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Contact Information:

Department of Communication Disorders
414 E. Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069
phone: 605-677-5474
fax: 605-677-5767
dcom@usd.edu

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Last Modified: 10/30/08

Welcome to The University of South Dakota Department of Communication Disorders

                                      

TALKING, LISTENING, COMMUNICATING

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 undergraduate and graduate programs prepare students for the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology.  Speech-language pathology is concerned with the evaluation, diagnosis, and rehabilitation of persons with speech and language disorders.  Audiology is concerned with 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.  The master's degree is required for entrance into the profession of speech-language pathology and the doctoral degree is required for entrance into the profession of audiology.

The mission of the Department of Communication Disorders 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. To achieve our mission, we have developed a Strategic Plan, which focuses on the five primary goals and strategic issues identified as priorities in the Strategic Plans of the College of Arts and Sciences and The University of South Dakota: Academic Excellence, Research and Creative Activity, Enrollment Management, Institutional Positioning, and Funding and Resource Development. The Strategic Plans of the Department of Communication Disorders, College of Arts and Sciences, and The University of South Dakota may be accessed via the following links:

Department of Communication Disorders Strategic Plan

College of Arts and Sciences Strategic Plan

The University of South Dakota Strategic Plan

The Department of Communication Disorders provides undergraduate degrees (BA and BS) in Communication Disorders, the masters degree (MA) in speech-language pathology, and the doctoral degree (AuD) in audiology. The undergraduate program is a pre-professional blend of a strong liberal arts foundation and a general core curriculum in normal and disordered communication processes. It is designed as a preparatory curriculum for graduate study, and students do not emphasize either speech-language pathology or audiology at the undergraduate level but instead take courses in both areas.  The 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:
During the most recent reporting cycle (2007-2008), our graduation rates were 100% for both the audiology program and the SLP program. Our average graduation rate (over a three-year period) was 83.3% for the audiology program and 93.4% for the SLP program. Graduates of our masters program in SLP have a three-year-average pass rate of 100% on the national PRAXIS examination (it should be noted that, due to the relatively recent change to the doctoral program in audiology, no doctoral graduates had taken the PRAXIS as of the 2007-2008 reporting cycle; however, the masters-degree graduates had a two-year average pass rate of 90%). Finally, our graduates enjoy a 100% employment rate for both programs, 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
Chair, Department of Communication Disorders
Director, USD and Scottish Rite Speech, Language and Hearing Clinics
Room 122, Noteboom
Telephone: 605-677-5474
Fax: 605-677-5767
Email: dcom@usd.edu