Communication Sciences Honors Program

During their junior year, qualified communication disorders majors are encouraged to apply to the Department’s Honors program, which leads to a B.A. with Honors in Communication Sciences. The purpose of the program is to provide the student with an intensive, supervised research experience in an area of his or her choice.

Students must have completed PSCL 282 and PSCL 375 before beginning the Honors program. Students participating in the Honors program enroll in COSI 395 during their fall or spring semester of their senior year.

The student chooses a faculty mentor and works under the close supervision of that faculty member to complete their project. At the end of the semester, the student submits a written manuscript (e.g., report of the research project) or product for consideration of graduation with Honors in Communication Sciences.

Juniors with a 3.25 average in coursework required for the major and an overall grade-point of 3.0 may apply. The Honors program provides research experience of considerable value to a student interested in a career in research and as such requires a great deal of work. Only those students with a serious interest in communication disorders should apply. For further information, students should consult with the undergraduate advisor.

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Integrated Graduate Studies (IGS)

The Integrated Graduate Studies (IGS) program in Communication Sciences is intended for highly motivated undergraduate students who are candidates for the B.A. and whose objective is a clinical Master’s degree in the area of Speech-Language Pathology. Those interested in IGS must apply for admission during their junior year. Interested students should talk with their academic advisor’s about the application process.

Qualified students may be admitted to graduate study for their senior year and pursue the simultaneous completion of requirements for both the Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees. The baccalaureate will normally be awarded upon completion of the requirements for both degrees, unless a student satisfies all B.A. requirements prior to completing the master’s degree requirements. Students in the IGS Program are exempted from the 42-hour restriction imposed on B.A. candidates for work above the 100-level in a single department. However, the exemption is granted only upon completion of the Master’s degree requirements. Graduate courses are 400 and 500 level courses.

Eligibility

Eligibility requirements for participation in the Integrated Graduate Studies Program are:

• 90 semester hours earned, of which the last 60 hours must have been in residence at Case Western Reserve University
• Completion of the SAGES General Education Requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and two semesters of physical education; students who have fulfilled all SAGES General Education Requirements except the Senior Capstone will be required to complete the capstone during their first year in the IGS program
• Completion of three quarters of the requirements for the major concentration, including three quarters of the courses required in the major department
• Admission to the COSI Master’s program

Upon admission to the program, IGS students register as students in the School of Graduate Studies and are subject to the policies, rules, and regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. They may, however, continue to receive merit-based undergraduate scholarships and may continue to reside in undergraduate housing during what would normally be their senior year of undergraduate work. If you are interested in this program you must meet with a representative from the Office of Integrated Graduate Studies and your faculty advisor. For more information, contact the Office of Undergraduate Studies, 368-2928.

Tuition

Students pay undergraduate tuition through the Spring semester of their senior year. Graduate tuition applies thereafter. Some IGS students are eligible to have their undergraduate degree awarded at the end of their senior year. Other IGS students must have both degrees awarded simultaneously at the completion of their fifth year. The Undergraduate Studies office can advise an individual student when they are eligible for graduation. Undergraduate students who have scholarships or financial aid may be required to register for a minimum of 12 hours the second semester of their senior year to retain eligibility for scholarships or financial aid.

Suggested Course Sequence

The undergraduate course sequence for students will vary, but a suggested course sequence is detailed below.

Graduate coursework in COSI, which begins during the fourth year for IGS students,  is highly structured based on professional training requirements.  Graduate students are required to complete a minimum of 42 hours of graduate coursework, including four semesters of clinical practicum (COSI 452).

Year	Fall	Spring	Summer
Freshman	PSCL 101	COSI 109 COSI 220
Sophomore	COSI 211 COSI 260 COSI 325 PSCL 282	COSI 321 COSI 355 PSCL 230
Junior	COSI 325 COSI 370 COSI 352 PSCL 375	COSI 313 COSI 345 COSI 580
Senior (4th yr.)	COSI 405 COSI 453 COSI 453  COSI 455 COSI 457	COSI 444 COSI 444L COSI 452 COSI 456 COSI 557 COSI 562	COSI 452
Graduate (5th yr.)	COSI 443 COSI 452 COSI 556 COSI 563 COSI 600	COSI 452  COSI 560 COSI 561

IGS Testimonials

The IGS program provided me with drive and motivation during my undergraduate career, as I balanced choosing not only requisite coursework for my two majors but also courses which I could finish in less than four years, to leave time for my graduate coursework. It also allowed me to experience a taste of graduate school while still an undergrad and therefore better equipped me for graduate school. My education at Case was excellent, composed of diverse clinical experiences in the community, as well as professors who are both researchers and practicing clinicians. For all these reasons, I feel that I began my career with a strong sense of preparedness and readiness.

The IGS program has had such a positive impact on my education. Not only did it condense a 6 year program into 5 years, but I believe the experience was amazing. The faculty were very helpful, and went out of their way to make sure the transition went smoothly. It was very beneficial to be familiar with the school and the program when starting graduate classes. With undergraduate work still fresh in my mind, I was able to schedule more in-depth classes and clinical experiences earlier in my educational career. Doing clinical work in the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center offers many benefits – the Center is centrally located, a wide variety of clients are receive services, and the clinicians are experienced with having graduate clinicians working with them.

The master’s Communication Sciences education program in speech-language pathology at Case Western Reserve University is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.