Mar 28, 2024  
2013-2014 General Catalog (Summer, Fall 2013) 
    
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Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education - BA


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Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education

 

Bachelor of Arts Degree Language Requirement


Bachelor of Arts Degree

A Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree signifies proficiency in one or more foreign languages. Specifically, the BA requirement may be completed in one of the following ways:

  1. Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language by successful completion of one course at the 2020-level or higher (or its equivalent).
    Or
  2. Demonstration of proficiency in American Sign Language by successful completion of COMD 4920  and COMD 4780 , and by passing an exit interview.
    Or
  3. Demonstration of proficiency in two foreign languages by successful completion of the 1020 course level in one language and the 2010 course level in the second language (or its equivalent).
    Or
  4. Completion of an upper-division (3000-level or higher) foreign language grammar or literature course requiring the 2020 course level (or its equivalent) as a prerequisite. Conversation courses cannot be considered for satisfying this requirement.

For nonnative English-speaking students only, the following options are available:

  1. Successful completion of the Intensive English Language Institute (IELI) program for international students.
    Or
  2. TOEFL, Michigan, or IELI placement scores high enough to meet the University admission criteria.

Bachelor’s Degree in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education


There are two areas of focus available within the department: (1) communicative disorders, which includes courses in audiology and speech-language pathology, and (2) education of the deaf and hard of hearing. Though the BS or BA is available in both tracks, the student should be aware that there is no professional employment licensure in either communicative disorders or education of the deaf and hard of hearing at the bachelor’s level.

Option 1: Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology


Any accepted student at Utah State University may major in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education (COMDDE) during the freshman and/or sophomore years. However, during the first semester of the junior year, the student must formally apply for admission into the COMDDE undergraduate professional preparation program. Application forms for admission into COMDDE will be disseminated in class during the first semester of the junior year. As part of the application process, each student will complete the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services Writing Examination. The student will be accepted if cumulative grade point average is 3.0 or higher, University Studies credits are within 15 credits of completion, and the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services Writing Examination has been taken and passed. Students who are accepted into the undergraduate program must maintain the acceptance standards each semester in order to continue in the major.

Transfer students or students applying for admission into the program subsequent to the fall semester of their junior year must receive approval from the assistant department head before beginning their matriculation in major classes.

Admission into the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services teacher education program is necessary before the student may take licensure courses taught in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership and the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation, which are supportive of the major. Admission into the teacher education program is also required prior to taking the Communicative Disorders clinical practicum coursework. Application to the teacher education program typically takes place at the beginning of the graduate program.

Course Requirements


Each student in audiology and speech-language pathology must complete a component of professional training, which includes departmental and extra-departmental coursework. This professional training component includes the following courses:

Suggested Semester Schedule for Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education Majors (Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology)


The following Breadth, Depth and Major courses are required or recommended for a degree in COMDDE. This is a model of the requirements and possible sequence of courses. However, students may progress through the program or have more flexibility if they have high ACT scores, CLEP credit, concurrent enrollment credit, AP credit, and/or transfer credit; or if they attend during summer semesters. All students should meet with the academic advisor prior to registering to work out a specific individualized plan.

Freshman Year (30-31 credits)

Sophomore Year (29-31 credits)

Junior Year (26-29 credits)

Note:

A minimum 3.0 overall GPA is required for admission to the professional program during the junior year (approximately 60 credits). While a minimum 3.0 GPA gains a student acceptance into our bachelor’s degree program, graduate schools, including USU have a much higher GPA expectation.

Fall Semester (13 credits)

Spring Semester (13-16 credits)

Senior Year (33-35 credits)

Acceptable Related Courses (choose 3 courses)


Students must select three acceptable related courses. Please note that some of these courses have prerequisites. In addition to the courses listed below, other courses may also be approved. It is very important to meet often with your academic advisor to ensure that requirements are met in a timely manner.

Option 2: Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bilingual Bicultural Teacher Preparation


The bilingual bicultural teacher preparation program does not view deafness as a disability to be treated, but rather as a cultural and linguistic difference. Therefore, students are prepared to be teachers, not clinicians. For this reason, the undergraduate program in Deaf Education is a composite major, not in “communicative disorders,” but rather in teacher education (i.e., Deaf Education and Elementary Education). For the teacher, deafness is not a disorder to be treated. Teachers must have the knowledge and skills necessary to teach literacy and all academic subjects. The language of instruction emphasized in this program is American Sign Language. Deaf children receiving a quality education learn the same academic content in each grade that hearing children learn, and students preparing to teach deaf children must be prepared to teach all school subjects and have the same expectations of deaf children as they do of hearing children. For this reason, students majoring in Deaf Education and Elementary Education take courses in both the Deaf Education program and the Elementary Education program.

Note:


Students wishing to obtain teacher certification in Deaf Education and Elementary Education must complete the undergraduate requirements for the composite major and complete a two-semester graduate program, during which student teaching requirements are fulfilled. There is no certification available at the bachelor’s degree level.

University Studies Requirements for Composite Deaf Education and Elementary Education Major and Composite Deaf Education and Early Childhood Education Major


Quantitative Literacy (QL) (3 credits)

(A grade lower than a C- will not be accepted in these courses.)

Breadth Requirements (18-19 credits)

Choose one course from the following to meet the BCA requirement:

Exploration Requirement (3-4 credits)

Students in the Deaf Education and Elementary Education or Deaf Education and Early Childhood Education composite majors should fulfill this requirement by completing PHYS 1200  (BPS).

Depth Education Requirements

Quantitative Intensive (QI) (1 course)

(A grade lower than a C- will not be accepted in these courses.)

Depth Course Requirements (4 credits minimum)

Complete at least 4 credits in approved University Studies depth courses designated DSC, DHA, or DSS (outside of area of emphasis).

Provisional Admission Process and Requirements

More students major in Elementary Education at USU than in any other major. Students completing the composite Deaf Education and Elementary Education major must apply for admission to teacher education along with Elementary Education majors. Therefore, competition for admission into the program is very keen. Due to increased demands for admission, coupled with limited resources, a ceiling of 180 students has been placed on admissions each year. Thus, admission to USU does not necessarily guarantee admission into the Elementary Education Program.

Provisional admission to the Elementary and Early Childhood Teacher Education Program is determined by (1) the student’s GPA in a set of core courses, (2) ACT scores or PPST test results, (3) the number of credits a student has taken, and (4) successful completion of a group assessment interview. (Additional factors to be weighted may be gender and/or minority status consistent with applicable law.) Additional requirements for application to the program are the CIL (Computer and Information Literacy) exams, a speech and hearing test, a Teacher Education Writing Exam, and a background check through the Utah State Office of Education. Students must also pass and provide written evidence of the Praxis II Elementary Education: Content Knowledge Exam with a score of 150 or higher prior to admission. Applications are accepted each semester. Because there are typically more applicants than there is space available, the number accepted is limited. Students who are not accepted may reapply.

Admission to the Teacher Education Program is a prerequisite for enrollment in the major, starting with Level II. A student desiring admission to the Teacher Education Program should file an application in the Elementary Education Office, located in room 373 of the Emma Eccles Jones Education Building.

Students in the composite majors must work closely with both the Elementary Education academic advisor and the Deaf Education academic advisor, in order to ensure requirements and deadlines for admission are met.

Minimum University Requirements


Total Credits

120

Grade Point Average (most majors require higher GPA)

2.00 GPA

Credits of C- or better

100

Credits of upper-division courses (#3000 or above)

40

USU Credits (30 USU credits, 20 of which must be upper-division courses, 10 of which must be courses required for student’s major)

30 USU credits

Completion of approved major program of study

See college advisor

Credits in minor (if required)

12

Credits in American Institutions (ECN 1500 ;HIST 1700 , HIST 2700  or HIST 2710 ; HONR 1300 POLS 1100 ; or USU 1300 )

3

General Education Requirements  and University Studies Depth Requirements 

 

 

 

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