An update on the University of Canterbury Master of Audiology programme

Abstract

The Master of Audiology programme at the University of Canterbury was established in 2005 to address the shortage of Audiologists in New Zealand, and has so far graduated 72 Audiologists. Our core teaching staff consists of Dr Rebecca Kelly-Campbell, Associate Professor Greg O’Beirne, Dr Donal Sinex, and our clinical educators Dr Bekah Gathercole and Ms Fiona Yip. In addition, 20 distinguished international scholars have taught courses to our students as part of the Erskine fellowship programme. Following our successful NZAS Endorsement in 2013, this year sees the introduction of a reorganised and updated curriculum and a streamlined course structure. While the second year thesis component remains unchanged, the 16 postgraduate and two undergraduate courses of our old curriculum have been replaced by eight team-taught courses that are entirely at the postgraduate level. In addition to placements at our own Speech and Hearing Clinic, our close working relationships with NZAS members allow us to arrange supervised clinical practica for our students in a variety of settings (both public and private) within the greater Christchurch area and throughout New Zealand. Despite the challenges faced by academic programmes in New Zealand, the UC Master of Audiology is a thriving programme that continues to produce graduate Audiologists of high quality.