Communication Disorders and Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology
Communication Disorders
Undergraduate Program
The Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Disorders at Indiana State University is earned upon completion of 124 semester hours. The Communication Disorders undergraduate major comprises 60 of those semester hours, whereas General Education courses account for 47-53 semester hours. The Communication Disorders undergraduate degree program is a pre-professional program and is designed to prepare a student to pursue a master’s degree. A master’s degree in Communication Disorders is necessary to work as a speech language pathologist in schools, hospitals, and other service provision settings. Most master’s degree programs require two additional years of training beyond the completion of the bachelor’s degree.
Curriculum credentials
The curriculum has been designed to meet the standards of the Indiana Department of Education and of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. In essence, all of these certifying agencies feel that the courses prescribed in the program are necessary and have relevance to the education of a competent speech-language pathologist.
Students interested in learning more about the Indiana State University Communication Disorders undergraduate program are invited to visit campus to tour the program and clinic and meet with an advisor. You can arrange appointments by calling our main office at (812) 237-2880. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at commdisorders@indstate.edu or call us at (812) 237-2880.
Progress through the program
The Communication Disorders undergraduate program curriculum is designed so the student will progress most efficiently through the program if they enter it before the first semester of their sophomore year. We encourage students to work very hard to complete the curriculum in a reasonable period of time. Since the demand for quality clinical experiences requires careful programming over a reasonable interval, students will not be encouraged to curtail their program significantly.
Undergraduate Experiential Learning Opportunities
Students begin observing clinical services in the Rowe Center for Communicative Disorders early in their undergraduate program. Qualified students may have the opportunity to obtain clinical experience under very close supervision. Placement is usually in the Rowe Center for Communicative. Upon completion, students generally have an idea as to whether or not they wish to continue to pursue speech language pathology as a profession.
A clinical experience is available during the final semester of your senior year. The student is placed with a public school clinician who holds both the Indiana teaching endorsement in speech and hearing and the Certificate of Clinical Competence issued by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
TENTATIVE SEQUENCE OF COURSES
FRESHMAN
CD 119 Survey of Communication Disabilities - 3 hrs
SOPHOMORE
CD 211 Phonetics - 3 hrs
CD 224 Speech & Hearing Science - 3 hrs
CD 212 Anatomy & Physiology - 3 hrs
CD 225 Articulation Disorders & Management - 3hrs
CD 213 Speech & Language Development - 3hrs
CD 226 Language Disorders - 3 hrs
LING 210 Linguistics – 3 hrs
OR CD 303 Psycholinguistics for Communication
Specialists – 3 hrs
JUNIORS
CD 311 Evaluation of Communication Disorders - 3 hrs
CD 323 Intro to Rhythm, Voice & Neurogenic Communication
Disorders - 3 hrs
CD 312 Assessment of Auditory Pathologies - 3 hrs
CD 312 Assessment of Auditory Pathologies - 3 hrs
CD 324 Speech and Language for the Hearing Impaired - 3 hrs
CD 399 Clinical Practicum - 3 hrs
SENIORS
CD 400 Clinical Practicum - 3 hrs
CD 422 Methods & Administration - 3 hrs
CD 411 Phonological Theories & Disorders - 3 hrs
CD 498 School Practicum - 6 hrs
SPSY 428 Tests and Measure - 3 hrs
If students enter the program as juniors, they are strongly encouraged to take all of the above courses (with the exception of CD 119) in order over a three year period.
Option I 15 semester hours, includes advanced practicum (3), student teaching (6), and 6 hours of related professional coursework approved by advisor.
CD 400/500 3 semester hrs Practicum in Speech, Language, and Hearing
CD 498 6 semester hrs School-Clinical Practicum (School Practicum)
Related Professional Coursework: 6 semester hours
Option II Option II is only available through faculty approval. Students cannot declare Option II. Option II is NOT recommended for students who plan to attend graduate school. It requires 15 semester hours of electives pre-approved by the student’s academic advisor.
TOTAL HOURS IN THE MAJOR = 60 SEMESTER HOURS
Forty-five semester hours of coursework represents the core preparation for a Bachelor's degree in Communication Disorders. An additional 15 semester hours is required to complete the required 60 hours for the major. This coursework may be obtained through either Option I or Option II.
* Prior to enrolling in this course you need to have completed the following courses with no less than a grade of C: CD 211, CD 212, CD 213, CD 224*, CD 225*, and CD 226*, and an overall GPA of 2.5. The student is cautioned that graduate school admission is competitive and is unlikely with a GPA of less than 3.0.
Praxis I is a requirement to enroll in 300 or higher level professional education courses. Qualifying scores on Praxis I are: Reading 176, Writing172, Math 175, with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher at Indiana State University. Students in the Communication Disorders program are required to have successful completion of CD 211, CD 212, and CD 213 with a grade of “C” or better. For more information go to:
Links:
Communication Disorders Undergraduate Program Catalog
Undergraduate Frequently Asked Questions
Communication Disorders Career Information
Learner Outcomes for the CD Undergraduate Program
Student Organizations:
National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA)