Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Ayasakanta Rout, Academic Unit Head
Phone: (540) 568-6440
Email: routax@jmu.edu
Location: Health and Behavioral Studies Building, Room 1024
Website: https://www.jmu.edu/chbs/csd/index.shtml

Professors
C. Clinard, R. DePaolis, C. Dudding, A. Rout, G. Timler

Associate Professors
E. Kamarunas, C. Kuo, Y. Nie, E. Piker

Assistant Professors
E. Clinard, M. Dawson, L. Rogenmoser, N. Go, E. Zane

Lecturers
M. Garber, S. Harbick, S. Teter

Mission

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders engages students, faculty and members of the community to advance the state of knowledge through basic and applied research, innovative professional and pre-professional education, and enhanced clinical practices to better serve those with communication disorders.

The department is committed to promoting comprehensive, state-of-the-art undergraduate pre-professional education that includes discipline-specific course work and observation. In keeping with university requirements, this includes a broad-based General Education component. The department also delivers graduate-level course work and practicum experiences for those interested in entering professional practice in either speech-language pathology or audiology, a university teaching and research position, or a management/administrative position in service delivery settings.

The department is committed to advancing the state of knowledge in both basic and applied aspects of communication sciences and disorders through its master’s and doctoral research degrees and the research activities of its faculty and students and to providing service to the profession, university and client communities at local, state, national and international levels. Through the Audiology and Speech-Language Clinics, the department provides services as part of the clinical teaching component of its mission and serves as a clinical research resource for students and faculty.

Goals

Providing course work and observation at the undergraduate level, including study of the underlying science and development of human communication, and an introduction to disorders that may occur in human communication.
Providing course work at the undergraduate level that will prepare students for:
Graduate study in the areas of speech-language pathology or audiology;
Graduate school in a related discipline; and
A liberal education in the discipline of communication sciences and disorders.

Programs of Study

The department offers a B.A. and B.S. degree in communication sciences and disorders. The department also offers the M.S. in speech language pathology (professional preparation), the Au.D. (Doctor of Audiology) and the Ph.D. in communication sciences and disorders with emphases in audiology, speech-language pathology and/or speech and hearing science. Inquiries concerning these graduate programs should be directed to the dean of The Graduate School or the appropriate department graduate coordinator. A master’s degree is the minimum requirement for competency/certification endorsed by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and for Virginia licensure in speech-language pathology. In audiology, a doctoral degree is the minimum requirement for competency/certification endorsed by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and for new Virginia licensure applicants.

The Audiology and Speech-Language Clinics

The JMU Audiology clinic and the JMU Speech-Language clinic provide the following services for individuals with communication disorders across the life span of the university community and its service area. Appointments for services may be made by any member of the community.

Areas of Service Delivery

Speech-language and/or hearing assessments
Intervention programs in speech, language and hearing disorders
Preventative and educational consultation
Referrals for other professional services when indicated

Career Opportunities

Individuals with a graduate degree in audiology or speech-language pathology can pursue a variety of career options:

Audiologist
Clinical Supervisor
Director of Speech and Hearing Services
Early Intervention Specialist
Hearing Scientist
Private Practitioner
Researcher
Speech-Language Pathologist
Speech Scientist
University Professor

Individuals with a bachelor’s degree may be qualified to pursue other career options:

Audiology assistant
Speech-language pathology assistant

Keep in mind that graduate study is required for most positions in this field. Some individuals who major in communication sciences and disorders go on for further study in special education, medicine and psychology.

Co-curricular Organizations

National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Student Academy of Audiology