2022-2023 Undergraduate Course Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Course Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Communication Sciences and Disorders, BS


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Chair:

Kathy Vander Werff, Ph.D.
621 Skytop Road
Suite 1200
315-443-9637

Contact:

Phone: 315-443-9637

Faculty

Academic: Jamie Desjardins, Karen Doherty,  Soren Lowell, Stephanie McMillen  Jonathan Preston, Beth Prieve, Ellyn Riley, Victoria Tumanova and Kathy Vander Werff, Clinical: Colleen Gargan, Joseph Pellegrino, Brianna Hammerie, Kristen Kennedy, Tammy Kordas, Anita Lightburn, Meghan Lister, Laura Vincent and Ramani Voleti; Adjunct Instructor, Bonnie Hulslander, and Emeritus Professors, Raymond Colton, Mary Louise Edwards, Janet Ford and  Linda Milosky.

Program Description

The program in communication sciences and disorders provides students with a broad education in human communication sciences and disorders. Students may participate in clinical experiences in the Gebbie Speech-Language- Hearing Clinic. The program prepares students for graduate study in speech-language pathology and audiology and other related fields in health, education, and science. Interested students have the opportunity to participate in research in faculty laboratories.

A master’s degree is required to practice speech-language pathology, and a clinical doctoral degree (Au.D.) is required to practice audiology. Minimally, a student will need a 3.0 GPA to be considered for these graduate programs. Many graduate programs require a higher GPA.

Degree Awarded:

Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Total Credits required:

120

Prerequisites for admission into the major:

Students interested in this major should contact the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at csd@syr.edu as early as possible. Students are formally admitted to the major after consulting a department advisor on a plan of study and successfully completing CSD 212  with a B- or better, or by petition.  

Student Learning Outcomes


1. Identify the nature of the basic human communication process, including the biological, neurological, acoustic, psychological, developmental, linguistic and cultural bases

2. Demonstrate knowledge of aspects of speech, language and hearing disorders, including: phonology, articulation, language, hearing voice, swallowing and fluency disorders

3. Explain the basic foundations of treatment of communication disorders including prevention, evaluation, and intervention

4. Demonstrate professional writing skills for academic and clinical situations: organization, technical skills, intended audience and purpose

5. Evaluate hypotheses about human communication processes in order to develop critical thinking skills

6.  Identify aspects of human diversity (e.g. age, ethnicity, gender, race, disability) that influence communication and the disorders of communication that individuals may experience

Major Requirements


The B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders requires students to fulfill the quantitative skills requirement for the liberal arts core and to complete 34 credits in CSD courses, plus 12-13 non-CSD credits that can also be counted towards the Liberal Arts Core, as outlined below. (Total 46-47 credits)

Distinction in Communication Sciences and Disorders


Overview of Eligibility Requirements for Distinction in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD):

  1. CSD major or dual major
  2. Overall GPA of 3.70 or better by the end of the semester prior to graduation (typically through Fall of the senior year, prior to May graduation)
  3. No CSD course grades below B (including courses that were later retaken, even if the final grade on the transcript is a B or better), including CSD classes in the final semester before graduation. Final grades will be verified by CSD faculty prior to graduation and awarding of the distinction.
  4. Completion of a research experience, as defined below, with CSD faculty or faculty in a related field.
  5. Member of NSSHLA, SAA, or other approved CSD-related student groups for at least 2 semesters.

Significant Research Experience:

A significant research experience in CSD may vary somewhat in scope based on the experience and topic but should constitute substantial participation in one or more components including the development of a project, data collection in an ongoing project, analyses of existing data, and/or synthesis and interpretation of results. The following experiences may be approved to meet this requirement:

  • Renee Crown honors project in the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders (or related discipline) under the supervision of a faculty advisor
  • Independent study project for academic credit (CSD 490 or in another related department)
  • An approved research rotation in a CSD faculty lab or related field faculty lab. Research rotations must be a minimum of one semester in length and include a written component. The format of the written component is at the discretion of the research advisor and may include portions of a research proposal or summary paper, article summaries/critique, or reflections of outcomes and skills developed through work on the project.

Students should discuss the research experience with their academic advisor and/or talk with faculty member(s) who have research in areas of interest about available experiences in their lab. Students should do this as early as possible to ensure completion prior to the application to distinction. Projects outside of CSD need to be approved by CSD faculty and should be discussed with the CSD academic advisor ahead of time.

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