Undergraduate Program - Comm Disorders

The Department of Communication Sciences is concerned with the human communication process and its analysis. The Department houses two divisions, allowing the undergraduate student to concentrate in either (1) Communication Disorders or (2) Communication Process (Mass Media, Interpersonal, Organizational, etc.). This document is concerned with the undergraduate concentration in Communication Disorders.

A speech-language pathologist is a person trained to diagnose and modify communication disorders. An audiologist is concerned with hearing and is trained to provide diagnostic audiological services, hearing aids and aural rehabilitation for the hearing impaired. Counseling for the communicatively handicapped person and parents or other family members is an important aspect of the work of both the speech-language pathologist and the audiologist.

The undergraduate concentration in Communication Disorders leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. Courses in the concentration offer students basic information about normal and disordered communication. Directed clinical observation is also offered. This area of study may be attractive to the student who has a strong academic background and who is comfortable in learning how to apply information from the biological, physical, and social sciences to the assessment and management of individuals with language, speech and hearing disorders.

The concentration prepares students to pursue professional education at the graduate level, providing students the opportunity to assess their interest and aptitude for graduate training in speech-language pathology and audiology. The Masters degree is the entry level into the profession; consequently students completing the undergraduate major are not prepared to work as independent professionals. The student who successfully completes the undergraduate concentration and who wishes to become professionally qualified to seek employment as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist must apply to a graduate program offering a course of study leading to a Masters degree. It is at the graduate level that professional training focuses either on speech-language pathology or audiology. The Masters or Doctoral degree is required for certification by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Along with the Masters degree, further requirements for certification include the passing of the National Board Examination in Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology, and the successful completion of a Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) consisting of the equivalent of nine months of full time paid professional experience under the sponsorship of a certified speech-language pathologist or audiologist. Admission to the better graduate programs in Communication Disorders is competitive. Successful applicants present a consistently strong academic record, typically with an average of B or better, overall and in their major.

Lower division students considering the Communication Sciences major with a concentration in Communication Disorders are encouraged to attend an informational meeting that is held each semester. Call the departmental secretary, 860-486-2817, to find out when this meeting will be held in a given semester. In addition, lower division students are welcome to join the UConn chapter of the National Student Speech/Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA). For information regarding meeting times, leave your name and phone number with the secretary and a member of NSSLHA will contact you. Students who decide on this concentration will be assigned an academic advisor by the departmental secretary (Room 213). They must complete all the requirements stipulated by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for a Bachelor's Degree. Students are also expected to be knowledgeable of the requirements and deadlines published in the General Catalog. In consultation with their advisor and with consent of the instructor, students may be able to take some 3000/4000 level courses as sophomores.