by Kelsey Herbers
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology graduate programs are the best in the country for those specialties, according to rankings published by U.S. News & World Report.
The Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program ranked No. 1 out of 261 programs nationwide, and the Doctor of Audiology program topped its list of 75 ranked programs.
The rankings, which are released every four years, are based on peer assessment surveys sent to deans, other administrators and/or faculty at accredited degree programs or schools in each discipline.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our exemplary graduate students, faculty and staff who have all contributed to this recognition by U.S. News and World Report, said Anne Marie Tharpe, PhD, chair of the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences and associate director of the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center.
“However, more important than this recognition is the knowledge that Vanderbilt is producing such a strong ‘next generation’ of clinicians and researchers who will provide excellent care to our patients and transform our field with new discoveries.”
Vanderbilt’s Speech-Language Pathology program, which has now topped the rankings list three consecutive times, provides academic and clinical education leading to the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Specialty training tracks and elective courses are available for students who are interested in working with specialized populations, including children with hearing loss, autism spectrum disorders, feeding and swallowing disorders and school-aged language-literacy disorders.
The Doctor of Audiology program has now been ranked the No. 1 audiology program nationwide five consecutive times. The department also offers a Doctor of Philosophy for students pursuing academic and research careers in basic and applied sciences related to a variety of communication processes and disorders.
