Romero 1

Jonathan Romero

Bronson Mahrt

ENC 2135

26 September 2020

A Dive Into Communication Science and Disorders Majors

With nearly ten percent of the world’s population showing signs of communication

disorders, the demand for degrees in the communication science and disorders field continues to

grow with every passing year. (Geller) A degree in communication science and disorders opens

the door for many opportunities in community settings like hospitals and wellness centers as well

as settings such as personal clinics and schools. This major has often been referred to as

combination of both medicine and teaching. These skills allow for CSD graduates to excel in an

array of related jobs in the field of communication science and disorders. This field focuses on

human communication and speech disorders related to hearing, speech and cognitive function

and gives students the tools to be able to help rehabilitate and improve the lives of people living

with these disorders. In this paper, I will discuss the academic requirements for a CSD major as

well as touch base on some of the many job opportunities available for graduates.

Being a communication science and disorders major means understanding and helping

those in the community with impaired speech. Students in this major understand the importance

of helping those around you. The skills given to students in this major can serve to help change

the lives of people afflicted by communication disorders. A major in communication science and

disorders focuses on different types of disorders related to speech and swallowing, language,

cognitive ability and hearing. Courses in this class are generally focused on teaching students a
 Romero 2

basic understanding of communication disorders. At Florida State, the undergraduate program

for CSD majors covers 42 credits focusing on the anatomy and physiology of speech and hearing

systems. Two interviews from students in this major revealed that for Speech-Language

pathology, a four year bachelor’s degree is required which include the first two being focused on

related areas of study and general education. After admittance into the major, the second two

years focus on coursework related to communication disorders and other “major” areas of that

field. After undergraduate studies, students of this major typically choose to focus between

audiology and speech pathology for their specialization. These two fields are the most common

for communication science and disorders majors to pursue after completing undergrad and are

often then most lucrative for this major. While these two students having only been in the major

for two years, they described the coursework as “moderately difficult yet very stressful.” Their

reasoning behind why they felt the high stress was the importance of maintaining a good GPA

over the course of four years in order to apply for graduate school. Graduate programs in these

fields tend to be competitive and GPA is very important. These graduate programs are essential

for graduates looking to further specialize in speech pathology, audiology or other related fields.

Graduating from high-ranking graduate programs in this major can be a huge advantage when

searching for jobs after college. Graduate programs for SLP’s tend to be selective on who they

accept and often times look for students with high GPA’s as well as a good score on the GRE.

Typically, most students need a GPA around a 3.5 to be considered for the program. (Rosa) On

top of maintaining a high GPA and GRE test score, applicants to these post-graduate programs

are also encouraged to accumulate experience in this field to create a diverse and rich resume.

Adding additional work or volunteer experience on to a resume can help make an applicant stand
 Romero 3

out during the application process and can often be the difference between acceptance and

rejection from some graduate programs.

Of all the jobs in the communication science and disorders field, speech language

pathology tends to be the most recognized one. Speech pathology is one of the most common

professions for CSD majors to pursue after graduating. SLP’s assess, diagnose, and treat speech

and swallowing disorders in both children and adults. (Blood) While not doctors, speech

pathologists are still considered health care professionals and often times work in similar

capacities. Speech pathologists often work with patients who suffer from communication

disorders such as aphasia, delayed speech and stuttering. These professionals also work with

acquired disorders that are the result of brain stem injuries or strokes. Typically, speech

pathologists work at hospitals, schools, clinics and nursing facilities while some work from

private clinics. Recently, many speech pathologists have begun meeting with patients over video

calls due to the recent pandemic. In these video calls, SLP’s can continue to offer treatment and

therapy to patients without meeting face to face. As a current communication science and

disorders major, speech pathology is the field that interests me the most. After finishing

undergraduate studies, students typically must receive a master’s degree in communication

science and disorders. Following this, most speech pathologists must complete SLP certification

and a clinical fellowship. These programs prepare students for the work they encounter while

working with patients. There, they learn how to properly diagnose and treat patients. After this,

graduates can begin looking for work. Speech pathologists earn an average salary of $93,163 in

Florida which makes becoming an SLP a very attractive offer for students in this major. (Rose)

One aspect of this profession that stood out to me was the abundance of women in this

field. Further research into the profession revealed that as of 2016, only around 4% of all speech
 Romero 4

language pathologists were male. A survey involving 290 men at two different universities

revealed that while speech pathology may be familiar to some male students, the majority of men

where unaware of speech pathology as a profession. This survey identifies that one of the

greatest contributing factors to low numbers of male speech pathologists is the lack of awareness

or knowledge of the profession amongst men. In the survey, over half of the male students

reported that they had not heard of speech pathology as a profession. (Puhlman) This shows the

need for communication science and disorders programs to actively recruit and spread awareness

of this major to male students to create a more diverse major.

Another profession very closely associated with speech pathology is audiology.

Audiology shows many similarities and differences with speech pathology. Both professions

feature health care professionals that treat communication disorders among both children and

adults. These jobs are both communication-related medical professions and receive similar

training and education. Perhaps the main difference between the two would be that audiologists

specialize in auditory disorders of the ear while speech pathologists focus on the mouth and

throat. They often treat patients with hearing loss, balance issues, tinnitus and other auditory

disorders. They treat these patients for issues like hearing loss and imbalance using a variety of

medicinal technology as well as other methods. Often times, audiologists work with patients to

determine whether the patient can benefit from hearing aids or not. Their work provides relief

and assistance for countless people who are affected by auditory disorders. Much like speech

pathologists, audiologists typically work in private practices, hospitals, and schools. After

undergraduate studies, most audiologists must earn a doctorate in audiology (AudD) followed by

state licensing and certification. After certification and licensing, audiologists typically earn a

salary around $74,000 per year. Like speech pathology, audiology is also a growing field that
 Romero 5

many people happen to still be unaware of. An article written by the American Journal of

Audiology surveyed participants based on their knowledge of audiology. They reported that

approximately only 25% of participants were aware about audiology as a profession.

(Deshpande) Just like speech pathology, audiology has a direct need to recruit more students in

a growing field. With the demand for audiologists increasing every year, the recruitment of

communication science and disorders students should increase as well to avoid a shortage of

these essential health care professionals.

While most graduates of communication science and disorders majors go on to apply for

post-grad programs to become audiologists and speech pathologists, others choose to find jobs

immediately after college. Without the graduate experience and certifications, these graduates

can find work as behavioral therapists for special needs children as well as teaching jobs.

Because this major focuses on both medicine and teaching, some students choose to go neither of

those routes and often times apply to graduate programs in other related fields. Some of these

related career paths include occupational therapy, gerontology, special education and public

health studies. (Rosa) Graduates in these related fields are health care professionals that

specialize in different areas. Finding jobs after graduate school for speech language pathologists

can be tricky but often times, these graduates can quickly find jobs in health care settings as the

demand for this profession has been increasing over the last few years. (Rosa). Speaking to

current Speech Language Pathologist and clinical director at BrainTools, Dr. Barbara Roca

explained to me that many of these graduates find jobs in hospitals and clinics right out of

graduate school. However, she also told me that just like herself, the goal for many in this field is

to ultimately open a private practice with a designated specialization. In other words, while

working at hospitals and clinics can be lucrative for SLPs, private clinics with specialized care
 Romero 6

are often the most lucrative environments for speech pathologists. For Dr. Roca, her

specialization was in education and working with children.

Aside from audiology and speech pathology, communication science and disorders

majors can work in a variety of teaching jobs. CSD majors often times work as clinicians,

language teachers and school counseling. The focus on teaching as well as communication

allows for CSD majors to work in a variety of positions, most of which, are teaching jobs. Like

all CSD professions, these focus around helping and caring for others. At schools,

communication science and disorders majors can work as language teachers, special education

teachers, and counselors.

While audiology and speech pathology may be the most common careers for

communication science and disorders graduates, this field offers a variety of unique jobs in

diverse workplaces. From schools and hospitals to private clinics and zoom calls,

communications science and disorders graduates work at the front lines of helping children and

adults with communication disorders. This major prepares students to be able to work effectively

on treating communication disorders. While communications science and disorders may not be

the most well known or top chosen major it is certainly a very important career choice as

communications science and disorders students help treat and rehabilitate countless lives on a

daily basis. Through their work, these students can have a positive impact on the lives of families

across the world. Overall, a major in communication science and disorders is an excellent choice

for students looking to help others in their community and pursue a career in audiology and

speech pathology.
 Romero 7

Works Cited

COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND DISORDERS.. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 66

(2020, February 14)

Deshpande, S. B. Awareness of the Profession of Audiology Among Ethnically Diverse

Adolescents: A Pre- and Post-Education Study. American Journal of Audiology, 28(4),

964–972. (2019).

J. Geller, E., & Foley, G. M. Broadening the "ports of entry" for speech-language pathologists: A

relational and reflective model for clinical supervision. American Journal of Speech -

Language Pathology, 18(1), 22-41. (2009).

Puhlman, J., & Johnson, R. K. . Survey of male college students’ perceptions and knowledge of

speech-language pathology. Journal of Communication Disorders, (2019).

Rosa-Lugo, L. I., & Fradd, S. H. Preparing Professionals to Serve English-Language Learners

with Communication Disorders. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 22(1), (2000).

Speech-Language Pathologists' Training, Knowledge, and Confidence. Language, Speech, &

Hearing Services in Schools, 41, (2019)

Spicko, Abby M., "Perceptions of Speech-Language Pathologists". Honors Theses. 550.

https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/550 (2007).
Romero 8