Students major in communication sciences, with a concentration in communication disorders. Communication disorders students complete 45 credit hours of required courses for the major/concentration. This coursework includes study in communication sciences and disorders, psychology, English/linguistics, as well as statistics and research design.

Following completion of an undergraduate degree, students can pursue a master’s degree in speech-language pathology. A master’s degree typically requires two additional years of study beyond the bachelor’s degree. Below you will find a recommended sequence of courses for an undergraduate degree in communication disorders.

A master’s degree is the entry level degree for professional clinical practice in speech-language pathology. Thus, for many students, an undergraduate degree in communication disorders is a pre-professional degree in preparation for graduate study. As such, the undergraduate coursework in the communication disorders curriculum emphasizes the basic processes and acquisition of normal communication in children and adults. Graduate study then focuses on the study of disordered communication.

Many students pursue undergraduate study in communication disorders as preparation for further study or in conjunction with study in other fields. For example, one can combine a major in communication disorders with a major in sociology or psychology or a minor in gerontological studies. For students interested in academic or research careers, investigation in the field of communication disorders is often done alongside investigation of normal human behavior. For example, one might study the word learning of children with normal language as well as children with language impairments.

Declaring a Major

If you wish to declare a major in Communication Sciences, obtain a Major Declaration for in the Office of Undergraduate Studies (Sears 357). Complete the form, then contact the Department of Psychological Sciences Chair, Dr. Greene (rlg2@case.edu). Dr. Greene will meet with you for approximately 15 minutes to discuss the major requirements and to assign a major advisor.

To achieve Gold status, our chapter:

• Increase awareness of communication sciences and disorders (CSD) on more than 135 local college campuses and communities across the country—primarily through virtual platforms
• Increase advocacy efforts by sending more than 9,500 letters to state and federal legislators
• Provide scholarships to students in CSD programs by contributing more than $24,000 to the ASHFoundation’s NSSLHA Scholarship
• Support CSD-related organizations by donating more than $64,000 and approximately 20,000 hours of chapter members’ time

“National NSSLHA Chapter Honors are awarded to affiliated NSSLHA chapters that demonstrate an outstanding effort to support National NSSLHA’s mission to inspire, empower, and support students in communication sciences and disorders programs.”

The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) is the only national student organization for pre-professionals studying communication sciences and disorders (CSD) recognized by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Established in 1972, National NSSLHA is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, and supports 11,700+ members and 340+ chapters at colleges and universities nationwide.

Click here for the CWRU Undergraduate Communication Sciences Handbook