Communication Disorders and Sciences

Welcome to the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences. The Department offers both baccalaureate and masters degree programs.

 The undergraduate program in Communication Disorders and Sciences provides students with fundamental knowledge related to typical and atypical speech-language-hearing processes. Students have the option of either majoring or minoring in Communication Disorders and Sciences. Both options prepare students for graduate school and on becoming a speech-language pathologist.  This area of study may be attractive to the student who has a strong academic background and who is comfortable in learning how to apply information from the biological, physical, and social sciences to the assessment and management of individuals with language, speech and hearing disorders.

The masters degree is the entry level into the profession; consequently students completing the undergraduate major are not prepared to work as independent professionals.  The student who successfully completes the undergraduate major and who wishes to become professionally qualified to seek employment as a speech-language pathologist must complete a graduate program. A speech-language pathologist is trained to diagnose and treat developmental and acquired communication disorders such as difficulties with comprehension and generation of language, speech or voice production, or speech fluency. Speech-language pathologists are also trained to diagnose and treat swallowing disorders. 

The graduate program in Communication Disorders and Sciences prepares students for professional careers as speech-language pathologists. The program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Graduates of the Master of Science program meet the academic and clinical education standards established by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) and the requirements of New Jersey for the License in Speech-Language Pathology.

Clinical experiences in speech language pathology are important components of these degree programs and are offered in the WPU Speech and Hearing Clinic as well as numerous external sites.