Communication Sciences and Disorders, BS
Program Overview
Communication Sciences and Disorders, BS
The Communication Sciences and Disorders major provides students with opportunities for study in the areas of speechlanguage pathology, audiology, and the normal aspects of speech, hearing, and language. Most students pursue this major because they hope to work as a licensed and certified clinical speech-language pathologist or audiologist, assisting clients with communication impairments arising from acquired neurological conditions, developmental conditions, genetic conditions, or unknown causes. Professional clinical practice follows completion of a master's degree in speechlanguage pathology, or a doctor of audiology degree. Some students pursue the undergraduate major as a foundation for a research career in speech, language or hearing sciences. Others pursue the major as a preliminary step toward advanced training in other professional fields (e.g., medicine, nursing, special education), or as a liberal arts degree that could lead to a variety of different career paths (speechlanguage pathology assistant, educational assistant, line therapist).
How to Get in
- No application required. All students who meet the requirements listed below are eligible to declare.
- Courses required to get in: None
- GPA requirements to get in: None
- Credits required to get in: None
- Other: None
Students are urged to consult with an undergraduate academic advisor as soon as they have decided to major in this field. Course sequencing in the major is not flexible. Certain courses are prerequisites to others.
University General Education Requirements
All undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are required to fulfill a minimum set of common university general education requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of an undergraduate education. This core establishes a foundation for living a productive life, being a citizen of the world, appreciating aesthetic values, and engaging in lifelong learning in a continually changing world. Various schools and colleges will have requirements in addition to the requirements listed below.
- BreadthHumanities/Literature/Arts: 6 credits
- BreadthNatural Science: 4 to 6 credits, consisting of one 4- or 5-credit course with a laboratory component; or two courses providing a total of 6 credits
- BreadthSocial Studies: 3 credits
- Communication Part A & Part B
- Ethnic Studies
- Quantitative Reasoning Part A & Part B
College of Letters & Science Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Science (BS)
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Letters & Science must complete all of the requirements below. The College of Letters & Science allows this major to be paired with either the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degree requirements.
Bachelor of Science Degree Requirements
- Mathematics: Complete two courses of 3+ credits at the Intermediate or Advanced level in MATH, COMP SCI, or STAT subjects. A maximum of one course in each of COMP SCI and STAT subjects counts toward this requirement.
- Language: Complete the third unit of a language other than English.
- L&S Breadth: Complete:
- 12 credits of Humanities, which must include at least 6 credits of Literature; and
- 12 credits of Social Science; and
- 12 credits of Natural Science, which must include 6 credits of Biological Science and 6 credits of Physical Science.
- Liberal Arts and Science Coursework: Complete at least 108 credits.
- Depth of Intermediate/Advanced Coursework: Complete at least 60 credits at the Intermediate or Advanced level.
- Major: Declare and complete at least one major.
- Total Credits: Complete at least 120 credits.
- UW-Madison Experience: Complete both:
- 30 credits in residence, overall, and
- 30 credits in residence after the 86th credit.
- Quality of Work:
- 2.000 in all coursework at UWMadison
- 2.000 in Intermediate/Advanced level coursework at UWMadison
Requirements for the Major
CS&D courses
11 courses and 33 credits from:
- CS&D 120: Culture, Language, and Communication (3 credits)
- CS&D 201: Anatomy and Physiology of Speech Production (3 credits)
- CS&D 202: Hearing Science (3 credits)
- CS&D 210: Neural Basis of Communication (3 credits)
- CS&D 240: Language Development in Children and Adolescents (3 credits)
- CS&D 303: Speech Acoustics and Perception (3 credits)
- CS&D 315: Phonetics and Phonological Development (3 credits)
- CS&D 318: Voice, Craniofacial, and Fluency Disorders (3 credits)
- CS&D 320: Introduction to Audiology (3 credits)
- CS&D 425: Auditory Rehabilitation (3 credits)
- CS&D 440: Child Language Disorders, Assessment and Intervention (3 credits) Total Credits: 33
Courses in Related Areas
15 credits and one course from each of the following areas:
Psychology
- PSYCH 202: Introduction to Psychology (3-4 credits)
- HDFS 262: Development of the Young Child (3 credits)
- HDFS 263: Development from Adolescence to Old Age (3 credits)
Statistics
- STAT 301: Introduction to Statistical Methods (3 credits)
- STAT 311: Introduction to Theory and Methods of Mathematical Statistics I (3 credits)
- STAT 371: Introductory Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences (3 credits)
- PSYCH 210: Basic Statistics for Psychology (3 credits)
- SOC/C&E SOC 360: Statistics for Sociologists I (4 credits)
Linguistics
- LINGUIS 101: Human Language (3 credits)
- LINGUIS/ANTHRO/FOLKLORE/INTL ST 211: Global Language Issues (3 credits)
- LINGUIS 303: Historical Linguistics (3 credits)
- LINGUIS 237: Language in Wisconsin (3 credits)
- LINGUIS/AMER IND 371: Survey of North American Indian Languages (3 credits)
- LINGUIS/ANTHRO 430: Language and Culture (3-4 credits)
- ENGL 214: The English Language (3 credits)
- ENGL 314: Structure of English (3 credits)
- ENGL 318: Second Language Acquisition (3 credits)
- SPANISH 321: The Structure of Modern Spanish (3 credits)
- SPANISH 331: Spanish Applied Linguistics (3 credits)
- SPANISH 327: Introduction to Spanish Linguistics (3 credits)
Biological Sciences in the Major
- ANTHRO 105: Principles of Biological Anthropology (3 credits)
- ANTHRO/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 410: Evolutionary Biology (3 credits)
- BIOCHEM 104: Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science 1 (3 credits)
- BIOCORE 381: Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics (3 credits)
- BIOLOGY/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 151: Introductory Biology (5 credits)
- ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY 101: Animal Biology (3 credits)
Physical Sciences in the Major
- BIOCHEM 104: Molecules to Life and the Nature of Science 1 (3 credits)
- CHEM 103: General Chemistry I (4 credits)
- CHEM 108: Chemistry in Our World (5 credits)
- CHEM 109: Advanced General Chemistry (5 credits)
- PHYSICS 103: General Physics (4 credits)
- PHYSICS 107: The Ideas of Modern Physics (3 credits)
- PHYSICS 109: Physics in the Arts (3 credits)
Electives
- CS&D 110: Introduction to Communicative Disorders (3 credits)
- CS&D 371: Pre-Clinical Observation of Children and Adults (3 credits)
- CS&D 424: Sign Language I (2 credits)
Residence and Quality of Work
- 2.000 GPA in all CS&D and major courses
- 2.000 GPA on 15 upper-level major credits, taken in residence
- 15 credits in CS&D, taken on the UWMadison campus
Honors in the Major
Students may declare Honors in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Major in consultation with the undergraduate advisor in that department.
Honors in the Major Requirements
To earn Honors in the Major in Communications Sciences and Disorders, students must satisfy both the requirements for the major (above) and the following additional requirements:
- Earn a 3.300 University GPA
- Earn a 3.300 in all CS&D and major courses
- Complete the following courses for Honors earning a grade of B or better in each:
- CS&D 481: Undergraduate Junior Honors (3 credits)
- CS&D 681 & CS&D 682: Senior Honors Thesis and Senior Honors Thesis (6 credits)
- 2 of the following for Honors: (6 credits)
- CS&D 303: Speech Acoustics and Perception
- CS&D 320: Introduction to Audiology
- CS&D 440: Child Language Disorders, Assessment and Intervention Total Credits: 15
Learning Outcomes
- Acquire a foundational understanding of basic anatomy and physiology of speech, language, and hearing.
- Understand integrative neuroscience foundations of speech, language, and hearing.
- Obtain basic knowledge in statistical sciences, linguistics, biological/physical sciences, social sciences, and humanities as related to Communication Sciences & Disorders.
- Develop an understanding of speech, language, and hearing disorders and the relationship to foundational aspects of speech, language and hearing science.
- Be prepared for graduate school and/or a career in Communication Sciences & Disorders and related areas.
Four-Year Plan
This Four-Year Plan is only one way a student may complete an L&S degree with this major. Many factors can affect student degree planning, including placement scores, credit for transferred courses, credits earned by examination, and individual scholarly interests. First Year
- Fall:
- Communication A (3 credits)
- CS&D 110 (3 credits)
- Quantitative Reasoning A (4 credits)
- Foreign Language (4 credits)
- Physical Science Content Area Course (3 credits)
- Spring:
- Ethnic Studies content area course (3 credits)
- CS&D 120 (3 credits)
- Foreign Language (4 credits)
- Psych content area course (3 credits)
- Biological Science content area course (3 credits) Second Year
- Fall:
- CS&D 240 (3 credits)
- INTER-LS 210 (1 credit)
- Quantitative Reasoning B (4 credits)
- Literature Breadth (3 credits)
- Electives (3 credits)
- CS&D 201 (3 credits)
- Spring:
- Statistics content area course (3 credits)
- Communication B (4 credits)
- Literature Breadth (3 credits)
- Electives (3 credits)
- CS&D 202 (3 credits) Third Year
- Fall:
- CS&D 303 (3 credits)
- CS&D 320 (3 credits)
- Linguistics content area course (3 credits)
- Humanities Breadth (3 credits)
- CS&D 210 (3 credits)
- Spring:
- CS&D 425 (3 credits)
- CS&D 440 (3 credits)
- Social Science Breadth (3 credits)
- Electives (3 credits) Fourth Year
- Fall:
- CS&D 315 (3 credits)
- Electives (9 credits)
- Spring:
- CS&D 371 (3 credits)
- CS&D 318 (3 credits)
- Electives (9 credits) Total Credits: 120