Deaf Education

The DHSS offers a Master of Education of the Deaf (M.D.E.) degree.  This one- to two-year program emphasizes the training needed to develop spoken language and auditory skills in deaf and hard-of-hearing children.  The DHSS is home to a unique, interdisciplinary approach to teacher training by combining training in audiology, speech-language pathology, and deaf education.  The Mama Lere Hearing School in our National Center for Childhood Deafness and Family Communication serves as the professional development school for the DHSS deaf education program. This auditory oral school for children who are deaf or hard of hearing is known for its outstanding work in the areas of speech development, auditory training, cochlear implant habilitation, language and reading.

We encourage all interested students to apply for our graduate program.  Students entering the Master in Deaf Education program are required to have an undergraduate degree in deaf education, special education, early childhood education or general education and must have teacher certification in same.  The program will be one year in length (three semesters including summer plus Maymester) for those coming in with a background in deaf education and two years (five semesters including summer plus Maymester) for those with no background.

The Hearing School in our Center for Childhood Deafness and Family Communication serves as the professional development school for the DHSS deaf education program.  This auditory oral school for children who are deaf or hard of hearing is known for its outstanding work in the areas of speech development, auditory training, cochlear implant habilitation, language and reading.

• MDE 5207. American Sign Language I. 
• MDE 5208. American Sign Language II. 
• MDE 5308. Language and Literacy in Children with Hearing Loss. 
• MDE 5312. Psychology and Culture of the Deaf. 
• MDE 5320. Introduction to Amplification for Infants and Children. 

Requirements

• Statement of Purpose (personal statement)
• Transcripts/Academic information
• Letters of Recommendation. (three are required, up to a maximum of five can be accepted)
• Official GRE scores come electronically from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and are required for all applicants. Official TOEFL scores are required for international applicants only. The scores should be sent to institution code 1871. The department code is not required in order for your official scores to attach to the application. All of our programs in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences use department code: 0620.
• Previous Degrees. International applicants should apply only if you have four years of college (four-year degree or three-years plus one year of a masters program).
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL
• Transcripts. International student applicants must supply official academic records from all colleges and universities attended including certificates, mark sheets and examination results. These may be copies of the original documents certified by an official of the institution issuing the record. If you are currently enrolled at a USA university, Vanderbilt will accept (for admission purposes only) copies of documents that may be on file at that university. Should you be admitted, you must supply the official documents described above.
• Financial Resources. In order to meet requirements for entry into the USA, applicants must demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources to cover the cost of their education. Please be prepared to provide evidence of this funding.

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

Scholarships

As the result of a Department of Education grant (H325K130226), we offer qualified candidates accepted into our deaf education program a 100% tuition scholarship.