Programs

To meet the many and expanding challenges within the communication disorders field, the department offers high quality education and clinical experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The Communication Sciences and Disorders undergraduate major prepares students for admission to professional graduate degree or licensure programs in speech-language pathology, audiology, or education of the hearing impaired.  This pre-professional undergraduate program also prepares students to work as clinical aides to communication disorders specialists working in a variety of human service and health care settings. The program includes the study of phonetics, the anatomy and physiology of the speech and hearing mechanisms, the normal development of speech and language, and the nature and treatment of disorders of speech, language, and hearing disorders.

The Communication Sciences and Disorders Program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth provided undergraduate and graduate education in speech-language pathology. The Master’s of Communication Sciences and Disorders M.A. education program in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Minnesota Duluth is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301- 296-5700.  Accredited since 1978, the program prepares students to work in a variety of professional settings and to meet the challenges of serving individuals with diverse communication impairments. Students choose UMD's Communication Sciences and Disorders Program because it offers the courses, the clinical experiences, and the individualized instruction needed to become a skilled speech language pathologist. Up-to-date courses reflecting current needs in the profession area available, such as courses in assistive technology, child language disorders, dysphagia, motor speech disorders, speech science instrumentation, and stuttering. Employers seek graduates from the program because they are well equipped to serve people with communication handicaps. Student have presented their research work at state, national, and international conferences.

The Edwin H. Eddy Foundation and the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program co-sponsor workshops each year, featuring prominent leaders in clinical assessment and rehabilitation. These workshops attract speech language pathologists, audiologists, and other professionals from across the nation.

The Communication Sciences and Disorders Program is dedicated to teaching students how to apply academic and research concepts to the realities of clinical practice. Through internships in the University Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic and affiliated internship sites, students readily accrue the varied clinical experience required to obtain the Certificate of Clinical Competence and to prepare for future employment.