Communication Sciences and Disorders, B.S.

http://alliedhealth.ouhsc.edu/Prospective-Students/Academic-Programs/BS-in-Communication-Sciences-and-Disorders

Program Description

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center offers undergraduate and graduate education in the areas of normal speech and hearing processes and their disorders. The department’s academic programs are fully accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

At the undergraduate level, the discipline emphasizes coursework in the normal communication process and an understanding of communication disorders. Advanced levels of education are directed toward learning communication assessment and treatment techniques for a wide variety of disorders, including aphasia, childhood speech disorders, voice loss following laryngectomy, cerebral palsy, cleft palate, language-learning disabilities, and hearing loss. Additionally, opportunities exist for student-faculty research at both the undergraduate and the graduate levels.

This is a four-year program in which the first and second years (67 semester hours) may be completed at the University of Oklahoma, Norman campus, or any accredited college or university. The third and fourth years are completed at the Health Sciences Center.

Program Defined

Communication Sciences and Disorders refers to the study of normal speech and hearing processes and their disorders. At the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, the Communication Sciences and Disorders program refers to the undergraduate study which prepares individuals for graduate programs in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.

Cost

Students may expect additional costs that include, but are not limited to, a personal computer, textbooks, lab fees, insurance, and supplies. Students are required to assume financial responsibilities for expenses associated with clinical requirements. For financial aid information, contact the Financial Aid Office at (405) 271-2118.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they are enrolled in the prescribed courses and to pay tuition and fees at the time designated by the Bursar's Office. Details regarding tuition/fee charges and collection are available from the Bursar's Office.

Accreditation

This program is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission, an applicant must:

Meet the following credit hour requirements:
1. Have successfully completed, or be in the process of completing, a minimum of sixty-seven (67) semester hours of coursework (which includes 1 of 3 "First-Year Experience" courses from OU-Norman) prior to beginning the program; OR;
2. Have successfully completed, or be in the process of completing, a minimum of sixty-four (64) semester hours of coursework (excluding the OU-Norman "First-Year Experience"). Applicants should understand that if admitted in this scenario, the student will be enrolled in a ‘First Year Experience’ course while enrolled in the OUHSC program;
AND meet the following GPA requirements:
1. At minimum, earn a 2.75 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale;
2. The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences does not recognize academic forgiveness nor reprieve policies. All attempts of a course are included in the calculation of GPAs;
3. Be in good standing with the college or university last or currently attending;
4. While a 2.75 is the minimum eligibility requirement, please review our admission statistics from the previous year to ensure that you are a competitive applicant.
AND have completed, or are in the process of completing the required pre-requisites:
1. Successfully complete all departmental prerequisite courses with grades of C or better prior to beginning our program in August, please note that the required 2.75 pre-requisite GPA still applies;
2. Courses taken during the spring 2020 semester may have a “P” for passing or “S” for satisfactory due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please note that the required 2.75 cumulative grade point average still applies;
3. If your pre-requisites are from a college or university that is not the University of Oklahoma, please refer to the Transfer Equivalency Database to find out if your courses transfer.
4. If English is a second language, submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores. Applicants must earn a minimum score of 600 (paper-based) or 100 (Internet-based) within two years prior to application. The OUHSC institution code for the TOEFL is 6902. The department may waive TOEFL scores if the applicant provides evidence of graduation from a U.S. High School or a 4-year Bachelor’s degree or higher from a U.S. institution. Click here to review additional information regarding the TOEFL and TOEFL waiver.

Application Procedure

Complete an online application through the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Office of Admissions and Records;
Submit official, sealed transcripts from all colleges and/or universities attended directly to OUHS Admissions and Records;
1. If previous coursework is from colleges or universities outside of the US, have all transcripts/mark sheets processed through World Education Services (WES);
Once the OUHS application is complete and all transcripts have been received, applicants will receive a link to complete the online asynchronous interview/assessment through Kira Talent;
Selection:
1. Once an application is complete, including the OUHS application, Official Transcripts, and Kira Talent Assessment, it will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Decisions may be made as early as October 1st.
  1. Decisions may include admitted, waitlisted, or denied. We do not publish our waitlist and will continue to admit students until the class is filled, which may continue through Summer 2025.
  2. Admitted applicants will be notified via an electronic letter sent by OU Health Sciences Admissions and Records. Waitlisted or Denied students will be notified via email of their status.
  3. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure they have provided a correct email address in the OU application system and be monitoring their email for updates.
Admitted applicants must accept their position according to the timeline communicated on their electronic letter received through OU Health Sciences Admissions and Records, or the position will be considered declined. If admitted, applicants must accept their position by paying a non-refundable deposit, which will be applied toward tuition and fees during the first term.
Students are required to attend a mandatory orientation the week before the start of their first semester beginning in August 2025 as well as meet all university compliance and eligibility requirements. Admission is conditional based on meeting all requirements and the college reserves the right to rescind admission offers up until the start of the first week of school.

Curriculum

Plan of Study Grid
Year 1
Fall Semester		Hours
CSD 3113	Terminology in Communication Sciences and Disorders	3
CSD 3333	Phonetics	3
CSD 3423	Anatomy and Physiology of the Hearing Mechanisms	3
CSD 3443	Foundations of Speech & Language Development	3
CSD 3463	Foundations of Audiology	3
CSD 4430	Seminar in Communication Sciences and Disorders	1
	Hours	16
Spring Semester
Electives ¹		3
CSD 3413	Anatomy Physiology of the Speech Mechanisms	3
CSD 3453	Introduction to Articulation Disorders	3
CSD 4430	Seminar in Communication Sciences and Disorders	1
CSD 4443	Clinical Observation in CSD	3
CSD 4493	Diagnosis and Rehabilitation in Audiology	3
	Hours	16
Year 2
Fall Semester
CSD 4373	Introduction to Adult Neurological Communication Disorders	3
CSD 3473	Language Disorders in the Exceptional Child	3
AHS 3451	Medical Ethics	1
CSD 4363	Fluency	3
CSD 4430	Seminar in Communication Sciences and Disorders	1
CSD 4483	Sign Language I	3
	Hours	14
Spring Semester
CSD 4433	Instructional Procedures in Communication Disorders	3
CSD 4513	Clinical Interviewing and Counseling in Communication Disorders	3
CSD 4343	Neural Bases of Communication	3
CSD 4430	Seminar in Communication Sciences and Disorders	1
CSD 4413	Speech and Hearing Science	3
AHS 4571	Introduction to Research Methodology in Allied Health	1
	Hours	14
	Total Hours	60

¹: Electives may include coursework to complete requirements for graduation, ASHA certification, teacher certification, and/or licensure.

Prerequisites

Course numbers are those of the University of Oklahoma. Approved prerequisite courses are offered at many institutions. You must look up every course you have taken, plan to take, and/or are currently enrolled in to verify that they are equivalent courses. The responsibility is yours to enroll in equivalent courses and we provide the tools to make sure you do. Check the Transfer Equivalencies Database or with your school advisor regarding equivalent courses. Instructions are provided at that link to request a transcript evaluation that may not be in the database.

All prerequisites are required unless noted in the footnotes. Please read the footnote descriptions located directly underneath the table.

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
MATH 1503	College Algebra	3
PSY 1113	Elements Of Psychology	3
PHYS 1114	General Physics For Non-Science Majors	4
varies - Upper Level General Education Course ¹		3
P SC 1113	American Federal Government ²	3
varies - Artistic Forms ²		3
varies - Foreign Language 1st Course ²
varies - Foreign Language 2nd Course ²
ENGL 1113	Principles Of English Composition ²	3
ENGL 1213	Principles Of English Composition ²	3
HIST 1483	United States, 1492 To 1865 ²	3
or HIST 1493	United States, 1865 To The Present
varies - Western Culture ²		3
varies - World Culture or Non-Western Culture ²		3
BIOL 1124	Intro Biol: Molecule/Cell/Phys	4
or BIOL 1005	Concepts in Biology.
PSY 2003	Understanding Statistics ³	3
varies - General Education Course: First Year Experience ⁴		3
varies - Electives ⁵

¹: Is required if applicant has not completed a Bachelor’s degree. It is recommended that the applicant take an approved upper level/division (3000 or 4000 level) world culture or non-western culture, western culture, or artistic forms class. By taking an approved upper division course in one of those categories, two prerequisites can be completed with that one class.
²: Is not required for applicants that have an Associate of Science or Associate of Arts degree from an Oklahoma college. Not required for applicants that have a Bachelor’s degree. Foreign Language 1st and 2nd course are waived for applicants who completed two years in the same language in high school.
³: It is recommended that the applicant take an equivalent course to OU course number PSY 2003 Understanding Statistics. If there is not an equivalent course at your college/university for PSY 2003 Understanding Statistics, it is acceptable to take an equivalent course to OU’s course numbers PSY 2113 Research Methods I: Statistics, COMM 2513 Introduction To Statistics, or ECON 2843 Elements Of Statistics.
⁴: Applicants will be required to complete a 'First Year Experience' course for graduation. A 'First Year Experience' course may be taken prior to applying to OUHSC or a 'First Year Experience' course will be offered after admission to OUHSC for those who still need to complete this requirement. The CSD Department recommends completing this required course prior to admission to OUHSC. The courses are part of the General Education offered through OUNorman or could be an equivalent course approved by OU-Norman.
⁵: Electives to equal 64 credit hours when admitted without a "First Year Experience" general education course or electives to equal 67 credit hours when admitted with a "First Year Experience" general education course completed.

Please note: varies = there are multiple courses that are equivalent for these prerequisites. If you are attending OU in Norman for these courses, click here for equivalent courses; if attending another institution, please check the Transfer Equivalency Database.

Remedial courses do not count towards the credit hours.

If you are planning to attend the University of Oklahoma Norman campus to fulfill your Western Culture, World Culture (or Non-Western Culture), Art Forms, and/or Upper Level General Education prerequisite, please click here to review acceptable courses offered in these categories on the University of Oklahoma Norman campus. Please remember to review footnote #1 above for instructions on the Upper Level General Education Course.