;

Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024

Communication Sciences and Disorders B.S.

Program Overview

College of Natural and Health Sciences

Contact: Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Location: Gunter 1400

Telephone: 970.351.2734

Website:www.unco.edu/nhs/audiology-speech-language-sciences/

Advising Information:

Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.

To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.

The program consists of three parts:

  1. Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
  2. Required Major Credits
  3. University-Wide Credits

Program Description:

The Communication Sciences and Disorders undergraduate program offers a pre-professional bachelor's degree in audiology and speech-language sciences. Training focuses on a broad-based education with emphasis on: the sciences, anatomy and physiology, psychology, development of audition, language and speech, principles of hearing science, technical instrumentation and problem solving. Students learn about individuals with communication disorders due to head injury, stroke, ear disease, noise exposure, vocal disease and misuse, autism, developmental delays, brain injury, genetics and many other issues. Additionally, students will explore the science behind how we talk, formulate language, hear and process our auditory environment, as well as how to diagnose, treat, and prevent communication disorders. Students who have interests in medical fields, applied sciences, psychology, acoustics, music or education are encouraged to consider audiology and speech-language sciences.

The degree program can be modified to serve as an excellent undergraduate foundation for entry into master's degree programs in Special Education, Rehabilitative Counseling, Public Health or Gerontology. Students interested in pursuing this option should see their advisor.

Program Admission Requirements:

Academic Good Standing

Program Requirements:

  • In addition to fulfilling the specified major requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, a grade of “C-” or better must be earned in all of the Required Major Credit courses in order for the courses to count toward the major.
  • In addition, the University requirement of a UNC cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 for graduation must also be met.
  • In accordance with University Policies, coursework earned more than 10 years prior to the date of matriculation to UNC may not be used to satisfy any major or minor requirements.  Any exception to this policy is at the discretion of the academic program.

Degree Requirements — 120 Credits

1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits

To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the 63-70 required major credits.

Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.

Written Communication — 6 credits

ENG 123 (3) or SCI 291 (3) is recommended to fulfill Intermediate Writing Course requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

See Written Communication courses

Mathematics — 3 credits

STAT 150 (3) and MATH 124 (4) or MATH 125 (3) or MATH 127 (4) or MATH 131 (4) are recommended to fulfill Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

See Mathematics courses

Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits

To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.

CSD160 (3) is recommended to fulfill Social & Behavioral Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

In addition, one course with either a PSY or SOC prefix from Social & Behavioral Sciences category is recommended to fulfill the additional course required for Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences.

See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses

Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits

BIO 100 (3) and BIO 105 (1) or BIO 110 (4) and one CHEM or PHYS prefix course are recommended to fulfill Natural & Physical Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

See Natural & Physical Sciences courses

See Liberal Arts Curriculum

2. Required Major — 63-70 credits

Take all of the following courses:

ASL 101American Sign Language I

3

CSD 160Introduction to Human Communication and Its DisordersLAB3

3

CSD 260Introduction to Phonetics

3

CSD 266Normal Speech and Language Development

3

CSD 267Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism

4

CSD 343Fundamentals of Physiological and Biological Acoustics

2

CSD 360Articulation and Voice Disorders

3

CSD 365Language Disorders in Children

3

CSD 370Basic Audiology

4

CSD 469Clinical Processes in Communication Sciences and Disorders

4

CSD 478Aural Rehabilitation and Amplification

3

BIO 100Exploring BiologyLAS1

3

and

BIO 105Exploring Biology LabLAS1LASL

1

or

BIO 110Biology: Atoms to CellsLAS1LASL

4

BIO 245Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology

4

ENG 123College Research PaperLAW2

3

or

SCI 291Scientific WritingLAW2

3

LIB 170Audiology & Speech Language Sciences Library Research

1

MATH 124College AlgebraLAX1

4

or

MATH 125Plane TrigonometryLAX1

3

or

MATH 127Elementary FunctionsLAX1

4

or

MATH 131Calculus ILAX1

4

STAT 150Introduction to Statistical AnalysisLAX1

3

One course with either a PSY or SOC prefixLAB3

3

One course with either CHEM or PHYS prefixLAS1

3-5

Choose at least one option from Group A and one practicum from Group B that aligns with area of interest for graduate studies:

Group A:
Option 1
CSD 366Language Sampling Processes

1

CSD 431Organically-Based Communication Disorders

3

Option 2
CSD 487Advanced Audiology

3

Group B:
CSD 473SLPA Seminar and Field Experience

4

CSD 474Clinical Practicum in Audiology

1

CSD 483Entry/Primary Speech-Language Pathology Practicum

2

3. University-Wide Credits — 19-26 credits*

Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for any degree at UNC; for this program, that will typically be 19-26 credits.

*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. See your advisor for details.

Four Year Plan

This four year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance. 

Year 1 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

CSD 160Introduction to Human Communication and Its DisordersLAB3

3

ENG 122College CompositionLAW1

3

One course with either a PSY or SOC prefixLAB3

3

LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4

3

LAC HistoryLAH1

3

Total Credit Hours:15

LAC Requirement: Choose U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) and International Studies (IS) course.

Spring Semester

CSD 266Normal Speech and Language Development

3

BIO 100Exploring BiologyLAS1

3

and

BIO 105Exploring Biology LabLAS1LASL

1

or

BIO 110Biology: Atoms to CellsLAS1LASL

4

University-Wide Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

5

Total Credit Hours:15

Year 2 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

CSD 260Introduction to Phonetics

3

BIO 245Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology

4

ENG 123College Research PaperLAW2

3

or

SCI 291Scientific WritingLAW2

3

LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4

3

University-Wide Elective

2

Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

ASL 101American Sign Language I

3

CSD 267Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism

4

CSD 365Language Disorders in Children

3

University-Wide Elective

1

Choose one of the following courses:

MATH 124College AlgebraLAX1

4

MATH 125Plane TrigonometryLAX1

3

MATH 127Elementary FunctionsLAX1

4

MATH 131Calculus ILAX1

4

Total Credit Hours:14-15

Year 3 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

CSD 370Basic Audiology

4

CSD 487Advanced Audiology

3

LIB 170Audiology & Speech Language Sciences Library Research

1

STAT 150Introduction to Statistical AnalysisLAX1

3

University-Wide Elective

4

Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

CSD 343Fundamentals of Physiological and Biological Acoustics

2

CSD 360Articulation and Voice Disorders

3

CSD 366Language Sampling Processes

1

One course with either CHEM or PHYS prefixLAS1

3-5

University-Wide Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

1-3

Total Credit Hours:15

Year 4 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

CSD 469Clinical Processes in Communication Sciences and Disorders

4

CSD 473SLPA Seminar and Field Experience

4

CSD 474Clinical Practicum in Audiology

1

University-Wide Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

CSD 431Organically-Based Communication Disorders

3

CSD 483Entry/Primary Speech-Language Pathology Practicum

2

CSD 478Aural Rehabilitation and Amplification

3

University-Wide Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

4

Total Credit Hours:15

Advising Notes –

  • Most CSD courses offered 1 time per year with exception of CSD 266, CSD 365, and CSD 469. Students wishing to take CSD 473/SLPA certification, should enroll in CSD 469 in spring of their junior year. Other students should target taking CSD 469 in fall of their senior year. Some courses are offered online during the summer.
  • It is strongly recommended that students meet the math requirement before taking CSD 343.

Back to Top