Communication Sciences & Disorders :: Undergraduate Program

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BS in Communication Sciences & Disorders

The purpose of the undergraduate degree program in Communication Sciences and Disorders is to provide students with intensive academic preparation in the basic human communication processes. This preparation includes courses related to normal aspects of speech, language and hearing, the anatomical structures and scientific bases of speech production, American Sign Language, and instruction in scientific principles and the variety of disorders of speech, language, and hearing. In addition, students will be guided to take appropriate courses in math and the sciences, including behavioral and social sciences, which satisfy both the general education requirements of the College and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s standards. The undergraduate degree program is designed to prepare students for eventual graduate study in speech-language pathology, audiology, or related areas, to prepare them for paraprofessional employment, or to help students make decisions concerning future graduate study in this and related fields.

Students who may be interested in combining their interest in health science with a career in communications may be interested in pursuing either the BS/MA in CSD/Health Communication or by completing a minor in Political Communication, Marketing Communication: Advertising and Public Relations or Management Communication.

The faculty of the undergraduate degree program in Communication Sciences and Disorders is committed to the following goals:

To provide scientific orientation to the study of communication.
To provide students with introductory information on disorders of speech, language, and hearing that can be used as a background for graduate study in speech-language pathology or audiology.
To provide students with the opportunity to complete observations of speech, language, and hearing service activity, and to obtain the documented hours of observation required by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
To provide clinical opportunities for students through the Field Experience option as interns in clinical settings which enable them to begin acquiring basic clinical skills related to their level of academic preparation and pre-professional training.

Undergraduate students majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders become candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree. Transfer students entering Emerson later than the first semester of the junior year should expect to enroll for at least an additional term to meet degree requirements.

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders operates the Robbins Speech, Language and Hearing Center. Since 1953, the Robbins Center has provided evaluation and treatment for children and adults with communication problems, as well as education programs for family members and caregivers. A number of programs are run through the Robbins Center, including the Thayer Lindsley Family-Centered Program for deaf and/or hard of hearing young children, the Program for Acquired Communication Disorders, and the Program for Developmental Communication Disorders. Other programs affiliated with the Robbins Center include the Children’s Hospital Group Language Therapy Program, the New England Fluency Program, and the Oral Sensory Motor Group for children with feeding and swallowing disorders.

Students in the undergraduate degree program participate in service learning placements in urban preschool programs and complete observational experiences within the Department as part of the required course work for individual courses. Volunteer experiences in our clinical program are often available to our undergraduate students. Upper-level students may choose to participate in a Field Experience designed to match their clinical or research interests. This elective provides students the opportunity to interact directly with communicatively impaired people. The experience also allows students to learn about the types of services provided in various agencies through contact with speech-language pathologists, audiologists or other professionals working in the field.

Sequence of Courses for the Undergraduate CSD Major

Freshman Year

Course Code	Course Information
CD162	American Sign Language I 4.00 Credits This course concentrates on an introduction to American Sign Language and American deaf culture. Students are introduced to commonly used signs and basic rules of grammar. The course also explores information related to the deaf community, interaction between deaf and hearing people, and deaf education. Fulfills the General Education World Languages requirement.
CD193	Introduction to Communication Disorders 4.00 Credits Students are introduced to the variety of communication disorders seen in children and adults. The roles of professional speech-language pathologists and audiologists are explored through presentations by guest speakers who describe their various work experiences in the field. Through viewing of videotaped diagnostic and treatment sessions, students begin to become familiar with clinical terminology and procedures.

Course Code

Course Information

CD162

American Sign Language I

CD193

Introduction to Communication Disorders

Sophomore Year

Course Code	Course Information
CD233	Phonetics 4.00 Credits Students study clinical phonetics including an overview of linguistic phonetics, speech production, and acoustic phonetics. Students learn the discrimination skills needed to analyze and transcribe speech sounds (vowels, diphthongs, and consonants) using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The relevance of course content to clinical and other applications is discussed as students learn the use of IPA to describe the speech of individuals with communicative impairments and different social dialects and accents.
CD234	Anatomy and the Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanisms 4.00 Credits Students study the structure of the biological systems that underlie speech, language, and hearing with an emphasis on the processes and neural control of respiration, phonation, resonance, and articulation. Clinical disorders are used to elucidate dysfunction of these normal processes as substrates for human communication.
CD301	Language Acquisition 4.00 Credits Students explore the theoretical and practical aspects of the language learning process and its relation to other aspects of cognitive and social development. The course includes discussion of the development of speech and language skills throughout the life span, from birth to adulthood. This course includes a required service learning component involving weekly participation in an area preschool program throughout the semester.

Junior Year

Course Code	Course Information
CD312	Survey of Speech Disorders 4.00 Credits This course provides students with a basic understanding of human communication in areas of phonology, fluency, and voice. Issues related to assessment and intervention are addressed primarily through lecture, audio-visual presentations, case studies and class discussion. In addition, students observe diagnostic and therapy sessions toward completion of the 25 hours required by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Students are required to abstract and integrate information from clinical observations into thoughtful, well-written clinical observation reports. Prerequisite: CD 234.
CD313	Survey of Language Disorders 4.00 Credits This course provides students with a basic understanding of disorders of human communication associated with developmental and acquired language disorders in both children and adults. Issues related to assessment and intervention are addressed primarily through lecture, audio-visual presentations, case studies, class discussion, and observation of diagnostic and therapy sessions. Prerequisite: CD 301. This is a writing intensive course in which students will write a major term paper with revisions and learn to use the APA writing conventions.

Course Code

Course Information

CD312

Survey of Speech Disorders

CD313

Survey of Language Disorders

Senior Year

Course Code	Course Information
CD403	Speech Science and Instrumentation 4.00 Credits This course is designed to present core concepts and terminology relating to speech processes and to examine the status of current research in select areas. Accordingly, course content includes examination of physiological, acoustic, and perceptual processes involved in speech production and perception. Material relating to instrumentation in speech science is covered, and students get exposure to laboratory instrumentation for displaying and analyzing speech signals. Prerequisites: CD 233 and CD 234.
CD467	Principles and Procedures in Audiology 4.00 Credits Students learn detailed anatomy of the ear with an overview of the physics of sound and current medical and audiologic management of hearing loss. The course covers pure tone and speech audiometry, site-of-lesion testing, and audiogram interpretation.
CD468	Methods in Aural Rehabilitation 4.00 Credits This course examines theories underlying habilitation and rehabilitation procedures for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and adults. The course covers the effects of hearing loss on an individual and family, education of children with hearing loss, use of sensory aids, and design of aural rehabilitation programs for various populations. Prerequisite: CD 467.

Students majoring in CSD are advised to take the following courses to fulfill their General Education requirements and/or satisfy the academic requirements for their future certification by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Course Code	Course Information
MT207	Statistics 4.00 Credits This course provides an introduction to statistics with application to communication, social and behavioral sciences. Topics include the nature of statistical methods, descriptive statistics, probability distribution and the normal curve, correlation, hypothesis testing, and basic parametric and nonparametric tests.
PS333	Developmental Psychology 4.00 Credits The class explores the stage/age-related physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development of individuals. Topics include physical maturation and sensory-motor development; thinking, reasoning and language processes; personality growth, social cognition and interpersonal interaction. Attention is also given to the discussion of contemporary controversial topics.
CD153	Images of the Disabled 4.00 Credits A study of how the disabled are portrayed in film, theatre, and literature in contrast with the realities of society. This course examines the issue of disability as a culture and, as such, fulfills the General Education U.S. Diversity requirement.

One Biological Science course (see course descriptions)	4 Credits
One Physical Science course (see course descriptions)	4 Credits