Mission
The department of communicative disorders shares in the University of Wisconsin System (UWS) Mission, the University Cluster Core Mission and the Select Mission of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The select mission of the Department of Communicative Disorders and the UWRF Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic is to ensure, through coursework, laboratories, and practicum experiences, that students demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to become competent and ethical entry-level professionals in the field of speech-language pathology.
Goal
To prepare undergraduate students for graduate study in the fields of speech-language pathology and audiology.
Program
The undergraduate program includes 38 credits in the major:
COMD 160 Introduction to Communicative Disorders
COMD 261 Language Development
COMD 262 Speech Systems
COMD 263 Phonetics
COMD 264 Speech Science
COMD 275 Clinical Observation/Discussion
COMD 350 Articulation/Phonological Disorders
COMD 362 Language Assessment and Intervention
COMD 360 Audiology I
COMD 460 Voice Disorders
COMD 463 Stuttering/Behavior Modification
COMD 466 Aural Rehabilitation
COMD 479 Clinical Procedures and Experience
Faculty
The department of communicative disorders consists of five full-time professors, a clinic director, and two part-time clinical supervisors. All faculty members hold certification through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Why Major in Communicative Disorders?
- Upon completion of the master’s degree, students are prepared to work as speech-language pathologists in hospital settings, rehabilitation centers, early childhood centers, public schools, long-term care facilities, and private practice.
- Speech-language pathologists and audiologists have day-to day contact with children and adults who experience a variety of communicative disorders (including language disorders, articulation disorders, autism, stroke, traumatic brain injury, hearing impairments, swallowing disorders, cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders).
- There is a national shortage of speech-language pathologists. The department of communicative disorders boasts 100 percent placement of its graduate students since 1975.
