Masters Degrees (Paediatric Audiology)

The Audiological Science with Clinical Practice MSc is designed to train students from other disciplines as audiologists. This unique two-year programme includes a 12-month clinical placement and provides the core knowledge, skills and clinical competencies necessary for employment as an audiologist.

Degree information

The programme provides a detailed study of the hearing and balance mechanisms, their structure, function, pathology and assessment.

The successful student will become competent in a wide range of adult hearing assessments and adult hearing amplification and aural rehabilitation. In addition students will acquire skills that will allow them to assist in specialist areas, specifically balance and paediatric hearing assessments.

Students undertake modules to the value of 300 credits.

The full-time two-year programme consists of eight core modules (120 credits) and a dissertation/report (60 credits) in the first year, and four core clinical modules (120 credits) in the second year.

A Postgraduate Diploma, ten core modules (150 credits), two core clinical modules (90 credits), full-time 2 years, flexible 3-5 years is also offered.

Year One core modules - please note: only first-year modules can be taken in flexible mode. The in-service clinical placement modules need to be completed in one year - equivalent to year two of the full-time programme.
-Signals and Systems for Audiology
-Anatomy and Physiology of the Audiovestibular System
-Balance
-Clinical and Professional Practice
-Diagnostic Audiology
-Introduction to Amplification and Aural Rehabilitation
-Paediatric Audiology
-Research Methods and Statistics

Year Two core modules
-Clinical Adult Audiovestibular Assessment and Paediatric Hearing Assessment (30 credits)
-Clinical Adult Diagnostics and Auditory Rehabilitation (60 credits)
-Integrative Audiology
-Living with Hearing Loss

Research project/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 10–12,000 words. This is submitted at the end of year one.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, case presentations, tutorials, enquiry-based learning, practical demonstrations and in-service clinical placements within accredited audiology departments in the NHS or private sector.

Assessment (formative and summative) is by essays, case presentations, mini -tests, final written and practical examinations, and dissertation.

Careers

It is anticipated that the majority of students will seek employment as audiologists within the UK, in both the NHS and private sector. The main area of activity is adult hearing assessment and rehabilitation. As experience is acquired, audiologists might develop an interest and expertise in balance assessment and rehabilitation, paediatric audiology, tinnitus, cochlear implants, middle ear implants, and bone-anchored hearing aids.

With further experience it is anticipated that graduates might also move towards management, research or teaching.

Employability
Although the programme is vocational and career-specific (audiology) some of our graduates have pursued academic careers, completing PhDs and taught doctorates. International students have used the knowledge and skills gained to promote and develop audiological services in their home countries. Graduates will also acquire many transferable skills, for example, excellent communication skills, the ability to work under pressure, the ability to work independently and in teams, and excellent interpersonal and research skills.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Ear Institute is a recognised international centre of excellence for research and training with strong links to the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital and other specialised audiology departments in London.

Our programme aims to ensure that graduates are scientifically literate at postgraduate level and clinically competent within an audiology setting, and that graduates from a relevant discipline acquire the knowledge and skills to practise as an audiologist and/or hearing aid dispenser or pursue a research career.

Our programme allows students the opportunity to network with a variety of different professionals, particularly audiologists, and doctors with specialist interests in ENT or audiovestibular medicine.

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This course is suitable for audiologists from a wide range of clinical settings who are interested in aural rehabilitation. The course will provide you with further knowledge and skills in adult and paediatric aural rehabilitation to support career development and progression for qualified audiologists.

The course aims to create an intellectually stimulating opportunity for you to develop academic knowledge and research skills, thus enhancing your practice in rehabilitative audiology. Suitable for international, UK and local audiologists, the course will develop knowledge of the evidence base in practice and further develop critical thinking, clinical reasoning and research knowledge.

The course is organised in three broad strands: 

• Research (Research Proposal and Dissertation) 
• Rehabilitative Audiology 
• Professional Practice

Knowledge, understanding and skills acquired across the course will be integrated and applied in the clinical setting throughout all modules. This course will ensure that the audiologist acquires the advanced knowledge required to work with complex Audiological cases as well as managing service input.

PgCert in Hearing and Communication

The PgDip/MSc (Post-Registration) in Rehabilitative Audiology is open only to qualified audiologists but includes modules that are of interest to a range of professionals. The PgCert in Hearing and Communication has been developed to allow students from a variety of non-audiology backgrounds the opportunity for further study in relation to hearing impairment and auditory/ vestibular rehabilitation.

Students may take up to four years to complete the 60 credits required to be awarded a PgCert. Applicants might include: speech and language therapists; teachers of the deaf; linguists; any health professional interested (Post-Registration) in developing their knowledge and skills in relations to hearing and balance management. It is acknowledged that each of these groups has unique needs and concerns which will be taken into consideration during the admissions process and throughout the programme.

The minimum entry requirement for the Pg Cert in Hearing and Communication will normally be a first or second class BSc (Hons) degree in a related discipline (eg education, psychology, linguistics, speech and language therapy or another health science).

Teaching, learning and assessment

This is a distance learning course and students engage with staff members and each other through regular contact within the online teaching and learning environment. An extensive range of learning technologies – including The Hub, eportfolio and multimedia resources – will be available  to support directed, independent learning.  Learning materials may include narrated PowerPoint lectures, video or audio clips, reading materials, case-based data, guided learning activities, discussion boards and self-assessment quizzes. Online seminars and discussion groups will be scheduled to allow maximum participation. Discussions and seminars will also be archived to allow students to review the content after the event. Assessment is carried out through case-based assignments, reflective journals, research reports, electronic portfolio, online discussions as well as a final dissertation.

Teaching hours and attendance

We suggest that a student should spend an average of 18 hours on independent learning/ course work each week per module. This could include online discussions.

Modules

Advanced counselling: Theory and Practice (15 credits)/ Research Methods (30 credits)/ Adult Aural Rehabilitation: Advanced Practice (30 credits) OR Paediatric Aural Habilitation (30 credits)

A further 45 credits from: Hearing Technology: Advanced Theory and Practice (15 credits)/ Advanced Vestibular Rehabilitation (15 credits)/ Tinnitus and Hyperacusis (15 credits) / Language and Culture of Deaf People (15 credits) / Adult Aural Rehabilitation: Advanced Practice (30 credits)/ Paediatric Aural Habilitation (30 credits)

If studying for the MSc, you will also complete a dissertation (60 credits).

Careers

Graduates may work within the National Health Service and private sector. There are also career opportunities for research in universities and research institutes.

Quick Facts

• This course is delivered completely online. 
• It offers flexible learning pathways and draws from clinical experience.  
• This course provides interaction with students from various backgrounds and contexts which supports critical

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Advanced Audiology is designed for practising audiologists looking to enhance their clinical skills. Graduates are eligible to apply for senior clinical roles in the NHS or private sector. A variety of specialist modules can be selected to suit students' professional needs. The programme has a strong research and evidence-based practice foundation.

Degree information

A wide range of optional modules enables students to focus on specific advanced fields of audiology relevant to their professional practice. Students will learn about the latest research in each field and how to apply this to patient care and service delivery. Students will gain proficiency in using new tools and techniques in line with advanced-level practice.

MSc students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of three compulsory modules (45 credits), the research project and dissertation (60 credits), and five optional modules (75 credits).

A Postgraduate Diploma, three core modules (45 credits), five optional modules (75 credits), full-time nine months is offered. A Postgraduate Certificate, four optional modules (60 credits), part-time up to two years is offered.

Core modules:
-Anatomy and Physiology of the Audiovestibular System
-Research Methods and Statistics
-Counselling
-Research Project (see below)

Students choose five of the following optional modules:
-Central Auditory Processing
-Advanced Management of Tinnitus and Hyperacusis
-Advanced Amplification and Aural Rehabilitation
-Vestibular Rehabilitation
-Advances in Auditory Implants
-Paediatric Assessment
-Paediatric Habilitation
-Rehabilitation for Adults with Acquired Hearing Loss
-Signals and Systems
-Research Evidence and Design I
-Principles of Health Informatics
-eHealth: Patients and the Internet
-Healthcare Quality and Evidence Based Practice
-Using Information in Healthcare Management
-Research Methods in Healthcare
-Introduction to Neuroanatomy, Systems and Disease

Dissertation/report
All MSc students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of approximately 10,000–12,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through lectures, practical demonstrations and workshops, structured workplace/placement observation, online tutorials and assignments. Research skills will be obtained through lectures and the completion of a scientific research paper and poster presentation. Assessments include essays, reflective journals, case studies, clinical portfolios, unseen examinations and the research dissertation.

Careers

The programme provides audiologists with the required depth, breadth and up-to-date knowledge and competence to enable them to fulfil the needs of the higher practitioner roles.

The UCL Ear Institute's links with industry and healthcare providers allows students significant networking opportunities.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Audiologist, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
-Audiologist, Ministry of Health Malaysia.
-Hearing Aid Audiologist, Security Forces Hospital
-Senior Audiologist, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital

Employability
The MSc pushes the boundaries in helping clinicians develop their skills and services, and innovate and design solutions to today’s hearing healthcare challenges. UK students obtain the knowledge and skills for senior roles in the NHS (bands 6 and 7), as defined by the Knowledge and Skills Framework and National Occupational Standards.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Ear Institute is the largest and most broad-based academic unit for research into hearing and deafness in the UK, allowing students to benefit from the range of clinical and research expertise among its staff. The associated Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital houses the largest clinical audiology unit in the country.

The MSc programme is designed for practising professionals. A significant number of the optional modules are taught as Masterclasses (three- to five-day short courses) followed by tutorials and assessments. This allows students who continue to work part-time significant flexibility in how they structure their MSc programme.

The programme has close links with healthcare providers and industry (for example, hearing aid manufacturers). Modules delivered as Masterclasses provide excellent networking opportunities with these companies and international healthcare professionals.

Other admission requirements

The Ear Institute recognises that some audiology professionals may have had different (non-degree) entries into the profession. Applicants with the BAAT qualification and/or a Certificate or Diploma in Hearing Therapy who also have at least five years of relevant clinical experience and appropriate registration with the RCCP may be accepted, depending on their relevant experience, and are encouraged to contact the Ear Institute to discuss their application.

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Summary

This course is for audiological scientists and audiologists whose primary roles are the diagnosis and rehabilitation of hearing and balance problems in children and adults.

Modules

Year one is divided into two taught semesters, plus four months over the summer dedicated to your research project.

Semester one modules: Clinical Audiology 1; Principles for Auditory Rehabilitation; Physiology and Psychology of Hearing; Applied Research Methods.

Semester two modules: Clinical Audiology 2; Fundamentals of Auditory Implants; Paediatric Audiology; Assessment and Management of Vestibular Disorders; Applied Research Methods; Research Project.

The second year of the MSc Audiology with Clinical Placement consists of a minimum of 40 weeks of clinical placement.

You will need to apply for the one-year programme and express an interest in the placement in your application. If you are eligible, we will offer you a placement before you have started the first year.

Visit our website for further information.

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The Audiological Science MSc provides a detailed study of the hearing and balance mechanisms: their structure, function and pathology. The relationship between laboratory research and clinical aspects forms a key element: lectures, demonstrations and tutorials will be complemented by practical experience in the clinic and laboratory.

Degree information

Students learn how people develop, or are born with, hearing and/or balance difficulties; how to test for hearing and balance problems and how to rehabilitate or habilitate patients with these problems. They learn the theory and science underpinning these practical clinical skills including acoustics and the anatomy and physiology of the auditory and vestibular systems.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme consists of eight core modules (120 credits) and a research project (60 credits) There are no optional modules for this programme.. A Postgraduate Diploma, eight core modules (120 credits), full-time nine months is offered.

Core modules
-Signals, Systems, Acoustics and the Ear
-Anatomy and Physiology of the Audiovestibular System
-Diagnostic Audiology
-Introduction to Amplification and Aural Rehabilitation
-Balance
-Paediatric Audiology
-Clinical and Professional Practice
-Research Methods and Statistics

Dissertation/report
All MSc students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of approximately 10,000–12,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, practical demonstrations, and clinical placements. Practicals will consist of observations followed by supervised testing for rehabilitation and diagnostics in the Ear Institute’s specialist Skills Laboratory. Assessment is by essays, presentations, written examinations, clinical practical examinations and the dissertation.

Careers

Many graduates are now employed as audiologists either within the NHS or private sector or work as hearing aid dispensers.

Please note that the Audiological Science MSc does not meet the requirements of the UK regulatory bodies on its own. The programme provides the required theoretical skills and knowledge for clinical registration in the UK but does not provide the practical training required. Applicants wishing to practise as an audiologist or hearing aid dispenser in the UK will need to transfer to the Audiological Science with Clinical Practice MSc (two-year full time). This is subject to availability and there is a competitive interview process.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Audiologist, Broomfield Hospital (NHS)
-Senior Assistant Audiologist, Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
-Student Audiologist, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
-Student Audiologist, West Middlesex University Hospital (NHS)
-Trainee Healthcare Scientist, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and studying MSc Neurosensory Science, Aston University

Employability
As well as working as audiologists, graduates have also pursued academic careers, completing PhDs and taught doctorates. International students have used the knowledge and skills gained to promote and develop audiological services in their countries. It is suitable for audiologists who have no graduate-level qualification in audiology and wish to develop their careers, or academic researchers who have a specialist interest in audiology.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Ear Institute is the largest and most broad-based academic unit for research into hearing and deafness in the UK. Students benefit from the range of clinical and research expertise among its staff.

The UCL Ear Institute is associated with the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, which houses the largest clinical audiology unit in the country, and works closely with NHS audiology departments to provide placement and observation opportunities for students.

The programme has close links with, healthcare providers and industry (e.g. hearing aid manufacturers) providing students with access to the latest practice and technology and excellent networking opportunities.

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This course is aimed at practising audiologists. It combines audiology-specific course units and units shared with other health professionals from a variety of other disciplines.

You may choose to complete 60 credits for a PGCert (exit award) or 120 credits for a PGDip. On successful completion of 120 credits, progression to the full MSc qualification allows you to explore, in depth, a specific aspect of audiology practice, policy, research or education in the form of a 60-credit, 12,000 to 15,000-word dissertation.

Aims

The course aims to:
-Enable you to critically evaluate and apply aspects of contemporary audiology and healthcare practice, policy, research and education
-Foster positive values and attitudes that recognise and respect individual and cultural diversities and challenge discriminatory practice
-Equip you with in-depth knowledge, understanding and skills to critically evaluate research and the evidence base for audiology practice that promotes optimal health and involves service users and carers in the delivery of care
-Develop your abilities and skills in critical reflective practice, problem solving and creative ethical decision making
-Contribute to innovation, change and quality improvement in audiology and health care practice at both individual and organisational levels by equipping you with a systematic and critical understanding of relevant knowledge, theoretical frameworks and advanced skills
-Enhance your career development and lifelong learning in order to support safe practice and the maintenance and enhancement of appropriate standards of audiology practice

Additional aims for the MSc are to enable you, through the systematic, in-depth, exploration of a specific area of audiology practice, policy, research or education to extend your knowledge, understanding and ability to contribute to the advancement of audiology knowledge and practice at an individual and/or organisational level.

Special features

The course provides unique opportunities for interprofessional learning, combining specialist audiology course units with a range of course units in which students from a range of health care professions study core concepts and subjects together. You will also have the opportunity to study with professionals in closely related areas such audiology as teachers of the deaf.

The wide variety of units available allows you to your tailor learning and through assessments you will further apply core knowledge and skills.

Additional course information

The University is at the forefront of developments in health care professional education and research having received excellent research ratings in UK Research Assessment Exercises. We have also been commended on the excellent quality of teaching and learning provision.

An established reputation for excellence, outstanding learning facilities and high student support, combined with the opportunity to be taught by leading academic, clinical and research staff, make The University of Manchester the ideal place for practising audiologists to study for a postgraduate qualification.

Teaching and learning

You will participate in a range of teaching and learning methods including lectures, small group work, student led seminars, problem based learning and online learning. In addition, you will be required to undertake independent study in order to further develop and consolidate your learning. Where appropriate, and with individual arrangements, some audiology modules may include participation in practical skills laboratories.

Part-time students entering the PG Dip or MS will normally study one day per week to complete 60 credits per year as required for the award. An exit award of PG Cert is available to students exiting after completion of 60 credits. This must include at least 15 credits of Audiology specific units from those available.

Please note, a maximum of 30 credits of individual course units can also be studied on a stand-alone basis.

Coursework and assessment

A variety of assessments are used within individual course units and across the course as a whole. All assessments require you to integrate knowledge and understanding, and apply this to your own practice relevant to the outcomes of each unit.

Assessment methods include:
-Essays
-Case studies
-Assessed seminar presentations
-Literature reviews
-Change proposals

The full MSc qualifications requires an extended written piece of work (12,000-15,000 words) which focuses on a specific aspect of audiology practice, policy or research in the form of an extended literature based review.

Course unit details

Taught units can be studied in any order except where there are specific pre-requisites. Optional taught units for the PG Dip/MSc:
-Neurosensory Science
-Clinical Applications of Neurosensory Sciences
-Adult Auditory Assessment and Management
-Vestibular Assessment and Management
-Paediatric Audiology
-Effective Amplification for Infants and Children
-Developing Deaf Child
-Language Acquisition
-Understanding Practice in Deaf Education in the UK
-Advanced Skill in Aural Rehabilitation

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