• Macquarie Home »
• Faculty of Human Sciences »
• Department of Linguistics »
• Postgraduate »
• Clinical Audiology »
• Course Structure

• Overview
• Programs
• Fees
• How to Apply
• Course Structure
• Units
• Entry Requirements
• Qualifying Program

The course structure is currently organised so that students have lectures for 2 days per week (9am-5pm) and are in practicum classes between 4-7pm usually for one day per week. We are revising this structure for 2008. The changes and the rationale for this are described below.   

* CAUD811 is a full year subject

Clinical Practicum consists of supervised clinical practice in both on and off-campus clinics across a variety of settings. These include hospitals, schools, community health centers, nursing homes. Students will attend clinic one day per week during each semester, and in 4 week blocks at the end of each semester. In addition, students will attend specialist clinic observations throughout the course.

Changes to the Master of Clinical Audiology program

We are currently redesigning the clinical education component of the Master of Clinical Audiology program to facilitate better teaching, learning and assessment. The changes will be implemented in 2008 and will therefore affect all students entering in the program from 2007 onwards. Students commencing the program in 2008 will undertake the fully revised program.

The need for change

There is greater need for students in professional programs to be clinically competent and able to work as independent practitioners in a diverse range of clinical areas after completion of their university program. Audiology in Australia is a profession that has changed considerably in the past 5 years. Pivotal to this has been the introduction of the Office of Hearing Services voucher system in 1997 to provide hearing services to aged pensioners and war veterans, leading to a significant increase in the proportion of audiologists in private practice and to an increase in the numbers of audiometrists that are currently being trained and accredited to work within this program. Continued change to the profession is expected with the increasing aging population , that will increase the demand for hearing health professionals, and the advances in hearing device technology, which will require audiologists to be well trained in the current technology and to develop lifelong learning skills to stay abreast of any new changes. While the market demand is for an increase in the numbers of competent new professionals who are broadly trained and able to work independently in their particular field, one of the limitations that many clinical programs (including Audiology) face is a reduction in the numbers of clinical placements that are offered to the students. As a result, we feel that we need to restructure the Master of Clinical Audiology program at Macquarie University to better meet this changing environment. We have been supported by the University to undertake such a change with the Macquarie University Flagship Grant entitled “Redesign of the clinical education component of the Master of Clinical Audiology program to facilitate better teaching, learning and assessment”.

Changed program structure

The Master of Clinical Audiology program at Macquarie University is currently structured so that students have lectures (on campus) 2 days per week and are typically provided with 1 day per week of clinical placement. In many cases, the clinical placements have not been in the same clinic or with the same clinical educator. We feel that this system is not conducive to effective clinical learning and teaching. This sentiment has been supported by a number of clinical supervisors affiliated with the Master of Clinical Audiology program and current students who feel that they are unable to develop and consolidate their clinical skills when they are faced with unfamiliar audiological equipment, administration procedures as well as changing expectations of the clinical educators.

We hope to address this in part by restructuring the clinical program. In 2008, the semesters will each be divided semester into 2 sections: (1) a 6-week theoretical component; and (2) a clinical component encompassing a 2-week clinical preparation component followed by 2 x 1-week clinical block placements for each student. In this way, students will be sensitised to the variety of audiological practice and be provided with opportunities to develop their clinical skills before they have clinical block placements which will be in metropolitan and regional areas of NSW.

In 2009 there is a 3 day introductory session held beginning the week of 16th February 2009. Click here for more detail on 2009 semester dates.

Potential Benefit

This change in the structure of the program should benefit the students, clinical educators, and potential employers. Students will be provided with a greater range of experience in both metropolitan and regional areas, greater structure to their clinical placements with clearer learning outcomes. The clinical educators will be provided with ongoing training in supervisory practices, clearer expectations of the student’s capabilities and greater contact with the university through the introduction of an online reporting system. Potential employers will benefit from having new graduates who are better trained in a variety of clinical areas and able to work independently in common areas of audiological practice upon graduation. In addition, placing students in regional environments will also expose them to working in areas where there is a clear skills shortage which may increase numbers that are recruited to the area.

Development Team

[Back to top]