Total semester hours required for the Degree: 120 semester hours

Total semester hours required for the CDS Major: 58 - 59 semester hours

Students who wish to enter the professions of speech-language pathology or audiology typically earn a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Communication Disorders & Sciences (CDS) and then apply to graduate programs in either area. The required levels of training for certification by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation are the Master’s Degree in CDS for speech-language pathologists, and the Doctor of Audiology for audiologists. Admission into graduate programs in speech-language pathology or audiology is competitive. Students completing their B.S. in CDS should apply to accredited graduate institutions during the Fall term of their senior year.

Students must maintain a CGPA and MGPA of 3.0 and meet undergraduate Essential Functions criteria (see CDS Handbook) required to practice as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist. Students whose CGPA drops below 3.0 will be placed on academic warning for the major and have until the end of the following term to raise the CGPA to 3.0. If a student in academic warning for the major fails to return the CGPA to the required 3.0 level during the next term in which they are enrolled, CDS major status is lost, and the student may not enroll in additional CDS courses as a CDS major. Students may petition the department chair for readmission or reconsideration due to extenuating circumstances.