Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences & Disorders

BA Core Curriculum

BA Communication Sciences and Disorders Core Requirements

These courses are required to be fulfilled in the Core Curriculum.

• College Algebra
• Introduction to Speech Acoustics
• Human Anatomy/Physiology I
• Human Anatomy/Physiology II
• Essent./Hum Anat/Physi

Requirements

*Major Communication Sciences and Disorders

• Intro to Communication/Sciences Disorder
• Normal Spch/Lang/Learn/Hear
• Audiology
• Clinical Phonetics
• Aural Rehabilitation
• Articulation and Phonological Processing
• Anatomy, Physiology, and Neuro
• Neurogenic Communication Disorders
• Clinical Methods in Communication Disord
• Language Disorders
• Sp/Lang/Hear Prog in Schools
• Voice and Fluency Disorders
• Adv Clin Proc in S-L-H Disord

Choose 6 credits from the following:

• Obser Clin Proc S-L-H Disord
• Clinical Proc & Documentation
• Current Issues in Special Educ
• Swallowing Across the Lifespan
• Augmentative/Alternative Comm
• Clinical Internship

Students are provided with a strong academic foundation in preparation for assessing and treating individuals across the lifespan with communication disorders. Students interact clinically with certified and licensed Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists in a variety of settings as they evaluate and treat individuals of all ages with speech, language, hearing, and/or swallowing problems resulting from a variety of etiologies including brain injury or stroke, cerebral palsy, cleft palate, or development delay.

With an undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, graduates are eligible to become licensed in Texas as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLP-A), who works primarily in the school setting, treating students with communication disorders.

Almost all our students (>95%) continue their education by earning a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology or a doctorate in Audiology. Once completing this additional coursework, students are eligible to become licensed Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) or Audiologists.

About half of speech-language pathologists work in the school setting. The other half work in a variety of settings such as hospitals, long-term care facilities (nursing homes), home health, or private practice. Most audiologists work in a medical setting.

A few graduating students each year choose to work as an SLP-A for a short period of time prior to starting graduate school. These students typically work with the pediatric population close to home. HSU students have found success with the following companies:

• Sweetwater ISD, Sweetwater, Texas
• Angels of Care Pediatric Home Health, Fort Worth
• West Central Texas Shared Services Arrangement, Sweetwater

Hardin-Simmons University accepted its first students to the Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program in the fall of 2021 after receiving its initial candidacy accreditation in May 2021. This program offers an automatic admit from the Hardin-Simmons CSD program and a leveling program for students interested in pursuing a Master’s degree in SLP.

The vast majority of graduating CSD students from HSU continue their education by earning a master’s degree in speech-language pathology or a doctoral degree in audiology. Most HSU students attend graduate programs within the state of Texas. Common schools that students attend include:

• Texas Woman’s University in Denton
• University of Texas in Dallas
• University of Texas in San Antonio
• Texas A&M in El Paso
• Baylor University in Waco