instructor of the CSD 6180 and the Ph.D. program director. Ph.D. students are expected to adhere to the teaching policies of Molloy University as part of the SOTL coursework and practicum.