Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Chair: Alfred H. White, Professor
Location: MCL 806

Faculty: Professor D. Walker-Batson; Associate Professors A. Bird, D. Grant, P. Scott, K. Millay; Assistant Clinical Professor J. Ford; Assistant Visiting Professors C. Gill, G. White; Clinical Instructors R. Brusniak, L. Moorer, B. Tepper; Visiting Clinical Instructor R. Abellera.

The primary goal of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is to prepare graduate students who are able to function as speech-language pathologists and/or teachers of the deaf or hard of hearing with qualifications that equal or exceed those qualification standards established by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Council on the Education of the Deaf. Speech-language pathologists are knowledgeable about the nature, evaluation, and treatment of all types of communication problems which affect interpersonal communication and are able to recognize the degree to which they can provide and/or recommend adequate services for habilitation or rehabilitation of persons manifesting such problems. Teachers of the deaf or hard of hearing are knowledgeable about the social, speech, and language problems associated with various types of hearing loss and how to teach speech, language, and content information to persons whose hearing is not fully functional.

TWU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic

The TWU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is open throughout the year and affords qualified students an opportunity to enroll in clinical practice. Students work with persons with varied speech and language and/or hearing problems. Majors registered in clinical courses and for field experience (i.e., student teaching) are required to present evidence of personal professional liability insurance the first day of classes and certification of required immunizations.

Admission and Retention Requirements

Please see the admissions section of this catalog for admission requirements. To be unconditionally admitted to graduate study in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, a student must meet GPA and GRE score standards established by the Department and submit two acceptable letters of recommendation from professionals familiar with the student's academic work. Students unable to meet these admission requirements may be admitted provisionally with approval of the Department Admission Committee if the minimum GRE score of 700 on the verbal and quantitative sections has been met. Students seeking a master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology or the Education of the Hearing Impaired must also pass, with a grade of B or better, all specified leveling courses.

Graduate students should be familiar with the Department Code of Ethics and comply with the same. Failure to adhere to this code of conduct may result in dismissal from the graduate program.

To be retained in the graduate program, students must maintain a B or better average (3.0 or better) in all graduate courses on their degree plan. If a student receives a grade of C or lower in a required course, they will be required to repeat the course, but it may be repeated only one time, and only one course may be repeated. Each graduate student should read carefully the graduate procedures manual for their discipline (Clinical Procedures Manual for SLP and Graduate Handbook for Deaf Education). Failure to adhere to this policy will result in dismissal from the graduate program.

Any student who feels that they have been dealt with unfairly within the Department should follow the Departmental guidelines for resolving problems or issues as established by the Department's Issues and Grievance Committee.

Graduate Degrees Offered

M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology.
M.S. in Education of the Deaf.

General Requirements for All Master's Degrees

Total Hours Required: Varies according to previous academic experience. For graduates from the undergraduate program offered within the Department, a minimum of 44 academic hours are required for Speech-Language Pathology and a minimum of 36 hours are required for those seeking a degree in Education of the Hearing Impaired.

Special Requirements: A grade of A or B for courses to be counted toward the master's degree.

Final Examination: Covers course work and thesis/professional paper/project. May be written or oral, as determined by the Chair of the student's Graduate Research Committee and may be repeated one time.

Certification Programs Offered

Speech-Language Pathology: ASHA-certified program. Graduates who pass the national examination and successfully complete their clinical fellowship year are eligible for Certificate of Clinical Competence and State Licensure.

Education of the Deaf: Graduates who successfully pass the state ExCET exam are eligible for Texas Teacher Certification in Education of the Hearing Impaired.

Minors Offered to Students from Other Departments

None

Courses of Instruction in Communication Sciences and Disorders

COMS 5003. Research in Communication Sciences. The process of inquiry and research modalities and techniques; applications in the field of Communication Sciences, and preparation of thesis/professional paper proposals. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5202. Diagnostic Audiology. Current development in diagnostic audiology, psychoacoustics, medical, and rehabilitation aspects of hearing loss. Corequisite: COMS 5212. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.

COMS 5212. Clinical Diagnostic Audiology. Mastery of audiometric equipment and procedures used in evaluating hearing impairment in patients. Corequisite: COMS 5202. Six laboratory hours a week. Credit: Two hours.

COMS 5302. Diagnostic Procedures in Speech and Language Disorders. Research and development in the evaluation of speech and language disorders. Corequisite: COMS 5312. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.

COMS 5312. Clinical Diagnosis of Speech and Language Disorders. Mastery of the procedures used in the diagnosis of disorders of speech and language and the interpretation of assessment results. Corequisite: COMS 5302. Six laboratory hours a week. Credit: Two hours.

COMS 5401. Advanced Clinical Practicum I. Participation in clinical sessions as clinical assistant. Prerequisites: Completion of undergraduate leveling courses, permission of COMS Clinical Review Committee, and proof of clinical liability insurance. Corequisite: COMS 5402. Three laboratory hours a week. Credit: One hour.

COMS 5402. Clinical Process Orientation. Designed for graduate students with no previous clinical exposure. Introduction to clinical handbook and basic clinical procedures. Completion of clinical observations. Prerequisites: Completion of undergraduate leveling courses, permission of COMS Clinical Review Committee, and proof of clinical liability insurance. Corequisite: COMS 5401. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.

COMS 5411. Advanced Clinical Process. Planned experiences related to clinical and professional needs of students. Prerequisites: 3.0 GPA, permission of COMS Clinical Review Committee, and proof of clinical liability insurance. Corequisite: COMS 5412, 5422, or 5432. One lecture hour a week. Credit: One hour.

COMS 5412. Advanced Clinical Practicum II. Assessment and management of clients with speech, language, and hearing disorders in TWU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic under supervision of ASHA certified supervisors. Prerequisites: 3.0 GPA, permission of COMS Clinical Review Committee, proof of clinical liability insurance. Corequisite: COMS 5411. Six laboratory hours a week. Credit: Two hours.

COMS 5422. Advanced Clinical Practicum III. Assessment and management of clients with speech, language, and hearing disorders in TWU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic under supervision of ASHA certified supervisors. Prerequisites: 3.0 GPA, permission of COMS Clinical Review Committee, proof of clinical liability insurance. Corequisite: COMS 5411. Nine laboratory hours a week. Credit: Two hours.

COMS 5432. Advanced Clinical Practicum IV. Assessment and management of clients with speech, language, and hearing disorders in an externship site under supervision of ASHA certified supervisors. Prerequisites: 3.0 GPA, permission of COMS Clinical Review Committee, proof of clinical liability insurance. Corequisite: COMS 5411. Twenty laboratory hours a week. Credit: Two hours.

COMS 5483. Neuronal Pathways of Communication. Neuronal Pathways emphasizing sensory motor mechanisms involved with audition, vision, tactile-kinesthesia, speech, and language. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor required for non-communication sciences majors. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5523. Voice Science. Basic vocal tract mechanisms with emphasis on respiratory, phonatory, and acoustic aspects of speech. Speech laboratory work in analysis of speech using various instrumental methodology. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5543. Fluency Disorders. The development of a theoretical knowledge base along with evaluation and therapeutic paradigms for disfluent adults and children. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5553. Articulation Disorders. Etiologies and therapies applicable to communication disorders characterized by dysarticulation. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5573. Voice Disorders. The development of theoretical knowledge base in organic and psychogenic voice disorders which is then applied using evaluation and therapeutic methodology. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5583. Seminar in Neurological Problems. Nature, evaluation, and treatment of speech and language disorders related to neurological disorders. Prerequisite: COMS 5483. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5603. Language Disorders. Principal issues and research concerning the nature of language disorders as well as the assessment and treatment of such disorders. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor required for non-communication sciences majors. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5643. Neurological Problems III. Nature, evaluation and treatment of communicative disorders associated with swallow function disorders, right hemisphere injury, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and dementia. Prerequisite: COMS 5493. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5663. Problems in Teaching Language to the Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Basic English grammar, child language acquisition based upon transformational theory. Emphasis is on implications of linguistic theory to teaching language to deaf or hard of hearing children based upon analysis of syntactic ability. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5673. Problems in Teaching Language to the Deaf or Hard of Hearing II. Traditional and current methods of language instruction for deaf or hard of hearing children. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5674. Language Intervention Strategies for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Traditional and current methods of language instruction for deaf or hard of hearing children. This course must be taken in both fall and spring semesters in the same academic year. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the certification program for education of the deaf or hard of hearing. Minimum of two lecture and three laboratory hours a week. Credit: Four hours.

COMS 5683. Problems in Teaching Speech to the Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Critical issues related to teaching speech to deaf or hard of hearing children. A study of processes and structures involved in speech production. Methods used in teaching speech to the deaf or hard of hearing. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5693. Problems in Teaching Speech to the Deaf or Hard of Hearing II. A systems approach to developing speech with deaf or hard of hearing children in programs for the deaf. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5694. Speech Intervention Strategies for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Techniques for developing speech skills in the deaf or hard of hearing school age population. Emphasis placed on evaluation and subsequent planning using the Ling Method/Model. This course must be taken in both fall and spring semesters in the same academic year. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the certification program for education of the deaf or hard of hearing. Minimum of two lecture and three laboratory hours a week. Credit: Four hours.

COMS 5746. Advanced Study of American Sign Language. Advanced instruction in vocabulary, syntax, and pragmatic aspects of ASL. Prerequisites: COMS 4553 or 5743 or equivalent. Six lecture hours a week. Credit: Six hours.

COMS 5753. The Deaf Culture: Psychosocial and Sociolinguistic Aspects of Deafness. The deaf culture, its history, its language and the social systems related to it. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5803. Parent-Professional Communication Strategies. Theories related to effective communication, active listening, and the grieving process as they relate to handicapped children and their parents; techniques with individual family members. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5843. Innovative Program Development for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing . Development of theoretical models designed to resolve critical needs in deaf education. Development of programmed materials based upon theoretical models created. Corequisite: COMS 5833. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5853. Teacher Friendly Assessment Strategies. An advanced course in assessment strategies designed for use by classroom teachers working with students who are experiencing serious problems learning English. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5883. Instrumentation in Speech and Hearing. Perceptual phenomena of normal audition supported by reviews of methods and principles of psycho-physical measurement, calibration techniques, and computer applications in speech and hearing. Two lecture hours and three laboratory hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5903. Special Topics. Research and review of literature on selected topics dealing with communication disorders. Topic will vary from semester to semester. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5911. Independent Study. Individual study of specific problems. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Credit: One hour.

COMS 5913. Independent Study. Individual study of specific problems. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5973. Professional Paper. An in-depth study and/or review of a specific problem area jointly selected by student and instructor; intensive laboratory or library research into the topic with a professional paper presenting the results of this research. Credit: Three hours. May be repeated for a total of six hours' credit.

COMS 5983. Thesis. Prerequisite: COMS 5003. Credit: Three hours.

COMS 5993. Thesis. Prerequisite: COMS 5983. Credit: Three hours.