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Communication Sciences & Disorders (Speech Therapy)

Bachelor of Science

Overview

To understand how children acquire language. To work with children with speech or language difficulties. To understand how people speak, how the inner ear affects balance, and what language means in our lives. Nazareth’s program provides a strong foundation in communication processes and sciences and a grounding in the disorders that can disrupt communication, all of which help you to understand speech, language, hearing, and communication.

Our on-campus speech, language, and hearing clinics give you closely supervised, hands-on clinical experiences usually found only at the graduate level.

Graduates of the undergraduate program have high acceptance rates into graduate programs in speech pathology or audiology.

Highlights

  • Strong academic and clinical preparation for graduate school and employment.
  • Begin coursework in your major during freshman year.
  • Begin therapy observations during sophomore year.
  • Start clinical work during junior or senior year.
  • Work weekly with clients who have communication disorders at our on-campus clinics, during your junior or senior year.
  • Have the opportunity to participate in community service events such as hearing screenings at a Head Start program, language and literacy development programs in local schools, and participate in fundraising events that benefit children with communication needs in the community.
  • Be part of an active student association that presents speakers on campus, participates in the state professional association convention, and builds camaraderie among students in the program.
  • Take advantage of short-term or full-semester study abroad options.
  • Add a pre-audiology minor if you want to pursue audiology at the graduate level.
  • If you want to work in a school, you can take coursework and participate in initial clinical experiences to prepare for the required New York state credential.

Speech Pathology at Nazareth

    Get your master's

    Three options

    Nazareth offers three ways to get a master's degree in speech-language pathology:

    Fully immersed

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    Start your major's coursework in your first semester.

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    Learn and gain clinical skills in our modern York Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute on campus.

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    Enjoy a welcoming, close-knit community.

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    Benefit from formal and informal interprofessional experiences on campus.

    Example internships/field experiences

    • BOCES (preschool to adult)
    • Rochester City School District
    • Mary's Place Refugee Outreach Center
    • Norman Howard School
    • Hickok Center for Brain Injury

    $4,000

    UP TO $4,000 TO INVEST IN YOU
    Unique to Nazareth, our SPARK Grant provides $1,500 for you to pursue internships, research, and study abroad, plus up to $2,500 in a tuition scholarship for summer SPARK-eligible experiences that earn credit. SPARK stories »

    Become a changemaker

    Work directly with clients in our on-campus clinics. Take advantage of opportunities for community involvement through our coursework and volunteer activities sponsored by our student club. For example, students in our Becoming an Engaged Professional seminar have helped run support groups for adults with acquired communication disorders, provided support in classes for individuals with developmental disabilities at local organizations, and created online programming for children in Honduras.

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    student instructing a class of school children

    Your life's work

    Employers

    • Pittsford (N.Y.) Central Schools
    • Rochester City School District
    • Hospitals
    • Rehabilitation centers
    • Nursing homes
    • Agencies serving individuals with disabilities
    • Private practice

    Graduate schools

    • Syracuse University
    • University of North Carolina
    • Penn State University
    • Gallaudet University
    • Northeastern University
    • James Madison University
    • Boston College
    Alum of audiology, speech language pathology degree, communication sciences & disorders major

    Alumni Spotlight

    Michelle Sticht '08, speech-language pathologist, VA Long Beach Healthcare System

    "The pairing of the academic and practicum experiences I had were invaluable; they helped focus where I wanted to be professionally and provided a solid foundation for continued growth post-graduation. The small faculty-to-student ratio allowed strong relationship building with faculty members; as a result, the education I received in the department was truly an individualized experience."