Academics and Research Unite in Molloy’s Newest Ph.D. Program in Communication Sciences and Disorders

As Molloy University’s newest doctoral program prepares to debut in the Fall 2023 semester, faculty members in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) are ready to build on their research and academic excellence. The program aims to cultivate scholars and leaders who seek to advance the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders through research and teaching.  Molloy will be just the second university on Long Island with a Ph.D. program in the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

The new Ph.D. program received New York state approval last year at nearly the same time as Molloy’s university status was recognized. It joins established CSD programs in the Barbara H. Hagan School of Nursing and Health Sciences leading to the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology and B.S. in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology. The success of the academic and research framework at the undergraduate and graduate level, were critical factors in the decision to embark on the Ph.D. program.

The need to train speech language pathologists in the United States and throughout the world requires the expansion of programs with doctoral-level faculty. Currently “there is a clear shortage of academics in the field,” says Hia Datta, Ph.D., the director of Molloy’s new Ph.D. program and the University’s undergraduate program in speech language pathology and audiology. 

Molloy’s University status mandates “the responsibility to expand our research foundation,” Dr. Datta said. “This program serves that purpose.”  

Envisioning with a cohort of three to five students this fall, Dr. Datta said recruitment efforts are now reaching alumni, including many who have served as research assistants in the graduate program. Directors of programs for communication sciences and disorders at schools nationwide are also being notified about the initiative. 

As she outlined key aspects of the Ph.D. program, Dr. Datta noted that a primary mission is “to create well-rounded academics.” Because the Ph.D. is science-driven, the research aspect is robust, according to Dr. Datta.

Primary areas of research focus are child language and dialectical development (e.g., phonology), cross-linguistic research in minoritized languages and dialects, multilingual and multicultural communication, child speech and language disorders (e.g., autism), acquired neurogenic speech, language and cognitive disorders (e.g., aphasia, Parkinson’s disease), swallowing and dysphagia, and voice disorders.  

Integrating Research and Teaching 

What is not a given, Dr. Datta said, is knowing how to disseminate the knowledge gained from research to students in a classroom or clinical setting. “How do we integrate our research into our teaching?”

The Ph.D. students will work with a faculty that is experienced in conducting research in many subject areas and types. The new program has a goal of explicitly featuring both experience in higher education classrooms and research in its coursework. Additional courses include scientific writing and a class that stresses academic and related careers using the Ph.D.  

Doctoral students may also gain practical experience by serving as adjunct instructors. “We’re trying to present to our students the whole gamut of what a Ph.D. degree can get them,” Dr. Datta explained. “We want to meet students where they are, and where their goals, are while maintaining the rigorous standards of our program.” 

Dr. Datta, a native of India, came to Molloy as an assistant professor in January 2012 after she earned her Ph.D. at the CUNY Graduate Center for Speech Language and Hearing Sciences. She also did a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Weill Cornell Medical College’s Sackler Institute of Developmental Psychobiology.  

She said Molloy would be “intentional” about supporting efforts to diversify the field of communication sciences and disorders in both academic and clinical workplaces.    

One area of her undergraduate efforts that dovetails nicely with her Ph.D. work is the decade she has spent mentoring students in their research theses, an uncommon bachelor’s degree requirement in communication sciences and disorders. Molloy CSD has provided this opportunity for undergraduates for over 25 years. Students develop a research question and a proposal, Dr. Datta said. During the next semester, they collect “human participant data,” which they analyze in a research paper and present to the whole department. At times the university provost and school dean are in attendance.   

Dr. Datta said work in the classroom, where she teaches courses in Neuro Bases of Communication and Acquired Language Disorders, fuels her other academic work, including the development of the Ph.D. program. “I enjoy the classroom environment—the inquisitiveness and the critical thinking aspect of it.”

Serving the Community 

Research into communication disorders also offers opportunities for Molloy students to reach out beyond the university and serve the community at large by researching underrepresented cultures, languages and dialects, thereby broadening understanding of these communities and their health challenges. 

As the Ph.D. program kicks off, Dr. Datta said she would like students to be able to find a comfortable place at Molloy no matter whether their ultimate career pursuits run toward scientific research, academic pursuits, or private industry. “We have a breadth in career options, and I don’t want to limit our program’s goals,” she said. 

Information sessions for prospective students will also be held via Zoom over the next two months. There are two entry points for prospective students, one for candidates with B.S. degrees and the other for candidates with M.S. degrees. For further information about Admissions, call (516) 323-4000.