Program Description
The Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders (CMD) is a pre-professional program designed for students seeking to eventually become speech-language pathologists. The program prepares students for future graduate training, which is needed before employment as a speech-language pathologist is possible. It is important to maintain a GPA of 3.00 or higher because few graduate schools will accept less.
At the undergraduate level, students gain a broad understanding of the scientific bases of normal speech and hearing processes and the diagnostic and rehabilitation procedures necessary to work with individuals who have communication problems.
Delivery Mode
Traditional (on campus)
Curriculum
| Course | Credits |
| General Education Courses | 40 or 41 |
| Building a Sense of Community UNI 100 First-Year Seminar |
1 |
| Composition ENG 101 English Composition I |
3 |
| Public Speaking EDU 350 Supporting English Language Learners (recommended) OR Any Public Speaking Course |
3 |
| Mathematics and Quantitative Literacy MAT 181 College Algebra (recommended) OR Any Mathematics and Quantitative Literacy Course |
3 |
| Health and Wellness Any Health and Wellness Course |
3 |
| Technological Literacy EDU 333 Technology for Teaching and Learning (recommended) OR Any Technological Literacy Course |
3 |
| Humanities Any American/English Literature Course (recommended) OR Any Humanities Course |
3 |
| Fine Arts Any Fine Arts Course |
3 |
| Natural Sciences Any Natural Sciences Course (CMD-approved BIO, CHE or PHY recommended) |
3 or 4 |
| Social Sciences EDU 310 Teaching in a Multicultural Society (recommended) OR Any Social Sciences Course |
3 |
General Education Options
|
12 |
| Required Major Courses | 50 |
| CMD 105 Language and Speech Development | 3 |
| CMD 108 Nature of Language | 3 |
| CMD 203 Phonetics | 3 |
| CMD 216 Articulation | 3 |
| CMD 220 Comm Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| CMD 221 Speech Science | 3 |
| CMD 300 Fundamentals of Language Disorders in Children | 3 |
| CMD 301 Fundamentals of Language Disorders in Adults | 3 |
| CMD 305 Intro to Audiology | 3 |
| CMD 306 Acoustics/Psychoacoustics | 3 |
| CMD 310 Anatomy and Physiology | 3 |
| CMD 320 Assessment of Speech and Language | 3 |
| CMD 321 Common Organic Disorders | 3 |
| CMD 322 Tech Writing in Health and Ed | 3 |
| CMD 450 Intro to Clinical Procedures | 3 |
CMD Clinical Practicum Series:
|
4 to 6 |
| Recommended Related Courses | 9 to 11 |
| Any BIO (CMD approved) | 3 or 4 |
| Any CHE or PHY (CMD approved) | 3 or 4 |
| Any Statistics (CMD approved) | 3 |
| Related Electives | 9 |
| CMD 350 Sign Language and Braille I | 3 |
| ESP 210 Special Education Foundations and Collaboration | 3 |
| PSY 208 Educational Psychology | 3 |
| Free Electives | 10 to 12 |
| Total | 120 |
Additional requirements, not counted toward the General Education requirements, include:
- Special Experience Course (1 course required): CMD 450 Intro to Clinical Procedures
- Writing-Intensive Component Courses (2 courses required): CMD 321 AND CMD 322
- Laboratory Course (1 course required): BIO, CHE or PHY recommended
Program Notes:
- 42 credits must be upper division courses (300 or 400 level).
- Credits associated with developmental courses do not count toward degree
- 3.0 overall GPA is required to graduate from this major; otherwise, the student will earn a General Education degree.
- Biology, chemistry, ethics and physics courses must meet current ASHA requirements.
- Two science courses are required. One biology and one physical science course that
addresses either chemistry or physics and meets current ASHA requirements.
- One of these courses should satisfy the Gen Ed - Natural Sciences requirement.
- One of these courses should satisfy the Gen Ed - Laboratory course requirement.
- Student must submit current clearances, checks, etc., prior to academic term in which clinical experiences/observations are obtained, such as CMD Clinical Practicum Series. These include but are not limited to: ACT 24 (Arrest/Conviction), ACT 31 (Mandated Report Training), Act 34 (Criminal Hx), ACT 114 (FBI Fingerprinting), ACT 151 (Child Abuse Hx), HIPAA Compliance and Hand Hygiene Training.
- Four credits of the Clinical Practicum Series are required (6 credit max) for this degree. Rec: CMD 400 (1-credit), CMD 401 (1- credit) and CMD 402 (2-3 credits). First-year students and those without an overall GPA of 2.0 are not permitted to enroll in the CMD Clinical Practicum Series.
- Graduate school acceptance is competitive and the completion of this undergraduate program does not guarantee acceptance into this University’s graduate program in communication disorders.
Additional Requirements
Students will complete clinical work via the CMD 400 series.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) requires all CMD majors to successfully complete one biology course, one physics or chemistry course, one statistics course and a social science course outside of this department. Students register for these courses through the General Education portion of the curriculum.
Clinical Experience
Faculty believe that students should experience hands-on clinical contact early in their program of study. The communication disorders program provides contact with clients by having undergraduate students assist in:
- the department's Learning and Language Center, a preschool program;
- the University Speech and Hearing Clinic; and
- the University Audiology Clinic.
Program Webpage
https://www.calu.edu/academics/undergraduate/bachelors/communication-disorders/index.aspx