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The study of communication sciences and disorders developed from a concern for people who have impairments that affect their communication processes. Speech pathologists and audiologists evaluate the communication skills of people with speech, language, and hearing disorders and develop and carry out a treatment plan.
The complexity of communication sciences and disorders requires a variety of approaches that call for interests and skills in the behavioral, biological, and physical sciences. New knowledge and advances are continually broadening professional horizons and opening new areas of professional endeavor.
Why
Study Communication Sciences and Disorders at Iowa?
The University of Iowa has a historic legacy and tradition as a leader in the professional education of speech pathologists and audiologists. It was the first university to undertake a systematic program of teaching and research in this field and one of the first two universities to award a degree based on a curriculum in speech-language pathology. The speech pathology and audiology programs are ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.
All of the department’s professional programs are accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Approximately 200 students major in speech and hearing science at Iowa. They study with faculty members who dedicate themselves to teaching and to conducting exciting, innovative research. Several faculty members have National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants and are involved in the NIH Cochlear Implant Project with the University’s Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery.
In addition to educating future professionals in the field, the department offers course work that provides good background study for students majoring in psychology, education, communication, theatre arts, dentistry, and medicine.
Course
Work
Students majoring in speech and hearing science earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The BA requires a minimum of 120 semester hours (s.h.), including 55–56 s.h. for the major. A master’s degree or equivalent is the minimum requirement for professional qualification, so the undergraduate major is designed to prepare you for graduate work.
The major emphasizes the scientific basis of the field, including the normal processes of speech, hearing, and language. It requires specific course work in the department as well as courses in other subjects.
You'll take the following departmental courses:
- Introduction to Speech and Hearing Processes and Disorders
- Phonetics: Theory and Applications
- Basic Acoustics for Speech and Hearing
- Anatomy and Physiology of Speech Production
- Introduction to Hearing Science
- Hearing Loss and Audiometry
- Basic Neuroscience for Speech and Hearing
- Psychology of Language
- Language Acquisition
You’ll also choose eight courses offered by other departments, including biology, chemistry, education, linguistics, mathematics, psychology, physics, social work, and statistics.
In addition, you'll have an opportunity to complete 25 hours of supervised clinical observation, which is required if you intend to continue in the field.
See Communication Sciences and Disorders in the UI General Catalog to learn more about the major and for information about graduating with honors or earning a minor in communication sciences and disorders.
Clinical
Facilities
The University of Iowa Affiliated Speech and Hearing Services includes the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center; the Division of Speech and Hearing in the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC); the Center for Developmental Disabilities; UIHC Consolidated Speech and Swallowing Services; and the Council on Speech Pathology and Audiology.
Research
Facilities
The Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center houses facilities for audiometric testing, diagnosis, and remediation; equipment for diagnosis and therapy; mechanical and electronic shops; and laboratories affiliated with the University's Carver College of Medicine and College of Dentistry.
The center also offers labs and equipment for acoustic, physiologic, and perceptual studies of speech and voice, for study of language development and disorders, and for audiologic, psychoacoustic, and neurophysiologic hearing studies.
Careers
The speech and hearing science program provides excellent vocational training, and there is a strong demand for professionals in this field. Students are prepared for careers in clinical service and for college and university teaching and research in speech, language, or hearing processes and disorders. Advanced degree holders provide clinical services in hospitals, community clinics, rehabilitation facilities, elementary and secondary schools, and private practice.
Scholarships
Consult multiple sources for scholarship information, including the Office of Admissions, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and departmental web sites.
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