The AuD program at the University of Connecticut (UConn) in Storrs, CT, offers prospective students a prime location, access to cutting-edge research and extensive fieldwork opportunities throughout their educational experience.

Kathleen Cienkowski, PhD, CCC-A, is an associate professor at UConn and has also served as section head of Audiology for the past five years. Dr. Cienkowski gave ADVANCE some insight into the history of the program.

"We've had an audiology program since the 1960s," she reports, "but we made the transition to the AuD degree in the early 2000s. The first AuD class graduated in 2005."

The town of Storrs is located in northeastern Connecticut, which Dr. Cienkowski calls the "quiet corner" of the state. While Storrs is indeed a somewhat rural location, Connecticut is a fairly small state in terms of land area, meaning students can be in the cities of New Haven or Providence, RI, within an hour. Boston is only 90 minutes away, while New York City is about a 2.5-hour drive. "It's the best of both worlds," summarizes Dr. Cienkowski. "The access to these major cities is great for student placement."

UConn's audiology program offers a strong clinical research component. Students get both the clinical experience and a strong scientific foundation in their education to better prepare them for their field experiences. "This allows them to continue the established learning process-once they go out into the field, they have an established framework," says Dr. Cienknowski.

Another prominent strength of the program is diversity within the faculty's areas of expertise. Specialties range from noise conservation and hearing protection to aural rehabilitation and neurodiagnostic audiology. "We're able to cover both the diagnostic and rehabilitation experiences," she adds.

UConn AuD students are active both on campus in their university clinic and throughout the community through student-run organizations. Their own student chapter of the Academy of Audiology is set up-and run by-AuD students who also have the option of inviting undergraduate students to join. The student chapter is involved with the Connecticut state academy and frequently participates in health fairs and community outreach programs. This fall, students put on an outreach program for school-aged children at the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford, covering such topics as appropriate levels for headset volume while listening to music.

The campus clinic is a full-service, year-round facility that sees patients of all ages. "We are a dispensing clinic as well, and we offer special auditory processing-which is a resource for not only our immediate area, but for those around the state," says Dr. Cienkowski.

UConn's externship program gets students involved in off-campus work as early as their second year. Years two and three are spent in off-campus practices while the fourth year is a distance learning externship. In years two and three, UConn tries to provide a balance of experiences so that each student gets to see at least one medical site, one pediatric site and a private practice setting. The amount of time and diversity of training requires spreading the experience throughout two years. "They have so many opportunities-we place them in large hospitals, ENT clinics, school settings. it runs the gamut," reports Dr. Cienkowski. "Our students may travel a bit to get [to their locations] but we want to make sure they have the most diverse training possible."

The fourth year is the crowning experience for UConn audiology students-a time when they are free to choose where they wish to do their year-long externship. Most tend to travel-sometimes that means back home for out-of-state students, while others may choose a more exotic location. "We did have one student go to Hawaii," says Dr. Cienkowski. "He found a placement and we were able to coordinate everything from a distance. It's a nice opportunity for students in their fourth year to truly specialize in what they see as their specialty in the field of audiology."

Currently, 35 students are enrolled in the UConn AuD program. Over the years, class sizes have averaged eight to 10 students. Graduation requirements include a course plan, externship and fieldwork experiences that altogether equal just over 75 total credits. Student also must complete comprehensive exams as well as a capstone clinical research project.

"The capstone project pairs each student with a faculty mentor for a three-year period," explainsDr. Cienkowski. "It's designed to be very clinical in nature, so students might come up with a question, perform a meta-analysis or an evidence-based practice evaluation of something in their field of interest." The project ends with each student presenting his or her research to classmates and faculty members.

Tuition is broken into three categories-in-state, out-of-state, and New England regional tuition, a level available to those students who are residents of other New England states but do not have an available AUD program in their home state. Students are encouraged to pursue all federal financial aid packages, and UConn offers federal work-study programs and graduate assistantships. Some students also enjoy the opportunity for employment directly through a faculty member thanks to research grants.

Asked what are the best attributes of UConn AuD students, Dr. Cienkowski cites their wide base of knowledge and ability to 'think on their feet' or apply classroom learning to fieldwork experiences. She also points to a unique accomplishment that is a point of pride for the program.

"Since we went to the AuD, all of our students have passed the national exam and found employment before graduation," Dr. Cienkowski says. "Looking ahead to what future applicants might be interested in, I think that's pretty remarkable."

For more information on the AuD program at the University of Connecticut, visit http://www.cdis.uconn.edu/