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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 communication sciences and disorders 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.
Students
Approximately 195 students are enrolled as speech and hearing science majors at Iowa.
Faculty
Highly respected faculty members are at the core of the department’s success. They dedicate themselves to teaching, as well as 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.
Course
Work
Because a master’s degree or equivalent is the minimum requirement for professional qualification, the undergraduate program in speech and hearing science is designed to prepare you for graduate work. The undergraduate program emphasizes the scientific basis of the field and requires 29 semester hours (s.h.) of specific course work in the department as well as courses in biology, linguistics, mathematics, psychology, physics or chemistry, and statistics. Students often elect to begin their clinical studies at this level, although it isn’t a requirement. Course work also provides background study for students majoring in psychology, education, communication, theatre arts, dentistry, and medicine.
For the undergraduate degree, you’ll study the normal processes of speech, hearing, and language. Students take nine core courses in the department and eight courses offered by other departments. Courses include:
- 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 Development
- Elementary Statistics and
Inference OR Introduction to
Statistical Methods OR Biostatistics OR Statistical Methods and Computing
- Math for Biological Sciences OR Calculus for Biological Sciences OR Calculus I
- Basic Physics with lab OR
College Physics OR General Chemistry
- Elementary Psychology
- Introduction to Linguistics
- Introduction to Clinical Psychology OR Basic Aspects of Aging OR Abnormal Psychology: Health Professions OR Psychology of Aging
- Child Development OR Introduction to Child Development
- Introduction to Animal Biology OR Principles of Biology I
You’ll also have an opportunity to earn 25 hours of supervised clinical observation, a requirement for those continuing in the field.
Minor in American Sign Language
Extensive research has established that American Sign Language (ASL) is comparable in complexity and expressiveness to oral languages. It also is associated with a distinct culture, and its study provides opportunities for exploration and research similar to those offered by spoken languages.
A new minor in American Sign Language, established in spring 2008, allows students to develop language proficiency and specialized knowledge valuable in a variety of fields, including linguistics, anthropology, history, American studies, psychology, education, speech and hearing science, and social work.
To earn the minor, students take American Sign Language I–IV, plus 15 s.h. of credit in approved American Sign Language courses.
Clinical
Facilities
The University of Iowa Affiliated Speech and Hearing Services includes the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center; Division of Speech and Hearing in University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery; UIHC Consolidated Speech and Swallowing Services; Center for Developmental Disabilities; and the Council on Speech Pathology and Audiology.
Research
Facilities
Within the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center facilities are audiometric testing, diagnostic, and remediation suites; equipment for diagnosis and therapy; a closed-circuit TV system; mechanical and electronic shops; and additional labs and specialists from the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and the College of Dentistry.
Also in the center are labs and equipment for acoustic, physiologic, and perceptual studies of speech, as well as for audiologic, psychoacoustic, and neurophysiologic studies of hearing.
Honors
In order to graduate with honors in communication sciences and disorcers, you must be a member of the University of Iowa Honors Program.
Students who earn at least a cumulative 3.50 grade-point average (GPA) are invited to join the honors program in speech and hearing science in the fall semester of their junior year. The program offers students the chance to gain experience doing research with a faculty mentor, presenting research ideas, and working closely with the faculty in the department on an individual basis. Honors students enroll in Honors Seminar during the spring semester of their junior year, select an honors project, and spend the senior year completing the project. They present their projects at the end of the spring semester of their senior year.
Careers
This 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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