Skip to main content

Appalachian State University

Appalachian State University
Advanced search
Information For...
  • Current Students
  • Parents & Family
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Alumni
Quick Links
  • COVID-19
  • Give
  • Maps
  • Employment
  • Library
  • AppalNet
  • AsULearn
  • A-Z
Main Menu
  • Why Choose App?
  • Visit
  • Admissions
  • Academics
  • Campus Life
  • About
  • Home
  • Academics
  • Undergraduate Programs

Communication Sciences and Disorders (BS)

About

The undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) prepares students for careers in speech-language pathology, audiology and other related fields. The entry-level degree for licensure and practice as a speech-language pathologist is the master’s degree, while audiologists complete a four-year doctoral degree.

App State’s CSD undergraduate degree provides students with the academic preparation and clinical exposure necessary for graduate study. Academic requirements include 46 semester hours of major coursework, 3 hours of major electives and 15 hours in an academic interest area. The coursework focuses on normal development of speech, language and hearing processes as well as associated disorders.

In the last year of the program, students participate in clinical experiences at App State’s Charles E. and Geneva S. Scott Scottish Rite Communication Disorders Clinic, Beaver College of Health Sciences Interprofessional Clinic, or other community-based settings. These clinical experiences are designed to give undergraduate students exposure to individuals with communication disorders.

The department encourages high-achieving students in this major to consider applying to the CSD Honors Program.

After Graduation

Following completion of a graduate degree and licensure, speech-language pathologists and audiologists work in a variety of settings, including preschool programs, public and private schools, hospitals, nursing homes, community clinics, home health and private practice.

Appalachian has a master’s degree program in Speech-Language Pathology, and many of our students continue in this program.

Career Exploration website

Career information from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

People

  • Alumna Profile: Sarah Stidham ’15
    Alumna Profile: Sarah Stidham ’15

    Stidham is a speech-language pathologist at Duke University Hospital, working with adults to improve communication, cognition and swallowing functioning.

  • 3-year-old finds his voice through App State’s Communication Disorders Clinic
    3-year-old finds his voice through App State’s Communication Disorders Clinic

    By working with speech-language pathologists in App State’s Communication Disorders Clinic, a 3-year-old child diagnosed with severe childhood apraxia of speech is learning to communicate. The speech therapy has given him the ability to call his mother “mama” for the first time. Learn more

  • Faculty Profile: Dr. Jennifer Dalton
    Faculty Profile: Dr. Jennifer Dalton

    As a speech scientist and speech-language pathologist, Dr. Jennifer Dalton’s research, teaching and clinical interests focus on speech sound development and pediatric speech sound disorders. She is the director of App State’s Communication Sciences and Disorders degree program and an associate professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences.

  • Faculty Profile: Dr. Jordan Hazelwood
    Faculty Profile: Dr. Jordan Hazelwood

    As a speech-language pathologist, Hazelwood teaches teamwork, along with strong clinical skills, in treating the whole patient for increased health and quality of life.

Courses

  • Program of Study
    Program of Study
  • Four Year Guide
    Four Year Guide
  • NCCC Transfer Four Year Guide
    NCCC Transfer Four Year Guide

Minors

An Academic Interest Area or a minor is required. App State offers a Communication Science Disorders minor and an American Sign Language minor.

View all minors

Engagement Outside the Classroom

  • National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) — a pre-professional association for students interested in the study of communication sciences and disorders. National membership is available to undergraduate, graduate or doctoral students enrolled full or part time in a communication sciences program or related major.
  • American Sign Language Club — a student organization that raises awareness for the deaf community and knowledge of ASL through events and fundraisers.
  • Operation Smile — an international medical charity that provides free surgeries for children and young adults in developing countries who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial deformities.
  • Autism Speaks U — a student organization that promotes autism awareness within the local community, acts as an advocate for people with autism and sponsors fundraising events for autism research.
  • Dementia Awareness Club — a student organization that aims to build awareness of dementia in the community. App State students, faculty, and staff, as well as community members, are welcome to attend meetings and events, and to support the club.
  • Autism Society of NC student chapter — an organization dedicated to working with the local autism community in Boone and the High Country. It promotes awareness, advocates for and serves individuals with autism and their families.
  • Appalachian Neuroscience Organization — an organization that brings together people from inside and outside of the neuroscience field in order to share knowledge and research and make neuroscience a bigger part of App State’s campus.
  • Eye to Eye — an organization whose aim is to mentor students with LDs/ADHD, run by people with the same learning differences. It provides mentoring for students in the grades five through eight.
  • Delta Zeta Sorority — a sorority whose philanthropy is focused on speech and hearing. Funds raised by the sorority benefit, in part, App State’s Charles E. and Geneva S. Scott Scottish Rite Communication Disorders Clinic.
  • Scholars with Diverse Abilities Program Appvocates — The Appvocates Club was created for the volunteers of the Scholars with Diverse Abilities Program (SDAP). Members strive to develop a community among volunteers while also creating fun and meaningful events for scholars, volunteers and SDAP staff.

Global Learning

App State is committed to introducing students to different cultures and teaching them how to live and interact in a global society.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the university requirements for declaring a major, students must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.2 in order to declare their major.

See a complete list of requirements

apply

Apply

visit

Visit

connect

Connect

programs

Degrees

Want to learn more?

Register for Info Session
Costs and Aid

Why Appalachian?

  • Students pursue a major that focuses on normal development of speech, language and hearing processes as well as associated disorder areas.
  • In their last year in the program, students complete 25 observation hours in the university’s Communication Disorders Clinic. This gives them exposure to individuals with communication disorders.
  • App State has a master’s degree program in Speech-Language Pathology, and many eligible students continue in this program.
  • The student organization (NSSLHA) offers community and opportunities to learn about the profession and people it serves. 

Location

Boone and Hickory*

*The Hickory Campus location is pending accreditation from SACSCOC for this program. Accreditation is expected in summer 2023.

Careers

These require education beyond a bachelor’s degree.

  • Speech Language Pathology (master’s degree)
  • Audiology (4-year doctoral degree)
  • Other health care related fields
  • Other education related fields
  • SLP Assistant Diploma
  • Other careers in health care, education, science, public policy, counseling, human resources, etc.

View more career possibilities

Contacts

Beaver College of Health Sciences

Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

Dr. Gail S. Donaldson
BCBS-NC Professor and Department Chair
donaldsongs@appstate.edu
828-262-7182

Dr. Jennifer Dalton
Program Director
daltonjc1@appstate.edu
828-262-6065

  • Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

    Appalachian State University’s Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RHS) — an interdisciplinary unit in the Beaver College of Health Sciences — prepares future leaders through transformative education, collaborative research and community engagement. The department, which launched July 1, 2022, houses several established programs, including an undergraduate program and a minor in communication sciences and disorders, a minor in American Sign Language and graduate programs in athletic training and speech-language pathology. Beginning in fall 2024, the RHS department will house App State’s new Master of Science in occupational therapy program; applications for the program’s first cohort will open in fall 2023. Learn more at https://rhs.appstate.edu.

  • Beaver College of Health Sciences

    The Beaver College of Health Sciences opened in 2010 as the result of an Appalachian commitment to significantly enhance the health and quality of life for individuals, families and communities in North Carolina and beyond.

    Exciting, Growing Career Fields

    • Nearly all undergraduate and graduate programs are in fields recognized as growing “faster than average for all occupations” by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics
    • Currently over 3,700 students pursue degrees in 16 undergraduate and graduate programs
    • Students who graduate are successfully prepared for a variety of general and advanced careers in health care

    Real-World Training and Experience

    • Programs emphasize coursework, research and clinical outreach with a dedication to cultivating life-long learners and practical skills for the field
    • Internships, field experiences and clinical placements in real-world settings in the community and surrounding areas ensure students are prepared to meet existing and future health-related workforce needs, particularly in rural areas
    • Interprofessional and collaborative research between students and faculty gives students unparalleled experience in working together with other health and wellness professionals
    • Research opportunities alongside over 150 nationally and internationally trained faculty mean students have opportunities to contribute to finding innovative solutions to regional and national problems in their field

    Advanced Laboratories and Facilities

    • Over 20 laboratories and additional locations for simulated research and applied laboratory training experience
    • Partnerships and opportunities with the Wake Forest Physician Assistant Program
    • The new Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences that opened in the fall 2018 with innovative classrooms and state-of-the-art labs
    • Continued main campus connection through the Holmes Convocation Center, which houses the RMPE Department and the Advising Satellite Office

Appalachian Cares

It's up to me|us

Appalachian Cares is a place to find resources and support available for our students faculty and staff regarding student health and safety.

  • App State at Hickory
  • Accessibility
  • Bookstore
  • Contact Us
  • Emergency
  • Employment
  • Equal Opportunity Policy
  • Maps
  • Pay Bills
  • Policy Manual
  • Title IX

Connect

Facebook logo Twitter logo Youtube logo Insatgram logo

Connect with Appalachian's social media accounts from university programs, departments and administrative units..

Appalachian State University

Appalachian State University

287 Rivers St., Boone, NC 28608 | 828-262-2000 | Copyright 2023 Appalachian State University. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer | Privacy | Website manager: waterworthae (wycoffdn) | Website feedback