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Communication Sciences and Disorders

The courses and degree programs of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders are planned to meet the needs of students preparing for careers in clinical service, college and university teaching, and research concerned with speech, language, or hearing processes and disorders. The department also offers courses for students with vocational and professional goals in other fields—for example, engineering, psychology, education, speech, theatre arts, dentistry, and medicine—whose preparation may be enriched by the study of speech and hearing processes and their disorders.

Advanced degree holders in communication sciences and disorders provide clinical services for people with speech, hearing, or language problems in hospitals, community clinics, rehabilitation facilities, elementary and secondary schools, and private practice. They teach in colleges and universities and conduct research in laboratories concerned with communication processes and disorders.

The department's programs leading to the M.A. with professional emphasis and the Au.D. are accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

Undergraduate Programs

• Major in speech and hearing science (Bachelor of Arts)
• Minor in communication sciences and disorders

Students who intend to pursue professional careers in communication sciences and disorders must complete a graduate program comparable to the department's Master of Arts in speech pathology and audiology or its Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.). The undergraduate major in speech and hearing science emphasizes the normal processes of speech, hearing, and language and does not qualify an individual to work professionally in the field. Instead, it is designed primarily to prepare students for graduate work. It also may be an appropriate major for students earning College of Liberal Arts and Sciences degrees who are not planning careers in speech pathology and audiology.

Bachelor of Arts

The Bachelor of Arts with a major in speech and hearing science requires a minimum of 120 s.h., including 55-56 s.h. of work for the major. Requirements include nine core courses offered by the department and eight cognate courses offered by other departments. Transfer students must complete a minimum of 15 s.h. toward the major at The University of Iowa. Students must complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education Program.

The major in speech and hearing science requires the following course work.

Core Courses

All of these:

Cognate Courses

Students may choose cognate courses that help fulfill the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education Program.

Both of these:

One of these:

One of these:

One of these:

One of these:

One of these:

One of these:

This cognate requirement in mathematics may be fulfilled through an acceptable score on Advanced Placement AB or BC Calculus exam; see Credit by Exam on the Office of Admissions web site. Students without AP credit are encouraged to take first-year calculus to satisfy this requirement, particularly those interested in earning a graduate degree in audiology.

CLINICAL OBSERVATION

Students have the opportunity and are encouraged to obtain 25 hours of supervised clinical observation, a prerequisite for participation in clinical practicums at the graduate level. This requirement is satisfied by completion of independent observations or required observations made for elective departmental courses.

Four-Year Graduation Plan

The following checkpoints list the minimum requirements students must complete by certain semesters in order to stay on the University's Four-Year Graduation Plan. (Courses in the major are those required to complete the major; they may be offered by departments other than the major department.)

Note: The major requires specific mathematics and science competencies that may be satisfied with courses approved for the General Education Program.

Before the third semester begins: at least one-quarter of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the fifth semester begins: three courses in the major and at least one-half of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the seventh semester begins: nine courses in the major and at least three-quarters of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the eighth semester begins: 12 courses in the major

During the eighth semester: enrollment in all remaining course work in the major, all remaining General Education courses, and a sufficient number of semester hours to graduate

Honors

Students majoring in speech and hearing science who have a g.p.a. of at least 3.50 may enter the department's honors program upon recommendation of the departmental honors advisor. If they intend to graduate with honors in the major, they also must be members of the University of Iowa Honors Program, which requires that students maintain a cumulative University of Iowa g.p.a. of at least 3.33 (contact the University of Iowa Honors Program for more information). To graduate with honors in the major, students must have completed at least 10 s.h. of course work for the major by the beginning of their junior year and maintain a cumulative University of Iowa g.p.a. of at least 3.50. They must complete both 003:097 (CSD:3097) Honors Seminar and 003:098 (CSD:4098) Honors Thesis. Students register for  003:097 (CSD:3097) Honors Seminar in the spring of their junior year and for 003:098 (CSD:4098) Honors Thesis in both fall and spring of their senior year.

Minor

The minor in communication sciences and disorders requires a minimum of 15 s.h. in University of Iowa Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders courses, including 12 s.h. in advanced courses. Students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 in the minor. Course work in the minor may not be taken pass/nonpass.

Students must begin the minor with 003:015 (CSD:1015) Introduction to Speech and Hearing Processes and Disorders. It provides a broad overview of all aspects of the normal communication process and of various disorders. Students complete the minor by choosing four of the courses listed below, according to their individual interests.

Graduate Programs

• Master of Arts in speech pathology and audiology
• Doctor of Audiology
• Doctor of Philosophy in speech and hearing science

The  Master of Arts program in speech pathology and audiology is offered with two emphases: research (general), and professional (speech-language pathology).

The M.A. with research emphasis and the Ph.D. are designed to train scholar-researchers; they do not provide preparation for professional work as speech-language pathologists or audiologists.

The M.A. with professional emphasis and the Au.D. provide training for individuals who wish to do clinical work in speech-language pathology or audiology. Graduates of the M.A. professional emphasis program meet all academic and practicum requirements for clinical certification by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and for licensure by the State of Iowa. The Au.D. is required for ASHA national certification in audiology. Students preparing for clinical positions in public schools must meet school licensure or certification requirements of the states in which they plan to work. See "M.A. with Professional Licensure" later in this section.

Master of Arts: Research Emphasis

The Master of Arts program in speech pathology and audiology with research emphasis (general emphasis) requires a minimum of 38 s.h. of graduate credit. The program is designed for students who intend to pursue a Ph.D. or who seek additional education but do not intend to work professionally in the United States as speech-language pathologists or audiologists. It typically includes a substantial portion of the courses in the M.A. with professional emphasis and Au.D. curricula.

Students in the M.A. research emphasis program are required to complete a thesis and defend their research successfully at a final oral examination.

The program typically requires two years to complete. Specific course work required depends on the student's background and interests.

Master of Arts: Professional Emphasis

The Master of Arts program in speech pathology and audiology with professional emphasis in speech-language pathology requires a minimum of 38 s.h. of graduate credit, although students typically earn 60-65 s.h. of credit by the time they complete the degree. The program prepares clinicians in speech-language pathology to be able to function independently in a variety of clinical settings. Graduates of the program meet all academic and practicum requirements for clinical certification by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and for licensure by the State of Iowa. The program is designed to ensure that upon graduation, the student will meet requirements for immediate professional employment.

M.A. students usually have a background of undergraduate courses in speech and hearing science, psychology of language, and human behavior that is equivalent to an undergraduate major in speech and hearing science at The University of Iowa.

Before registering in the program, entering M.A. students receive descriptive materials about basic science core courses considered to be required preparation for the M.A. program, and required M.A. clinical core courses for which the department may accept comparable courses taken at the undergraduate level. Decisions about incorporating background course work in these areas are made by the faculty advisor in consultation with the student and the instructors of the basic science or clinical core courses. Entering students must have completed the following courses or their equivalents.

Students pursuing the M.A. with professional emphasis must complete at least 4 s.h. of work related to research. This may be accomplished by any combination of enrollment in seminars (2 s.h. each) and/or research hours. Completion of the research hours may consist of work toward a thesis or preparation of a paper involving one or a combination of the following: literature review, prospectus development, and presentation of data. A paper is required at the end of each semester's enrollment. An exception to this requirement can be made in the case of research hours leading to a thesis.

Candidates for an M.A. with professional emphasis in speech-language pathology are not required to complete a thesis, although all students demonstrating research aptitude and interest are encouraged to do so. Students who do not elect the thesis option are required to take final written comprehensive examinations.

A typical M.A. professional emphasis program usually takes two calendar years to complete but may take longer, depending on the student's background and personal interests.

Core Requirements

All students seeking an M.A. with professional emphasis in speech-language pathology must take the following.

In addition, they must take the following courses unless they completed equivalent courses as undergraduates.

Students must take 003:510 (CSD:5510) Seminar: Introduction to Research in Speech and Hearing (1 s.h.) during the fall semester of their first year.

They must take 003:515 (CSD:6515) Proseminar (0 s.h.) during the fall and spring semesters of their first year.

Also required are additional semester hours of practicum registration sufficient to meet supervised, direct clinical experience requirements for the Certificate of Clinical Competence of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Iowa license, and to provide broad, supervised practicum experience.

In addition to the core requirements listed above, all students preparing to be speech-language pathologists must earn a minimum of 12 s.h. from the following.

Students also must earn a total of 4 s.h. in 003:590 (CSD:7590) Research or 4 s.h. in a combination of research and seminar courses.

M.A. with Professional Licensure

M.A. with Licensure to Work Outside Public Schools

A number of states, including Iowa, require a state license in speech-language pathology or audiology for persons who work in settings outside the public schools. Students who meet the requirements listed above for the M.A. in speech pathology and audiology with professional emphasis also meet the academic requirements for the license in Iowa as well as in most other states. In 2007 the requirements to earn American Speech-Language-Hearing Association national certification in audiology changed. Certification now requires a clinical doctoral degree (Doctor of Audiology) or the equivalent. Students preparing for careers in audiology should consult their advisors.

M.A. with Public School Licensure

Students preparing for clinical positions in public schools typically must meet school licensure or certification requirements of the states in which they plan to work. The following criteria meet the requirements for endorsement as speech-language pathologists or audiologists in Iowa and most other states:

a master's degree with professional emphasis in speech-language pathology or audiology or the equivalent;

completion of an approved human relations component;

completion of courses that cover the education of the disabled and the gifted and talented (e.g., exceptional persons, education of the gifted); and

completion of the requirements in speech-language pathology or audiology and the 20 s.h. professional education sequence, including 07E:104 (EDTL:5104) Remedial Methods in Speech and Hearing and 07E:192 (EDTL:4192) Special Area Student Teaching as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist.

The professional education sequence requires course work in the following areas.

Curriculum (e.g., reading, methods, curriculum development)

Foundations (e.g., philosophy of education, foundations of education)

Educational measurement (e.g., tests and measurements, measures and evaluations of instruction)

Educational psychology (e.g., educational psychology, counseling theories and techniques)

Special education (e.g., introduction to special education, exceptional persons, learning disabilities)

Child development (e.g., human growth and development, principles and theories of child development, history and theories of early childhood education)

Note: General Education Program courses (e.g., introduction to psychology, sociology, history, literature, and humanities) do not meet the requirements of the professional education sequence.

Doctor of Audiology

The Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) requires 95 s.h. of graduate credit. Individuals who wish to work as audiologists in the United States must hold a clinical doctoral degree or the equivalent.

The four-year Au.D. program is designed for students with an undergraduate degree in speech and hearing science. Au.D. students must complete the following courses. They may be excused from taking courses whose equivalents they completed successfully during undergraduate study.

Students may select any of the following electives. With their advisors' consent, they may substitute other University of Iowa course work.

Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy program in speech and hearing science requires a minimum of 72 s.h. of graduate credit. The program provides flexible, comprehensive training for scholar-researchers interested in communication processes and their disorders. Students with diverse backgrounds in the natural and behavioral sciences are encouraged to apply and develop their skills in an atmosphere of interdisciplinary research.

The Ph.D. program reflects the broad interests of its multidisciplinary faculty, whose members have diverse backgrounds in speech, language, hearing, engineering, physiology, physics, psychology, linguistics, and bioengineering. Faculty members are committed to an interdisciplinary approach to questions at every level of the speech and language production/perception system.

The purpose of the doctoral program is to provide the integrated knowledge necessary for a productive career in speech-language pathology and audiology, communication science, and related areas.

The department encourages candidates with special interests, goals, or backgrounds to develop individualized programs of study. There is no standard curriculum for the Ph.D.; rather, a program of study is developed by each student in consultation with a faculty committee. The course of study is developed from courses offered by the department, courses in other areas (e.g., physics, engineering, psychology, mathematics, statistics, physiology, neurology, anatomy, and others), and special reading and research experiences.

The following courses are offered by the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders primarily for Ph.D. students. (Students interested in specific areas of research and selected publication citations of the faculty are encouraged to write to the department.)

In addition, seminars offered by the department cover a broad range of topics relevant to doctoral study.

Students in the Ph.D. program usually are expected to register for research credit [003:590 (CSD:7590) Research] during each semester of residence and to register for and participate in 003:515 (CSD:6515) Proseminar.

Knowledge in each of the areas of hearing, speech, language, mathematics, statistics, computer science, and instrumentation is required of all students. Decisions regarding the extent of this knowledge and how it is obtained (e.g., course work or independent study) are made jointly by the student and the student's faculty committee.

Doctoral students who have not written a master's thesis must complete the equivalent of a master's thesis project as well as the comprehensive examination. They also must successfully complete and submit a dissertation based on original research.

Admission

Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College; see the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College or the Graduate College section of the Catalog.

Each of the department's graduate programs requires that applicants take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test before they apply for admission.

Admission to the M.A. and Au.D. programs is competitive; applicants' credentials are considered in relation to those of others in the applicant pool, and a limited number of individuals are admitted to each program. Applicants whose undergraduate g.p.a. is below 3.00 or whose GRE General Test scores are lower than 450 in any area (verbal, quantitative, and analytic) rarely are admitted to either program. Admission is for fall; the application deadline is January 1. All applications to the M.A. and Au.D. programs must be submitted through CSDCAS (Central Application Service for Communication Science and Disorders).

Admission to the Ph.D. program is based on each individual's aptitudes and interests in research areas rather than on admitting a certain number of students. Applicants should be enrolled in a master's degree program or should have completed a master's degree or equivalent graduate work. They should have a g.p.a. of at least 3.00 and should have GRE General Test scores no lower than 500 in any area (verbal, quantitative, and analytic). For best consideration, applications should be received by January 1. All applications to the Ph.D. program must be submitted through the University of Iowa Biosciences Centralized Application System.

For detailed information regarding evaluation of applicants, applications materials and requirements, and other matters, see Admissions on the department's web site.

Financial Support

The following information applies to all financial appointments administered by the department. For more detailed information, contact the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders director of graduate studies.

Graduate appointments usually begin only in fall semester. Students beginning study spring semester or summer session are considered for appointments for the following fall semester.

Appointment applications must be received by January 15 to ensure consideration for an appointment beginning the following fall semester. Initial appointment offers generally are made between April 1 and June 1; however, the department continues to make offers after this time.

Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test are required for consideration for financial assistance.

Facilities

Clinical Facilities

The clinical training program benefits greatly from Iowa City's standing as the most comprehensive health sciences center in Iowa and from the ready availability of health service facilities for clinical training of students in speech-language pathology and audiology.

The University of Iowa Affiliated Speech and Hearing Services include the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic; the division of speech and hearing in the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery; UIHC Consolidated Speech and Swallowing Services, which provides services to the Departments of Neurology, Child Psychiatry, and Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery; speech and hearing services in the Center for Disabilities and Development; Pediatrics Regional Child Health Specialty Clinics; and the audiology and speech pathology service in the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Directors of these programs form the Council on Speech Pathology and Audiology at The University of Iowa.

The Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic serves the University and the general public. Included in its services are outpatient evaluation and rehabilitation programs for speech, hearing, and language problems; one-week intensive summer programs in stuttering, language development, reading, and aural rehabilitation; and a six-week summer preschool program for hearing-impaired children. These clinical programs give students supervised clinical experience with a wide variety of speech, hearing, and language disorders.

In addition to the clinical training in the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic, training also may be acquired in supervised clinical practice with elementary school children through various state area education agencies; and in supervised clinical practice in speech, language, and hearing services provided by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Consolidated Speech and Swallowing Services, the Regional Child Health Specialty Clinics, Center for Disabilities and Development, and the Veterans Affairs Iowa City Health Care System.

Public and private departments and programs in addition to those mentioned above often contribute to the cooperative professional training, research, and service programs.

Research Facilities

Facilities in the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center include audiometric testing suites, diagnostic and remediation suites, equipment for diagnosis and therapy, a closed-circuit television system, and laboratories and equipment for acoustic, physiologic, and perceptual studies of speech, and for audiologic, psychoacoustic, and neurophysiologic studies of hearing. Mechanical and electronic shops and trained technical personnel are available for assistance in research instrumentation.

Cooperation with varied departments in the Carver College of Medicine and the College of Dentistry makes additional laboratory facilities available for research on problems in speech and hearing. The participation and cooperation of specialists from various fields, including psychology, child development, education, engineering, statistics, and medicine, further broaden the scope of research activities in speech and hearing.

Courses

For Undergraduates

For Undergraduate and Graduate Students

For Graduate Students