Hearing Balance & Communication

Course Outline
Our MSc in Hearing Balance and Communication is the only degree of its kind in Ireland. The Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at University College Cork is pleased to provide you with the opportunity to acquire state-of-the-art knowledge and skills in the field of hearing and balance-related difficulties.

This MSc is unique in incorporating a focus on communication and how it is affected by hearing loss across the lifespan. Our mission is to engage professionals in expanding and progressing their professional capacities in order to contribute to the improved care of patients and their families.

Taking an interdisciplinary approach, with expert facilitators from a wide range of disciplinary and clinical backgrounds, our course content includes the nature and etiologies of hearing and balance disorders in the pediatric and elderly population; behavioural and objective assessment of hearing loss in children and adults; cochlear implants and implantable devices, as well as habilitation for adults, including those with complex needs. A further unique focus of the course is the nature and management of tinnitus and hyperacusis.

The MSc in Hearing Balance and Communication is offered on a part-time basis only. A range of elective modules allows students to tailor their studies to their own professional and personal interests. At all times the emphasis is on the critical appraisal of research evidence.

• Please note that no part of the programme for a Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma, or MSc in Hearing, Balance and Communication, confers clinical competencies or eligibility for professional practice or registration in health or social care professions.

Modules
The course consists of 90 credits total taken over two years. In Year 1 you take modules worth 40 credits and in Year 2 you take modules worth 50 credits.

Core Modules (70 credits)
CT6100 Balance: Assessment and Management in Adults (10 credits)
MH6014 Advanced Research Methods for Healthcare Professionals (10 credits)
CT6101 Tinnitus and Hyperacusis: Assessment, Etiology and Management (10 credits)
CT6200 Communication and Hearing in Paediatric and Adult Populations (10 credits)
CT6201 Research Project (30 credits)

Elective Modules (up to 20 credits)
CT6102* Objective Assessment of Hearing: Principles of Auditory Evoked Potentials in Paediatric and Adult Populations (5 credits)
CT6103* Advanced Practices in Paediatric Assessment of Hearing (5 credits)
CT6104* Advanced Diagnostics of Otological and Neuro-otological Pathologies in Adults with Hearing Loss (5 credits)
CT6105 Hearing Balance and Communication: Impact on Quality of Life in the Elderly Population (5 credits)
CT6106 Cochlear Implants, Implantable Hearing Devices, and Impact on Communication for Children and Adults (5 credits)
CT6107 Psychological Management of Tinnitus: Principles of CBT and Mindfulness (5 credits)
CT6108 Auditory Rehabilitation in the Hearing-Impaired Adult Population (5 credits)
CT6109 Independent Study (5 credits)

Other
In consultation with the Programme Director, one 5-credit module may be taken from other programmes at UCC, in related disciplines, for a total of 5 of the 90 required credits. Such electives will be approved on a case-by-case basis and are dependent on the permission of the relevant department and module coordinator, timetabling and workload considerations. (5 credits)

*Restricted to students with recognised prior clinical experience in diagnostic audiology.

See the University Calendar (MSc Hearing, Balance & Communication) for full programme details.

Recognition of Prior Learning
In accordance with UCC’s policy on Recognition of Prior Learning, a student who has successfully completed modules for Continuous Professional Development within the MSc in Hearing Balance and Communication programme, and/or has completed relevant university postgraduate modules in a cognate area at a similar NFQ level (subject to the approval of the Programme Team), and who meets the entry requirements for the MSc in Hearing Balance and Communication, can apply to register for the MSc in Hearing Balance and Communication with exemptions granted for modules taken within the previous five years.

Requirements
• Candidates will hold either a Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) or a Postgraduate Degree (NFQ, Level 9 or equivalent) , in any scientific or medical discipline, such as but not exclusively, Audiology, Anatomy, Biomedical Science, Engineering, Social Sciences, Speech and Language Therapy, Medicine, Nursing and Education.
• In exceptional circumstances candidates without an honours degree may be recommended for entry to the programme after a review of their qualifications and experience by the programme lead. The admission of such candidates will be subject to the approval of the School of Clinical Therapies.
• Under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), applications will be reviewed on the basis of educational qualifications, relevant work experience and motivation.
• A motivational statement is part of this application process. The motivational statement should be no longer than 800 words and demonstrate motivation, relevant previous experience, commitment and suitability in applying for this course.
• Short-listed applicants will be invited for an interview and each applicant will be scored by an interview panel on the basis of educational qualifications, relevant work experience and motivation.

Closing Date: 9 July 2024

Assessment is wholly by continuous assessment, consisting of written assignments, both live and online presentations, online activities such as discussion groups and e-portfolios, blogs, podcasts and reflective journals.

The course involves approximately 100 hours of learning per 5 credits, of which 80 hours are self-directed learning and reading, for a total of 1800 hours.

2 years part-time.

Start Date: 2 September 2024