• MA Degree Requirements
• PhD Degree Requirements
• Curriculum

Graduate study in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is based on the premise that disorders of human communication are best understood once the student has acquired a thorough knowledge of the basic science of cognition and communication. As such, information from such fields as anatomy, physiology, neuroscience, psychology, psychoacoustics, medicine, linguistics, and education is fundamental to the student's academic, research, and clinical programs.

The department offers programs of study through The Graduate School leading to professional master's degrees (MA) in Learning Disabilities and Speech-Language Pathology and a research-emphasis PhD degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. A combined professional master's degree in Learning Disabilities and Speech-Language Pathology is also available. Students may also choose a research-emphasis master's degree in Learning Disabilities, or Speech-Language Pathology.

Students interested in earning a PhD degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders should contact the Department office or the Department's Director of Graduate Studies for information on core, tool and correlative area course requirements, seminars requirements, a directed teaching requirement, and all pre-candidacy research requirements. The PhD degree integrates the interests of students and faculty across the department, as well as from across the university, in the design of an individualized plan of study leading to preparation for careers focusing on research and in academic settings.

Study for the MA degree in Learning Disabilities focuses on disturbances in cognitive development affecting the use of symbol systems, including oral and written language, mathematics, and non-verbal cognitive processes. A multidisciplinary understanding of learning processes and their disorders is emphasized.

Study for the MA degree in Speech-Language Pathology provides a broad range of basic science courses and specialized coursework covering the identification, evaluation, and treatment of disorders of articulation, phonology, language, fluency, voice, swallowing, and neurophysiologic, neurolinguistic, and structural disorders affecting speech and language.

Professional preparation includes experience in on-campus and medical center clinics staffed by department faculty. These clinics offer comprehensive evaluation and treatment services to a large and diverse clientele representing individuals of all ages and cultural groups. Clinical education continues in placements in medical centers, veterans' hospitals, children's hospitals, private practices, schools, industrial centers, and community health care agencies.

Professional program graduates may qualify for appropriate state licensure, state school certification, and national certification. The professional programs in audiology and speech-language pathology are accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. They prepare students to meet all academic requirements for the Association's Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology or in Speech-Language Pathology. The MA programs prepare students to meet State of Illinois requirements for Learning and Behavior Specialist-I certification and for Speech-Language Pathology certification.

Individuals seeking MA degrees in preparation for dual certification in Learning Disabilities and Speech-Language Pathology take courses in both areas.

Applicants should contact the program or see Web site www.communication.northwestern.edu/csd to learn about program-specific requirements for admission.

Faculty

The primary appointment for those faculty with joint or affiliate status in another program is noted in parentheses.