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Talk, Listen, Communicate
Most of us take these everyday activities for granted. But an estimated 42 million Americans have some sort of communication disorder that makes these simple tasks frustrating--or even impossible.
Audiologists and speech-language pathologists help people with a wide range of communication disorders such as stuttering, disorders of language and speech associated with stroke and delayed development in children, swallowing disorders, hearing loss and other auditory disorders, and balance disorders. They work with individuals of all ages, from infants to seniors, helping people with life's most essential skill - communication.
Our programs prepare students for the professions of:
- speech-language pathology: the evaluation, diagnosis, and rehabilitation of persons with speech and language disorders.
- audiology: the evaluation, diagnosis, and rehabilitation of persons with auditory and balance disorders.
Professionals in these areas are employed as clinicians, educators, administrators, and consultants in a wide variety of settings, including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, public school systems, colleges and universities, state and federal government agencies, and private practice.
Our Mission
Our mission is to prepare forward-thinking professionals in the discipline of speech, language, and hearing who promote the highest standards of professional conduct in a variety of clinical settings. Therefore, a primary goal of the department is to develop critical thinkers who are able to evaluate and apply existing and future information, methodologies, and technologies so as to meet the needs of individuals with communicative disorders in a rapidly changing world.
Specifically, we offer a preprofessional undergraduate degree program that is a blend of a liberal arts foundation and a general core curriculum in basic communication sciences and disorders of communication. In addition, we provide graduate education in audiology and speech-language pathology sufficient to qualify students for entry into the professions who are academically, clinically, and ethically prepared professionals. We also are committed to providing clinical services to the public in conjunction with the clinical education of our students.
Accredited
Our graduate programs are accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The academic and clinical practicum requirements for national certification in speech-language pathology and audiology from the Council for Clinical Certification of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) may be completed across the undergraduate and graduate programs.
Program Statistics
Our average three-year program completion rates are 93% for the SLP program and 100% for the audiology program. Three-year average Praxis pass rates are 98% for the SLP program and 100% for the audiology program. Finally, our graduates enjoy a three-year average 100% employment rate for the audiology program and 98% for the SLP program, with placements throughout South Dakota and the Midwest as well as across the nation and Canada.
Teri James Bellis, Ph.D., CCC-A, FAAA, F-ASHA
Department Chair
