Communication Disorders Major

The UNI Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is recognized around the state of Iowa, and nationally, for its excellence.

As a Communication Disorders major, you can choose an area of emphasis in either pre-speech language pathology or pre-audiology.

Through our program, you’ll gain a strong foundation in understanding the development of speech and language across the lifespan, speech and hearing science, developmental neurology and neuroscience, cultural and linguistic diversity, as well as speech, language, hearing, and neurological disorders.

Our alumni frequently report that the coursework, clinical experiences, and relationships with faculty prepare them to be successful in graduate school and as future professionals. Our undergraduate students are highly qualified to pursue a graduate degree for entry into professional practice, either a master’s degree to become a speech-language pathologist or a doctorate to become an audiologist.

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100%

Continuation

Nearly 100% of our undergraduate students go on for graduate study in either speech-language pathology or audiology.

1-on-1

Opportunities

Our undergraduate students have opportunities to work one-on-one with clinical instructors and faculty in the Roy Eblen Speech and Hearing Clinic, Scottish Ritecare Early Language Program, and faculty research labs.

Job

Growth

The number of speech pathologist jobs will increase 25% – much higher than average – from 2019 to 2029, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Find out More

Have questions or want more information? Fill out the form to the right and someone from the department will contact you directly. To receive general university information from UNI’s admissions office, please visit Request More Info About UNI.

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Career opportunities

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree, our students go on to the following post-graduate and career opportunities:

Master’s program in speech-language pathology, or:
Doctoral program in audiology, leading to employment in:
- School settings
- Hospital and other medical settings
- Private practice
Work in related fields such as public health, health administration, or graduate school in other health professions

Opportunities to get involved

Our department prides itself on providing students with a strong academic foundation and hands-on experience.

Each student will complete 25 hours of observation both on-campus and in the community with audiologists or speech-language pathologists, visiting classrooms at a local school, trip to a cadaver lab, and clinical experiences in the Roy Eblen Speech & Hearing Clinic.

Students frequently work in small groups with each other and have the opportunity to work with faculty or clinical supervisors. These experiences are rated highly by our graduating students.

liz

“UNI’s speech-language pathology graduate program provided me with a perfect balance of clinical experience and coursework to best learn how to assess and treat a variety of populations within the field. Each professor and clinical supervisor was always willing to answer questions and talk through real-life scenarios. I felt I had a good set of base skills along with the ability to research information to continue to learn on my own upon starting my first job.”