The Department's philosophy of doctoral education for the PhD is based upon an apprenticeship model with strong faculty mentoring. The Department accommodates interests in the normal processes of speech, language, and hearing, as well as in impaired speech, language, and hearing, and in evaluative and management aspects of audiology and speech-language pathology. Applicants are encouraged to identify their specific academic area of interest and possible faculty mentor.

Academic and research activity is designed around the student’s primary objectives. The final program of studies evolves as a joint plan between the student and his or her supervisory committee. More detailed information is available in the Speech and Hearing Sciences Doctoral Curriculum Guide (PDF).

The length of time necessary to complete the program depends upon the student's scholarship, previous preparation, and academic goals. The University's residency requirement is a minimum of three academic years of resident study, two of them at the University of Washington, with at least one year continuous full-time residence. Students usually take three to five years to complete their academic work and dissertation research. Ph.D candidates are discouraged from attempting to complete dissertation research in absentia.