SHU Introduces Communication Disorders Undergrad Major
FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University’s College of Health Professions has established a new undergraduate major program in communication disorders, opening in fall of 2019. It will prepare students for graduate work in the fields of speech-language pathology (SLP) or audiology.
The degree can be pursued as either a traditional 4-year or an accelerated 3+2 program. The 3+2 option includes three years of undergraduate work before entering the two year master’s degree program. The undergraduate curriculum consists of courses in preparation for graduate work, including anatomy, physiology, and neurology of speech, language, hearing and swallowing; as well as courses on the typical development of speech, language, and hearing; the nature of sound, and the structure of language. The program also requires courses in science, math and psychology.
“This new program prepares students for jobs in speech-language pathology upon completion of a two-year master’s degree, following their undergraduate program,” said Rhea Paul, chair of the SLP program. Students wishing to become audiologists will pursue a three-year professional doctorate in their field. Speech-language pathologists and audiologists are in high demand, Paul said.
“There is a need for these professionals because as the baby boomers age, they experience trouble with hearing and communication,” she said. “They will need rehabilitation and professionals to provide it.”
These professionals also work with children, and there is especially strong demand for speech-language pathologists to work in schools to help young people succeed in the classroom, according to Paul.
“People see these professions as a solid opportunity,” Paul said. “It’s a lifelong career.”
For more information on the communication disorders program, including course work, visit https://www.sacredheart.edu/academics/collegeofhealthprofessions/academicprograms/communicationdisorders/undergraduatemajor/.
PHOTO: Sacred Heart University student Katie Bednarz works with a client during an articulation camp at the Center for Healthcare Education. Photo by Tracy Deer-Mirek (2018)
About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus, which is located about an hour from Manhattan and 2.5 hours from Boston. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland. More than 8,500 students attend the University’s eight colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business; Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, yet at the same time develops students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives and professions and in their communities. A spirit of service, entrepreneurship and social justice is the essence of who we are and can be seen inside and outside the classroom as students learn how to make a difference far beyond Fairfield. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 384 Colleges–2019 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 267 Business Schools–2018 Edition. It also placed SHU on its lists for “Happiest Students” and “Most Engaged in Community Service,” each of which comprises only 20 U.S. schools. Sacred Heart has a Division I athletics program. www.sacredheart.edu