Communication Disorders, B.H.S.

The College of Health and Human Services  offers an undergraduate major in Communication Disorders. The mission of this undergraduate program is to prepare students for successful entry into professional preparation programs in communication sciences and disorders and related fields, and to provide a high-quality foundation for careers in health sciences and education.  The program provides undergraduates and post-baccalaureate students with an exceptional education in an environment of civic engagement, community service, and diversity.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the undergraduate program in communication disorders, students will be able to:

1. Describe and explain the anatomy, physiology, and neurology of the normal processes of speech, language, hearing and swallowing.
2. Describe and explain the acoustic and psychoacoustic bases and characteristics of normal speech production and perception.
3. Phonetically transcribe American English, including its regional and cultural variations.
4. Explain the roles of linguistic, psycholinguistic, and sociolinguistic (including dialectal, cultural, and economic) factors that influence stages and characteristics of normal communication development and behavior.
5. Explain the effects of dialectal, social, economic, ethnic, and cultural influences on communication behavior.
6. Describe the major communicative characteristics of individuals with disorders of articulation, language, voice, fluency, and hearing.
7. Assess, at a fundamental level, communication behaviors of individuals with disorders of speech, language, and hearing.
8. Design elementary intervention strategies, using a variety of input modalities, for individuals with communication disorders.

Professional Certification and Licensure

Professional practice as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist requires a graduate degree. The undergraduate major in CDIS contributes to the foundational knowledge that is necessary for graduate study, and includes required coursework to qualify for state licensure and national certification. The CDIS bachelor’s degree curriculum thus includes the university’s general education requirements for the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Professional Educator License endorsed in Non-Teaching Speech-Language Pathology, as well as the specific undergraduate level content required for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Information on Professional Licensure within Illinois is included on the Licensure of Teachers and Other School Professionals . Students interested in seeking licensure outside the state of Illinois should read the information found on the Professional Licensure or Certification  page of this catalog. For further information, or an appointment with an advisor, call the Program Office at 708.534.4590.

Special Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting university admission criteria, applicants for the CDIS major must have a grade point average (G.P.A.) of at least 2.75.  Applicants must also meet the ISBE basic skills requirement by having passed the ISBE Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP) or achieved an equivalent ACT or SAT score (as defined by ISBE; for further description of test requirements, please refer to the Student Resources section of www.govst.edu/chhs/cdis/mhs). Applicants who do not have the required G.P.A. may petition for an exception.