B.S. in Communication Sciences & Disorders
Harrisonburg, USA
BSc
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
USD 6,434 / per semester **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* regular admission | November 1st, 2022: early admission
** in-state tuition fee | $15,076: out-of-state tuition fee. Additional fees may apply
Key Summary
The program will prepare students for graduate studies in speech-language pathology and audiology.
There is a nationwide shortage of speech-language pathologists and audiologists so they are in strong demand for jobs. The undergraduate major can be pursued as a Bachelor of Science (B.S.).
The communication sciences and disorders major is designed to provide students with pre-professional preparation essential to pursuing graduate work in speech-language pathology or audiology. Graduate degrees at the master's or doctoral level are necessary to work as speech-language pathologists or audiologists. These individuals work as professionals to assist people who have communication disorders; teachers, clinical supervisors and/or researchers in universities; administrators and leaders in healthcare or educational settings.
Research is essential in order to understand more about how humans communicate and the problems that can interfere with their communication. The major encourages students to become involved in research, provides them with opportunities to pursue honors projects and honors theses, and encourages students to attend and present their research work with the student's faculty mentor at regional and national conferences.
There is a nationwide shortage of speech-language pathologists and audiologists, so they are in strong demand for jobs. Communication sciences and disorders provide an excellent background for students who want to pursue careers in related areas such as special education, deaf education, medicine, or dentistry and offer an exciting and fascinating course of study for students who simply wish to study the area as a major.
Required Courses
- General Education 41 Credit Hours 1
- Quantitative requirement (in addition to General Education) 3 Credit Hours2
- Scientific Literacy requirement (in addition to General Education) 3-4 Credit Hours
- University electives 16-19 Credit Hours
- Major requirements (listed below; includes basic science requirements for ASHA certification) 54-56 Credit Hours
Footnotes
1 The General Education programs contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. The number of credit hours necessary to fulfill these requirements may vary.
2 The quantitative literacy requirement may be fulfilled by courses required for the major.
Major Requirements
Required Courses
- CSD 200. Introduction to Communication Disorders Credits: 3.00
- CSD 207. Phonetics Credits: 3.00
- CSD 208. Anatomy and Physiology of the Ear and Voice Mechanism Credits: 3.00
- CSD 209. Acoustics of Hearing and Speech Credits: 3.00
- CSD 300. Language Development Credits: 3.00
- CSD 301. Audiology Credits: 3.00
- CSD 314. Phonological and Language Disorders Credits: 3.00
- CSD 318. Aural Rehabilitation Credits: 3.00
- CSD 412. Professional Issues and Multicultural Considerations in Communication Disorders Credits: 3.00
- CSD 415. Neuroanatomy and Neurogenic Communication Disorders Credits: 3.00 3
- CSD 416. Organic Disorders in Communication Sciences and Disorders Credits: 3.00
- PSYC 101. General Psychology [C5SD] Credits: 3.00
- PSYC 160. Life Span Human Development [C5SD] Credits: 3.00
- EXED 200. Foundations of Exceptional Education Credits: 3.00
- MATH 220. Elementary Statistics [C3QR] Credits: 3.00
Choose one of the following: 3 Credit Hours
- CSD 470. Methods and Observation Credits: 3.00
- CSD 471. Methods and Observation in Audiology Credits: 3.00
Basic Science Requirements
The requirement to meet basic science requirements for ASHA certification standards. Some graduate programs may have more specific requirements. Students are advised to check their programs of interest early to ensure they are taking the appropriate courses.
- One course with BIO prefix Credits: 3.00-4.004
- One course with either PHYS or CHEM prefix Credits: 3.00-4.004
Footnotes
3 CSD students must take CSD 415; BIO 415 may not be substituted.
4 BIO, CHEM/PHYS, and MATH courses may also be used to fulfill General Education or B.S. degree requirements
Recommended Schedule for Majors
First Year
- CSD 200. Introduction to Communication Disorders Credits: 3.00
- PSYC 101. General Psychology [C5SD] Credits: 3.00
- Biological sciences course 3-4 Credit Hours
- General Education courses and/or B.A./B.S. degree requirements 21 Credit Hours
Second Year
- CSD 207. Phonetics Credits: 3.00
- CSD 208. Anatomy and Physiology of the Ear and Voice Mechanism Credits: 3.00
- CSD 209. Acoustics of Hearing and Speech Credits: 3.00
- PSYC 160. Life Span Human Development [C5SD] Credits: 3.00
- EXED 200. Foundations of Exceptional Education Credits: 3.00
- MATH 220. Elementary Statistics [C3QR] Credits: 3.00
- Physics or chemistry course 3-4 Credit Hours
- General Education and/or B.A./B.S. degree requirements 9-11 Credit Hours
Third Year
- CSD 300. Language Development Credits: 3.00
- CSD 301. Audiology Credits: 3.00
- CSD 314. Phonological and Language Disorders Credits: 3.00
- CSD 318. Aural Rehabilitation Credits: 3.00
- General Education, elective, and/or B.A./B.S. degree requirements 18-21 Credit Hours
Fourth Year
- CSD 412. Professional Issues and Multicultural Considerations in Communication Disorders Credits: 3.00
- CSD 415. Neuroanatomy and Neurogenic Communication Disorders Credits: 3.00
- CSD 416. Organic Disorders in Communication Sciences and Disorders Credits: 3.00
- CSD 470. Methods and Observation Credits: 3.00
or - CSD 471. Methods and Observation in Audiology Credits: 3.00
- Electives 13-18 Credit Hours
A successful career and a meaningful life is what it’s all about. Whether it’s an internship, a great first job or a top graduate school appointment, JMU Dukes make their dreams ignite. You will, too.
Here are current openings available to JMU students.
Jobs for JMU Students
Language
- Speech Language Pathologist - SLP at Aveanna Healthcare
- (#R23046) American Sign Language Interpreter / PAHrtners Deaf Services at RHA Health Services, LLC
- Speech Therapist at Intermountain Deaconess Children's Services
- Speech Language Pathologist - SLP at Aveanna Healthcare
- Speech Language Pathologist - SLP at Aveanna Healthcare
- Faculty Instructor, Japanese Language (Osaka, Japan) at Academic Travel Abroad
- Senior Software Developer - Sign-on /Relocation Bonus Available up to $10,000 at ENSCO, Inc.
- Software Engineer at Enterprise Solutions, Inc
- Speech Language Pathologist at Kid Connections Therapy
- Speech Language Pathologist (2023-2024 School Year) at Capital Region ESD 113
- Bilingual (Spanish) Licensed Speech Language Pathologist Assistant-SLPA at SLP-tele
- REMOTE-Licensed Speech Language Pathologist-SLP at SLP-tele
- International Finance Manager (Location: China) at Midea
- Sign Language Interpreter/ Tutor at Stanislaus County Office of Education
- Bilingual (Spanish)-Licensed Speech Language Pathologist-SLP at SLP-tele
- (#4792264003) Speech and Language Pathologist (2022-2023) at Classical Charter Schools
- International Sales Coordinator for English-speaking markets (Location: China) at Midea
- International Sales Coordinator (Location: China) at Midea
- Software Developer (Hybrid - GA) at Medical Information Technology, Inc. (MEDITECH)
Speech
- Speech Language Pathologist - SLP at Aveanna Healthcare
- Auditor 1 at Pennsylvania Auditor General
- Pension Auditor 1 - Westmoreland County at Pennsylvania Auditor General
- Pension Auditor 1 - Washington County at Pennsylvania Auditor General
- Pension Auditor 1 - Cumberland, Perry, Franklin, Dauphin Counties at Pennsylvania Auditor General
- Auditor 1 - Central Region at Pennsylvania Auditor General
- Auditor 1 - Northwest Region at Pennsylvania Auditor General
- Corporate Tax Auditor 1 at Pennsylvania Auditor General
- Speech Therapist at Intermountain Deaconess Children's Services
- Speech Language Pathologist - SLP at Aveanna Healthcare
- Speech Language Pathologist - SLP at Aveanna Healthcare
- Robotic Process Automation Developer at TOWNEBANK
- Adaptive Physical Education Teacher SPED at UHS of Delaware, Inc.
- Special/Alternative Education Teacher (SPED) at UHS of Delaware, Inc.
- Physical Therapist at LifeScape
- Occupational Therapist at High Country Early Intervention Inc. dba Karen A Fay
- Speech Language Pathologist at Kid Connections Therapy
- 2022-2023 High School Social Studies Teacher Pool at Union County Public Schools
- Speech Language Pathologist (2023-2024 School Year) at Capital Region ESD 113
Audiologist
- Audiologist at Beth Israel Lahey Health
- Medical Speech and Language Pathologist at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital
- Audiologist at St. Joseph's Health
- Audiologist at Valley Health
- Certified Educational Audiologist- 2022/23 School Year at Capital Region ESD 113
Internships for JMU Students
Language
- Managed IT Services M365 Consulting Intern - Summer 2023 at RSM US LLP
- Consumer and Digital Transformation Summer Intern, Project Management at Santander Bank, N.A.
- Consumer and Business Banking Summer Intern, Payments at Santander Bank, N.A.
- Software Development Intern at Trane Technologies
- Developer Analyst - Explorer Summer Intern Program - 2023 at Barclays
- Actuarial Intern at Farmers Insurance Corporate Careers
- 2023 Program Manager Intern at Amazon
- Consumer & Digital Transformation Intern – Customer Experience at Santander Bank, N.A.
- App Dev D365 Customer Engagement Consulting Intern - Summer 2023 at RSM US LLP
- IT Analyst Intern - Project Management at PetSmart
- IT Analyst - OMNI Fulfillment at PetSmart
- IT Analyst - Finance SAP at PetSmart
- IT Analyst Intern at PetSmart
- Integration Programs Intern at National Immigration Forum
- Marketing - Data Science Intern at PetSmart
- Engineering Intern (Summer 2023) at commercetools Inc.
- Software Engineering Summer Intern at Grammarly
- Data Science Intern (Spring 2023) at Carrier
- Full Stack Engineer Intern at Arbor
Speech
- Audiology Externships - South Florida and Houston! at South Florida ENT Associates
- Education Interns, In-person and Virtual at Speech Momi Inc
- Marketing/Public Relations Lead VA-USA-91 Veterans Affairs Department N/A Post, Section N/A, United States at US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
- Communication Lead VA-USA-87 Veterans Affairs Department N/A Post, Section N/A, United States at US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
- Outpatient Rehabilitation Therapy / Children Therapy Services Internship at Easterseals DE & MD Eastern Shore
Audiologist
- Audiology Intern at Penn State Health
- Audiology Externships - South Florida and Houston! at South Florida ENT Associates
Madison awards more than 400 one- to four-year scholarships each year to incoming students. The primary criterion for merit-based scholarships is exceptional academic performance. Other selection criteria may include leadership, involvement, and career goals.
The Madison Scholarships Hub is the application center for all JMU Foundation scholarships at James Madison University. To access the Madison Scholarships Hub, log in to MyMadison. Under the Applicant tab, click on the Madison Scholarships Hub logo.
All students are encouraged to fill out the General Application in the Madison Scholarships Hub to be considered for various scholarship opportunities. Qualifications for the majority of our scholarships are based on the General Application information as well as information pulled directly from your admissions application.
Review the criteria carefully for any recommended scholarship opportunities you are presented with and if you meet the qualifications, click apply to submit the additional required information. Deadlines vary across departments so be sure to complete the General Application as soon as possible to receive full consideration. Some scholarship opportunities become available starting in the fall while others open later so be sure to check back in January, February and March.