Bachelor of Science in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
To be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Science in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, the candidate must complete 120 semester hours of coursework and must fulfill the University's General Requirements for graduation, the Core Curriculum requirements, the college graduation requirements, the requirements and policies listed in Academic Policies and Procedures, and the requirements given in Prescribed Work, and Major Requirements, below.
Core Curriculum
All students must complete the University’s Core Curriculum. In some cases, a course required for the Bachelor of Science in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences may also be counted toward the core curriculum.
Prescribed Work
- Six semester hours of coursework focusing on communication foundations: Communication 301E and 302E.
- Three courses with a writing flag; one course with a quantitative reasoning flag; one course with a global cultures flag; one course with a cultural diversity in the United States flag; one course with an ethics flag; and one course with an independent inquiry flag. The same course cannot be used to satisfy the global cultures and cultural diversity flags even if the course carries both flags. Courses that fulfill flag requirements are identified in the Course Schedule. They may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements.
- Students must satisfy a foreign language and culture requirement in one of the following ways: (a) Demonstrating intermediate proficiency in a single foreign language; (b) Taking two consecutive courses in one language and one approved culture course in a culture that is relevant to the language. A list of approved culture and language courses and combinations will be posted on the Student Advising website before registration for each semester and summer session. An extensive foreign language testing program is available at the University. Students with knowledge of a language are encouraged to take appropriate tests both to earn as much credit as possible and to be placed at the proper level for further study. Students should consult with an academic advisor for information on testing.
- At least 39 (36 for students in education of the deaf/hearing-impaired) but no more than 54 semester hours of speech, language, and hearing sciences, as described in Major Requirements, below.
- Three semester hours of coursework in introductory statistics. Courses that fulfill this requirement include Educational Psychology 308, 371, Statistics and Data Sciences 301, 302 , 303, 304, 305, 306, 328M. Courses that fulfill this requirement may also be used to fulfill other degree, core curriculum, and flag requirements.
- Enough additional coursework to make a total of 120 semester hours.
Special Emphases in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
Students majoring in speech, language, and hearing sciences may specialize in speech/language pathology, audiology, or education of the deaf/hearing-impaired. After completing the necessary undergraduate coursework, they may seek the graduate degrees that are required for professional accreditation by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (for those in speech/language pathology and audiology) or the Council on Education of the Deaf (for those in education of the deaf/hearing-impaired). Students in speech/language pathology and audiology who wish to practice in Texas must be licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services; those in education of the deaf/hearing-impaired must be certified by the Texas State Board for Educator Certification.
Major Requirements
Students specializing in speech/language pathology or audiology must complete at least 39 semester hours of coursework in speech, language, and hearing sciences; those specializing in education of the deaf/hearing-impaired must complete at least 36 hours. No more than 54 semester hours of coursework in speech, language, and hearing sciences may be counted toward the degree. The course requirements for each track are as follows:
- Speech/language pathology: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences 306K, 308K, 311K, 312, 313L, 113P, 315S, 118L, 341, 350, 358, 158L, 367K, 371, and 373.
- Audiology: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences 306K, 308K, 311K, 312, 313L, 113P, 315S, 118L, 341, 350, 358, 158L, 367K, 371, and 373.
- Education of the deaf/hearing-impaired: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences 308K,311K, 312, 313L, 113P, 118L, 331E, 341, 360M, 364, 367K, 373, and four hours of 175N
Courses
Because prerequisites are subject to change, students should consult the Course Schedule before registering.
Order and Choice of Work
First Year
- The student must take three courses from the following group each semester:
- Rhetoric and Writing 306
- Courses to be counted toward the American history, American and Texas government, social and behavioral sciences, mathematics, visual and performing arts, and science and technology requirements of the core curriculum
- Courses in a foreign language. Students in education of the deaf/hearing-impaired are encouraged to take American Sign Language.
- Courses that meet flag requirements.
- Communication 301E
- Enough additional coursework to raise the student’s course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester. Courses should be chosen with the guidance of a college advisor.
Second Year
- The student must take three courses from the following group each semester; four are recommended:
- English 316L, 316M 316N, or 316P.
- Courses to be counted toward the American history, American and Texas government, social and behavioral sciences, mathematics, visual and performing arts, and science and technology requirements of the core curriculum.
- Courses in the foreign language, unless the language requirement has been fulfilled.
- Courses that meet flag requirements.
- Communication 302E
- Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences 306K (for students in speech/language pathology or audiology) or 308K (for students in education of the deaf/hearing-impaired) and other lower-division courses in speech, language, and hearing sciences recommended by the student’s advisor.
- Enough additional coursework, if needed, to raise the student’s course load to 15 or 16 hours each semester.
Third and Fourth Years
- Any remaining courses in the core curriculum and the prescribed work.
- The remaining courses listed as major requirements.
- Enough additional coursework to raise the student’s course load to 15 or 16 hours each semester.