May 08, 2024  
2024-2025 General Catalog 
  
2024-2025 General Catalog

Communicative Disorders - BA, BS


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Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education

About This Degree

A bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders is a pre-professional degree that prepares students for graduate school in speech-language pathology or clinical or educational audiology. Students in USU’s program choose to focus on either speech-language pathology or audiology.

Speech-language pathologists work with individuals of all ages who have difficulty communicating, learning to communicate, feeding, or swallowing. This may include infants with feeding disorders or children with speech, language, hearing, or literacy development problems. It may also include children and adults who stutter, have voice disorders, or suffer from speech, language, and swallowing problems as a consequence of neurological disease or stroke.

Audiologists evaluate and manage individuals who are suspected or have been identified as having differences associated with hearing. Audiologists conduct testing to help identify hearing loss, select and fit hearing aids, program cochlear implants, and provide aural rehabilitation.

Students receive a BS by completing all required courses in the major. To receive a BA, students must also gain proficiency in one or more foreign languages.

Minimum University Requirements


Admission Requirements For This Program


  • Freshmen admitted to USU in good standing qualify for admission as pre-COMDDE majors.
  • Transfer students and USU students transferring from other USU majors qualify for the pre-COMDDE major. To move to the COMDDE major, students must meet the department’s admissions requirements.

Major Requirements


To advance from pre-COMDDE to the COMDDE major, students should meet with their advisor after the following requirements have been met:

  • GPA of 3.0 across all courses required for the COMDDE Major that a student can take in pre-COMDDE status

  • Earned at least 45 semester credits

  • Complete at least 5 courses required for the COMDDE Major that the student can take in pre-COMDDE status: Required Gen Ed, Additional Core, COMD 2600 COMD 3500 , and optionally COMD 3010 .

(Transfer students who have completed equivalent courses to those above that have been articulated by USU will be evaluated on those courses.) 

For the COMDDE Major, students take 11 COMD courses and two COMD Options courses plus Gen Ed and Additional Core (see lists below for the courses in each category.)

In order to graduate with a degree in COMDDE, students admitted to the major must maintain a 3.0 major GPA and a grade of C or better in all COMD courses required for the student’s COMDDE major.  A student must maintain a 3.0 (B) cumulative GPA every semester. 

To improve learning and major GPA, students are allowed to repeat up to a total of three COMD courses. They can also repeat COMDDE Major Required Gen Ed and Additional Core courses (See university policy on repeats; total allowed includes COMD repeats).

Students who fail to meet and maintain the retention criteria will be considered to be on probation. Probationary students may take up to five COMDDE Major courses to regain a cumulative major GPA of 3.0 or better. Students who fail to meet the retention requirements following probation cannot continue in the COMDDE Major. Only one probationary period is permitted.

Students may waive up to six credits of USU COMD upper division course requirements equivalent to transfer courses approved as lower division COMD Electives. This limit excludes ASL courses. This policy does not affect courses approved as specific USU COMD course transfers.See the COMDDE Policies webpage for policy information.

Acceptance into graduate programs is on a competitive basis. Students are selected on GPA in combination with other indicators of achievement. Students planning on graduate school in speech-language pathology, audiology, or deaf education should carefully and honestly evaluate their potential for excelling in their coursework and maintaining a high GPA.

Additional Core Requirements (7 credits)


Additional COMD Options Course Requirements (6-7 credits)


Choose 2 COMD Options courses. Not all courses are offered each semester. See advisor for available Option courses. Students are encouraged to take more than 2 Option courses depending upon interests and career paths. See course catalog or advisor for other educational opportunities not listed here, such as additional ASL courses, Senior Clinic, SLPA Clinical Experience, Honors, and Community Engaged Scholars.

ASL Interpreting Track (47 credits)


Utah State University (USU) has established a track in American Sign Language Interpreting (ASLI), which is an Associate-to-Bachelor’s Degree (BS) in the Communication Disorders and Deaf Education Department. All courses, including upper division courses are offered completely online. Visit https://statewide.usu.edu/saltlake/asl for more information.
Requirements
  • AA, AS or AAS in ASL/English Interpreting
  • B- or better in AA, AS or AAS coursework
  • 3. 0 GPA for admission to USU
  • 3. 0 GPA required for graduation
  • Minimum of 40 credit hours

Students should consult with ASL Interpreting Track advisor to ensure they have met the requirements to pursue this track. https://statewide.usu.edu/saltlake/asl/

Courses taken at other institutions that transfer to USU as lower-division (1000-and 2000-level) COMD Electives will be evaluated to determine if they meet the requirements for COMD 4780 , COMD 4910 , and COMD 4920 . If they do, the degree requirements for these three courses will be met. However, students may then need additional upper-division credits toward their bachelor degree. Students may also choose other upper-division COMD or non-COMD electives.

Students completing the ASL interpreting track take the following courses.

Bilingual-Bicultural Deaf Education Emphasis


A new emphasis in Bilingual-Bicultural Deaf Education was recently approved for the Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education - BA, BS. The department is in the process of requesting approval of a full bachelor’s degree in Deaf Education with ASL/English emphasis. Please contact the department for more information.

Open Electives


Total elective credit is determined by General Education courses taken, degree type selected, additional credits earned, and any additional math or other prerequisite courses needed. Please consult your Academic Advisor for details.

Total Credits: 120


Suggested degree Map - Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education BA, BS


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