Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

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The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is committed to leadership and excellence in educating Emerson students. The department offers BS and MS degrees in Communication Sciences and Disorders. A minor in Hearing and Deafness is available, including coursework in American Sign Language.

Study in all these disciplines is designed to emphasize critical thinking; rational inquiry; ethical behavior; scientific evidence; and the application to clinical practice, advocacy, and education. The department is dedicated to fostering among its students appreciation of and respect for the diversity of human cultures along with the relevance of this diversity to the department’s fields of study.

Along with classwork, students undertake extracurricular activities and experiences in the field that help them develop and apply their knowledge in the working world. Most courses take place at the Boston campus, but students can also take liberal arts courses as part of the Global Pathways programs, including in Barcelona and The Netherlands.

Programs

The purpose of the undergraduate degree program in Communication Disorders (CD) is to provide students with intensive academic preparation in the basic human communication processes. This preparation includes courses related to speech, language, and hearing in typical development and in individuals with communication disorders and differences; anatomical structures and scientific bases of speech production; and American Sign Language. In addition, students will be guided to take appropriate courses in statistics, social or behavioral science (e.g., psychology or sociology); biological science and physics or chemistry, which satisfy both the Liberal Arts 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 fields, including psychology and education. The degree also prepares students for employment in other health professions. Undergraduate students majoring in Communication Disorders become candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree.

The faculty of the undergraduate degree program in Communication Disorders is committed to the following learning objectives.

Students will:

1. Demonstrate basic clinical and research writing skills.
2. Demonstrate a foundational understanding of the scientific bases of communication and its disorders.
3. Apply scientific and theoretical knowledge to clinical processes.
4. Engage actively with peers and faculty to attain meaningful outcomes.
5. Practice critical thinking and rational inquiry in the study of communication disorders.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the range of human diversity and its relationship to communication disorders.

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders includes the Robbins Speech, Language, and Hearing Center. Since 1953, the Robbins Center has provided evaluation and treatment for children and adults with communication deficits, 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 Hard of Hearing Children, the Program for Acquired Communication Disorders, the Program for Developmental Communication Disorders, the Program for Speech Improvement, the Gender Affirming Voice and Communication Program, and the Group Language Therapy Program.

All Communication Disorders majors are given opportunities to obtain 25 hours of guided observations in CD courses and in the Robbins Center or elsewhere, tied to CD courses; volunteer opportunities in the Robbins Center are often available as well. Upper-level students may elect to take “Field Experience,” which is roughly equivalent to a clinical internship. This elective provides students with opportunities to interact directly with individuals with communicative impairments; also, it enables 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. Upper-level students may also apply to participate in the Robbins Center Clinic Buddies Program, which pairs undergraduate students with graduate students who are providing clinical services to clients in the Robbins Center. The Clinic Buddies Program is an opportunity for undergraduate students to gain additional insight into the clinical process.

Several Communication Disorders majors may partner with the department’s faculty to gain research experience in state-of-the-art facilities; such partnerships are enabled through volunteer activities, work-study obligations, or through co-curricular credit. The department has an active chapter of the National Student Speech, Language and Hearing Association on campus, and many Communication Disorders majors volunteer for service programs, such as Jumpstart or Best Buddies.

Programs

• Communication Disorders, B.S.

• Hearing and Deafness Minor

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