Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology

HST's doctoral program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology (SHBT), formerly Speech and Hearing Sciences, prepares students with an undergraduate background in science or engineering to have a broad acquaintance with the field of speech and hearing, and to develop specialized knowledge that focuses on a particular approach in research.

The only program of its type in the country—and the only doctoral training program funded in this area by the National Institutes of Health—SHBT is designed to develop research scientists who can apply the concepts and methods of the physical and biological sciences to basic and clinical problems in speech and hearing using innovative research.

No other research training program provides the multidisciplinary depth and breadth offered by SHBT. The five-to-seven–year program leads to a PhD in speech and hearing bioscience and technology from MIT. SHBT's more than 50 participating faculty members represent 10 academic departments from Harvard and MIT, with research facilities at MIT, Harvard University, Harvard Medical School and affiliated teaching hospitals, and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI).

The small class size of this unique program (seven to eight students per class year) ensures personalized and high-quality training by a diverse and dedicated faculty from the two institutions.

SHBT's curriculum provides an effective method of training researchers by introducing the physical and biological bases of speech and hearing mechanisms involved in the communications process. While SHBT seeks to develop research scientists rather than clinical practitioners, there is a strong emphasis on providing students with exposure to clinical problems, approaches, and techniques. Graduates are thoroughly prepared for successful careers in basic and applied research in industry, universities, or government laboratories involved with biological and synthetic communication systems.

Typically, a student's first two years in the program are devoted to coursework, which is supplemented by significant exposure to various research projects. Courses in the first year assume familiarity with calculus and differential equations, college-level physics, probability and statistics, and biology. The core curriculum covers the anatomical, acoustical, physiological, perceptual, and cognitive basics, as well as the clinical approaches to speech and hearing problems.

The early introduction of important concepts in acoustics, anatomy, and physiology provides a solid base from which to pursue individual research interests. Early in the curriculum, students are introduced to various research laboratories that use different approaches to solving speech and hearing problems. 

This involvement in research provides an immediate application of classroom subjects. Students work with research advisors to develop a thorough understanding of basic concepts and tools in their fields of concentration. Later, students participate in subjects that require them to apply basic concepts to clinical problems and scientific research.

Throughout the curriculum, special attention is devoted to developing personal integrity, scientific values, and scholarly practice. With faculty guidance, each student plans a concentration tailored to the student's particular interest.

By the end of their second year, students identify an area of professional interest and choose a research project that forms the basis for their doctoral thesis. SHBT research in the speech and hearing sciences focuses on the biological and physical mechanisms underlying human communication by spoken language. 

The processes addressed by these sciences include the physical acoustics of sound and the perceptual neurophysiological bases of hearing, as well as the linguistic, cognitive, and motor levels of processing by talkers and listeners.

Applicants to the program should have a bachelor's degree in physical science, biology, psychology, linguistics, communication sciences and disorders, engineering, computer science, or a related field. Superior analytical skills are strongly recommended for all applicants. Additional information may be obtained at http://web.mit.edu/shbt/ or by contacting Dr. M. Christian Brown, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, 617-573-9635, mcb@epl.meei.harvard.edu.

Sumber:

Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology