Communication Disorders at NMU

The Communication Disorders Department is committed to offering the course work and clinical practice experiences that will qualify students graduating with their master's degree to meet the academic and clinical requirements for the Certification of Clinical Competency in Speech-Language Pathology granted by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.  The department emphasizes clinical and research aspects of the profession and requires all students to demonstrate their ability to understand normal communicative processes, diagnose communicative disorders, and treat individuals with speech and language disorders.

Communication Disorders Programs

The department offers both an undergraduate bachelor of science degree and a graduate master of arts degree in communication disorders.  The undergraduate program is considered to be pre-professional providing students with the necessary academic preparation for successful graduate training.  The graduate program is accredited by the Council of Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Department/Program Policies

All undergraduate majors in communication disorders are required to also have a 20 credit hour minor as part of their academic program.  While a student can choose a minor from many departments on campus, it is recommended that students take a minor in a related area, such as psychology or sociology. The department does not have undergraduate grade point average requirements that are different from the university's.  However, the necessity for graduates to be accepted into a graduate program requires that an overall grade point average of 3.0 be maintained.  Therefore, all students are assigned a faculty advisor who will carefully monitor a student's progress through the program.