Professional Diploma in Hearing Science and Rehabilitation

 
     
  The Professional Diploma Programme in Hearing Science and Rehabilitation addresses the local urgent needs of trained practitioners to provide hearing rehabilitation services in the local primary healthcare settings. It introduces students to an organized systematic training in Hearing Sciences, Hearing Rehabilitation, and Communication Sciences to cater for the need for the Chinese population with hearing disorders. Our target is to train practitioners to support the local community.  
     
  Objectives  
  The programme aims to:  
  *   Provide students with a systematic training in Hearing Sciences, Hearing Rehabilitation, and Communication Sciences to cater for the need of the Chinese population with hearing disorders;  
  *   Provide students with the foundation knowledge and skills to pursue a professional Master degree in Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology, or other related areas; and  
  *   Offer students an understanding and appreciation of the role of audiologist and speech and language therapist within multidisciplinary teams and in the management of communication disorders  
       
  Learning Outcomes  
  Upon completion of this programme, students will have acquired the ability to:  
  *   Demonstrate basic knowledge of hearing science and rehabilitation, to devise clinical practices such as the fitting of hearing devices;  
  *   Demonstrate knowledge of normal and pathological processes of hearing and communication; and  
  *   Be familiar with the core concepts in adult hearing impairment, and trained with basic knowledge to intervene and manage the disorders  
       
     
  Mode of Study and Duration  
  The programme is offered in part-time study mode which covers a normal period of one academic year. All classes are evening or weekend classes.  
     
  Programme Curriculum  
  Students are required to complete one core course and five elective courses within the normal study period. For graduation, students are required to attain a minimum of 70% attendance and pass all assessments in each course, and obtain a cumulative overall GPA of not lower than 2.0.  
     
  Core Course  
  1   Introduction to Human Communication and Speech-language-hearing Sciences  
    The course aims at giving an overview of human communication science from the perspective of the processes involved. Breakdown in any of the processes leading to various communication disorders relating to speech, language or hearing will be described. Clinical data on common communication disorders including individuals with craniofacial abnormalities, autism spectrum disorder, hearing-impairment, fluency and aphasia etc will be used as case studies for illustrations.  
     
  Elective Courses #  
  2   Basic Hearing Science  
    The course aims to give an overview of pathology, medical treatment, and impact of hearing disorders. The topics will focus on the early identification of hearing loss, audiological assessment, as well as the management options of hearing disorders, across different age groups.  
  3   Basic Hearing Rehabilitation  
    This course will provide a basic understanding of the scientific principles involved in the practice of Hearing Rehabilitation, and their clinical applications in the hearing device fitting and aural rehabilitation for the hearing impaired population. These topics will reflect academic needs / interests and faculty expertise.  
  4   Current Issues in Hearing Science and Rehabilitation  
    The course will focus on specific current topics in hearing science and rehabilitation that are not covered in the regular course offering. These topics will reflect academic needs / interests, current issues in the clinical field, and faculty expertise.  
  5   Anatomy and Physiology of Speech, Language and Hearing  
    The course aims to give an overview on the structure of the human body systems, normal function and physiological mechanisms of the operation and processes of the various major body systems with a focus on systems related to respiration, swallowing, speech, language and hearing. A breakdown in mechanisms of these body systems will be explored and described. Relevant clinical data and/or case examples will be used as illustrations as clinical applications. In this course, teaching will be supplemented with relevant 3D and 2D models, interactive anatomy and physiology software and medical laboratory sessions.  
  6   Applied Assessment and Therapeutic Skills  
    This course is designed to teach students to integrate theories into clinical practice. Practical skills will be introduced and students are required to conduct observation on clients with various communication disorders under supervision. Students are required to be proficient either in Cantonese or Mandarin.
*Pre-requisite: satisfactory completion of the core course Introduction to Human Communication and Speech-language-hearing Sciences
 
  7   Special Topics in Speech-Language Pathology  
    This course will focus on specific topics in communication disorders that are not covered in the regular course offering. These topics will reflect academic needs/interests and faculty expertise.  
     
  # The course offering plan is subject to review and change by the commencement of each Term.  
     
  Programme Director  
  Professor NG Hoi Yee Iris
 
 

Assistant Professor & Chief
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

 
  Professor NG is the Chief of the Division of Audiology in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. She is a member of the Register of Audiologists accredited by the Department of Health. A seasoned clinical audiologist with ample experience in psychometrics, she has worked for over 10 years in the development and validation of hearing assessment tools.  
 
     
  Teaching and Learning Strategies  
  Teaching and learning strategies include lectures, tutorials, online learning activities, laboratory demonstration and practice, student-led presentations, discussions, case studies, projects, visits, case observations, fieldwork and reflective activities as appropriate.  
  Assessments include individual or group assignments, presentations, attendance and examination as appropriate.  
     
  Transfer of Units  
  Graduates of the programme with a result of not lower than ‘B-’ in the following course(s) may apply for the course and unit exemption when studying the Master of Science Programme in Speech-Language Pathology offered by our department:  
  *   Anatomy and Physiology of Speech, Language and Hearing (3 Units)  
  *   and other related course(s)  
     
  Course and Unit Exemption for MSc Speech-Language Pathology  
  Course and unit exemption up to 6 units for MSc Programme in Speech-Language Pathology shall be granted for students who have  
  *   Obtained a Professional Diploma in Hearing Science and Rehabilitation; and  
  *   Completed course(s) with a minimum grade of “B-” in Professional Diploma in Hearing Science and Rehabilitation.  
     
  Tuition Fee (Whole Programme)  
  HK$ 16,000 per course (HK$ 96,000 for the whole programme)  
     
  Admission Requirements  
  Applicants shall have obtained a Bachelor's degree from a recognized university. Graduates of the Professional Diploma Programme in Communication Disorders and Sciences are not eligible for entry into this programme.  
     
  Application and Next Intake  
 

The application exercise for Sep 2024 intake is from July to August 2024. Applicants are required to submit an online Application Form and provide supporting documents by a designated online platform (which will be also shown in the Form) within the application period. Further details can be found in the Application Form (click the hyperlink below):
https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13690635

As for details of our information sessions (in July 2024), interested persons may click the following hyperlink to be directed to our registration page:
https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13690637

 
     
     
  Contact Us  
     
       
 
     
    Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
 
Address:   Professional Diploma Programme in Hearing Science and Rehabilitation
Room 303, Academic Building No.2
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Shatin, Hong Kong
 
Tel:   (852) 3943 9609 / 3943 9607  
Fax:   (852) 3942 0969  
Email:   edmondsuen@cuhk.edu.hk