Communication Sciences and Disorders Minor

Dr. Cynthia R. O’Donoghue, Head
Phone: (540) 568-6440
Email: odonogcr@jmu.edu
Location: Health and Behavioral Studies Building, Room 1026
Website: http://www.csd.jmu.edu

Professors
R. DePaolis, L. Gray, C. O’Donoghue, J. Spindel

Associate Professors
C. Clinard, C. Dudding, S. Pavelko, A. Rout, G. Timler

Assistant Professors
S. Ingram, E. Kamarunas, C. Kuo, J. Lee, M. Longerbeam, Y. Nie, E. Piker

Instructors
E. Clinard, L. Freeman

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 communicationsciences 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 Speech, Language, and Hearing Clinic, 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.
• Offering a minor in communication sciences and disorders for undergraduate students majoring in other fields.

Programs of Study

The department offers a B.A. and B.S. in communication sciences and disorders. The department also offers the M.S. in speech-language pathology (professional preparation), the M.S. in communication sciences and disorders (research), 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.

Speech, Language, and Hearing Clinic

The JMU applied teaching laboratory for CSD students provides the following services for communicatively impaired individuals 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

With relevant graduate degrees:

• Audiologist in medical centers, medical practice, private practice
• Clinical supervisor
• Hearing scientist
• Researcher, university professor
• Speech-language pathologist in the public schools, rehabilitation centers, medical environment, private practice
• Speech scientist

Co-curricular Organizations

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