Communication Sciences and Disorders, PhD

Admission Requirements

Acceptance of a student into the COMD PhD program is determined on an individual basis by a number of factors.

1. Students must meet or exceed the minimum requirements of the Graduate School of the University of Houston (see http://www.uh.edu/graduate-school/admissions/how-to-apply/). The University of Houston requires that doctoral applicants have earned at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or at an institution at which English is the medium of instruction in Communication Science and Disorders or a related discipline. (See the Graduate School’s web page for international applicants for additional requirements for international students at https://www.uh.edu/graduate-school/international-students/.)
2. Official transcripts from each college or university attended previously, including the degree(s) earned and date(s) of all higher-education academic experience should be submitted.
3. Recent (within the past five years) GRE scores.
   • GRE Waiver Option - The GRE requirement is waived for applicants to the PhD Program in Communication Sciences and Disorders who have submitted the following materials to allow the admissions committee to make their decision:
     • a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree from an institution accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations as specified in the UH Minimum Qualifications for Admission to Masters and Doctoral Programs (General Admission Policy ) or an accepted international institution of higher education as demonstrated by official transcripts,
     • the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences minimum GPA of 3.0 for unconditional admission,
     • an applicant interview with prospective mentor and commitment from the mentor,
     • three letters of recommendation,
     • a resume or curriculum vitae,
     • a statement of interest,
     • applicable application fees,
     • and additional materials required for international applicants (https://www.uh.edu/graduate-school/international-students/)
4. Identification of and preliminary interview with a potential faculty mentor.
5. A personal resume and statement of interest.

Degree Requirements

Credit hours required for this degree: 54.0

The doctoral program in COMD is mentor-based with the student and mentor designing a program of study that meets the student’s goals within the general guidelines of the program.

Students entering with a Master’s Degree are required to complete a minimum of 54 semester credit hours.

Students entering with a Bachelor’s degree are required to earn an additional 30 semester credit hours, for a total of 84 semester credit hours.

A set of core classes are required from all PhD students to ensure the quality of their training: COMD 8392, Advanced research Methods; COMD 8x91, COMD Research; COMD 8x93 COMD Proseminar; COMD 8397 Selected Topics in COMD; 8x99 Dissertation. In addition, six credits outside the major in related fields (e.g. Psychology, Health and Human Performance, Bioengineering), one or more three-credit courses on advanced statistics, and a three-credit elective course on teaching are required.

Students will successfully complete an initial research project in the area of concentration that includes a written manuscript and an oral presentation of the project. Nearing the completion of the course work (typically after 4 full terms or about 40 credit hours), a Comprehensive Examination, the format of which will be determined by the student’s committee, must be successfully passed before commencing dissertation work and admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree.

Both full time and part-time students will be accepted into the program. Full-time enrollment constitutes 9 credit hours per term, and students taking 6 or fewer credit hours are considered part-time. Students can complete the program as part-time as long as their plan of study fits within the 10-year timeframe allowed by the university.

In accordance with UH policies, up to 9 credits of graduate coursework may be transferred from other accredited institutions and counted towards the minimum hours required to complete the program, subject to the approval of the primary mentor and the University of Houston.

Academic Policies

• University of Houston Academic Policies  
• Academic Policies: College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences  
• Department Academic Policies
  • Two grades of C or lower during the course of the graduate program are grounds for automatic dismissal. The PhD degree is expected to be completed by students within four-five years after admission to graduate school. The maximum expected time allowed for the completion of the PhD degree after admission is six years unless an exception has been granted. A satisfactory rate of progress toward completion of the degree requirements is required throughout enrollment. The department may terminate a student’s enrollment at any time if the rate of progress or academic performance is not satisfactory.