Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD)
The mission of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is the preparation of professionals qualified to provide independent professional diagnostic and therapy services to a diverse population with a wide range of communication and swallowing needs.
The goals of the Department of CSD for the Undergraduate Program are that graduates of the program will be prepared to:
- Describe the biological, physiological, and neurological principles related to speech, language and hearing.
- Explain the basic communication processes and current acoustic, psychological, developmental and linguistic theories.
- Effectively document the clinical features of common communication disorders.
- Develop case reports that are easily understood and well-organized, as measured by oral and written communication projects completed during the senior year in capstone and other senior courses.
To graduate from UCA, students must complete a minimum of 120 semester hours. These hours include the UCA Core courses required of all students (see: Lower-Division UCA Core Check Sheet) and the courses required for the student’s major. Also, 40 of the 120 hours must be upper division (3000-4000 level) courses.
CSD majors must complete 46 hours of coursework in the department and related course requirements that includes the following:
- In addition to the Biology lab course required for the UCA lower division core, two 4 hour biology lab courses.
- 4 hours of chemistry/physics (one of the following courses: CHEM 1402[CHEM 1214], CHEM 1450[CHEM1414]; PHYS 1405, PHYS 1410[PHYS2014], PHYS 1441[PHYS2034])
- Statistics (PSYC 2330)
- A course in Psychology or Sociology or Anthropology
A notation in [SQUARE BRACKETS] following selected courses indicates the corresponding Arkansas Course Transfer System (ACTS) index number. For more information, see the Undergraduate Bulletin.
A minor is not required in CSD but acceptable. Suggested minors include: foreign language, psychology, sociology, or business. In lieu of a minor, students should complete 13-19 hours of electives across related disciplines approved by the major academic advisor.
Admission and Retention
Anyone can declare CSD as a major; however to graduate with a CSD major, students must maintain a 2.75 overall GPA and a 3.0 GPA in CSD courses. Students with GPA’s less than these minimums will be on academic probation. Once on probation, students will be allowed to continue taking coursework in the major; however, in the following semester students need to achieve the minimum overall and/or major GPA to continue as an undergraduate major in CSD. If a student receives a D or F in any CSD course, the course must be repeated before the student can graduate. The following CSD courses are open to all students including non-majors:
- CSD 2300 Intro to Communication Sciences and Disorders
- CSD 2322 Applied Phonetics
- CSD 2306 Neuroscience for Communication Sciences and Disorders
- CSD 2303 Basic Sign Language
- CSD 4303 Intermediate Sign Language
All other courses in the CSD department require declaration of Communication Sciences and Disorders as a major and consultation with a CSD undergraduate advisor before enrolling. Also, many upper division gen ed courses require prerequisites or consent from the instructor prior to enrolling. Courses may be used only once to satisfy the general education requirements. A minimum grade of C is required in some gen ed courses. The CSD curriculum is designed to reflect the requirements of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association who accredit our program and includes coursework in biological science, physical science, mathematics, and social/behavioral sciences. NOTE: If a student’s ACT subject score is below 19 in reading, writing, or algebra, remediation is required. The University College provides remediation, and their telephone number is 450-3220 (ucollege@uca.edu). For additional information, consult your academic advisor or the undergraduate bulletin.
Important note regarding course substitution for general education health studies: If a student has completed a transfer course work for H Ed 2200 Personal Health and is trying to complete the general education health-studies requirement, students can choose from the following courses: 1104 Aerobic Dance, 1105 Advanced Aerobic Dance, 1113 Swimming for Fitness, 1125 Conditioning Activities, 1135 Beginning Weight Training, 1145 Beginning Walking/Jogging, 1291 Principles of Lifetime Fitness.
Also note: Sports courses such as golf, bowling, tennis, soccer, etc., and dance (such as ballroom, square, modern, etc.) will not satisfy the one-hour lifetime fitness requirement.
Student Support Services
CSD students are fully supported in their program through departmental advising, assistance from support staff, and direct connection with instructors. CSD students are also supported through various campus offices and resources. Please see the links below for available campus resources.
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) offers programs to prepare speech-language pathologists for clinical practice. Graduates of the undergraduate program are expected to possess adequate intellectual skills to meet the curricular demands of the program and be proficient in oral and written English.
Because the CSD Department is dedicated to training professionals who possess the intelligence, integrity, and compassion functions for graduates (see document Professional Dispositions and Essential Functions (student document) and Professional Dispositions and Essentials Functions (departmental policy), faculty regularly evaluate student performance to ensure that students meet the aforementioned professional dispositions and essential functions. When a problem occurs, remediation procedures are considered. Occasionally it is necessary to counsel a student out of the major for non-academic reasons; however, before exercising this course of action, there is extensive discussion with the student regarding the problem(s) and with the faculty about options. The intention of this policy is to give students a fair opportunity to succeed.
A Master’s Degree is required for licensure in speech-language pathology. To practice as a speech-language pathologist in Arkansas and other states, individuals must have a master’s degree and be licensed. To be licensed, individuals must have the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. To obtain this certificate, individuals must successfully complete a master’s degree, pass a national examination and complete a clinical fellowship year. The clinical fellowship year is typically completed during the first year the graduate is working as a speech-language pathologist. The master’s program takes two full years to complete.
A student wishing to declare Speech-Language Pathology in Communication Sciences and Disorders as a major should contact the department and schedule an initial advising meeting with:
Pearlie Williams
Academic Advising
201 Donaghey Ave.
Conway, AR 72035-0001
email: pwilliams@uca.edu
Contact us
Integrated Health Sciences
201 Donaghey Ave., UCA Box 4985
Conway, AR 72035
Phone: 501-852-2780
Fax: 501-450-5474