Mission Statement

The Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences is committed to scholarship in the area of human communication and its application to the diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders across the lifespan. Students are engaged in academic and clinical experiences that require critical thinking, application of theory, use of technology, and scientific writing. Students are guided to interpret and integrate theoretical and applied concepts in order to develop the analytic tools needed for problem solving.

The mission of the undergraduate program is to provide students with a liberal arts and sciences education, while introducing them to theories, methods, research and clinical practices in communication sciences and disorders. Students are introduced to the core knowledge of speech science, language science, and hearing science and the nature of communication disorders across the lifespan. The B.A. degree prepares majors for graduate study in speech-language pathology and audiology and provides background relevant for advanced study in related disciplines such as education, special education, linguistics, cognitive science and neuroscience. Students may also choose to apply their background to work in the field of rehabilitation or other allied health professions.

The mission of the graduate programs in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology is to advance knowledge of human communication and its disorders, and to contribute to the advancement of the professions of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology through clinical practice, research and professional development. Through a wide variety of academic and clinical experiences, students are prepared to become professional, competent educators and clinicians who provide services to children and adults with communication disorders. The graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology has been designed to meet the teacher certification standards of the New York State Department of Education. The graduate programs in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology have been designed to meet the standards of the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.