Graduates of the Communication Sciences & Disorders program at The College of Wooster have a solid understanding of human speech, language, and hearing, and have practical experience from the four semesters they spend working in the college’s Freedlander Speech and Hearing Clinic, an outpatient clinic for community members with speech, language, or hearing disorders. Many graduates go on to graduate programs to earn a master’s in speech-language pathology or a doctor of audiology degree, Au.D., while other graduates choose careers in education, social work, law, medicine, nursing and more.
Students who want to enter the fields of audiology or speech-language pathology will benefit from the student-led research, courses taught by experts in the field, and access to internships and practicums at The College of Wooster. Each student at The College of Wooster completes an independent study under the guidance of a faculty mentor, and students in Communications Sciences and Disorders spend the two semesters of their senior year working on a major investigative project. The program is available as a major or a minor, and the multidisciplinary nature of Wooster’s courses allows many students to double major or explore other disciplines, notably education and psychology.
The Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders has had a long and distinguished history at The College of Wooster. Louis Holden,the College’s president from 1899-1915, who himself had been a professor of oratory at Beloit College before assuming presidency at Wooster, founded the Department of Oratory at the College in 1900.
The Department did not firmly establish itself until 1908, with the arrival of Professor Delbert Lean. Lean had studied public speaking at Emerson School of Oratory (today known as Emerson University) and argumentation at Harvard. Under his leadership and that of President Charles Frederick Wishart, who was president from 1919-1944, the major in speech was created in 1930.
Today, the Department of Communication resides in Wishart Hall, named after President Wishart, described in the building’s plaque of dedication as “Master of the Spoken Word.” Wishart eloquently defended Wooster’s decision to teach evolution against attacks by William Jennings Bryan in 1922, three years prior to the famous Scopes trial. Wishart Hall was erected in 1966, with much of the building funds coming from the citizens of Wooster and Wayne County, a tribute to the Department’s ties with the surrounding area.
In the Fall of 2020, The Department of Communication which included both Communication Studies and Communication Sciences & Disorders have become their own separate departments, creating The Department of Communication Studies and The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Associate Professor and Department Chair of Communication Sciences & Disorders
Clinical Supervisor and Adjunct Instructor in Communication Sciences & Disorders
Rachel Yamson ’25, a psychology major and communication sciences and disorders minor, completed an APEX Fellowship at the Language Development Lab at the University […]
Aspiring speech-language pathologist Sabrina Azad ’24 wanted to focus her Independent Study research on understanding how to support patients with brain diseases that can […]
Stacey Lim ’01 never let being born profoundly deaf get in the way of living a full life. The 2001 communication sciences and disorders […]
Brianna Lowry ’25 knew she wanted to encourage children to explore creative expression, so when an opportunity to intern as a camp counselor at […]
The major requires eleven courses in the department, including Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders, Phonetic Transcription and Phonology, Language Development in Children, Audiology, Auditory Rehabilitation, and Human Anatomy and Physiology of Speech, and two electives from within the department or in related disciplines. Students should take the research methodology course before the end of the junior year and demonstrate proficiency in public speaking.
Communication Sciences and Disorders majors complete four-semester of supervised practicum in the college’s Freedlander Speech and Hearing Clinic, which functions as an outpatient clinic to the Wooster community. Clients of all ages, with varying types of disorders, are served. There are no fees for clinic services during the academic year.
View CoursesA minor in Communication Sciences and Disorders requires six courses in the department, including Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders, Phonetic Transcription and Phonology, Language Development in Children, and Audiology.
View CoursesAt Wooster, Independent Study (I.S.) provides all students the opportunity to engage in an activity both personally meaningful and appropriate to their individual fields and interests. Students work closely with their faculty advisors through regularly scheduled conferences and seminars that are designed to assist, encourage, and challenge the participants and to afford both students and advisors an opportunity to share the excitement of discovery and expression in areas of mutual interest.
| Student | Year | I.S. Title | Major 1 | Major 2 | Advisor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Please search to view results | |||||
Aspiring speech-language pathologist Sabrina Azad ’24 wanted to focus her Independent Study research on understanding how to support patients with brain diseases that can […]
Name: Abigail Johnson Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders and Education Advisor: Donald M. Goldberg, Ph.D. This study investigated community recreation sports teams’ coaches’ knowledge regarding working with […]
Name: Mia Chen Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders Minors: Psychology and Spanish Advisors: Dr. Joan E. Furey; Dr. Grit Herzmann (second reader) The broad purpose of this […]
Name: Rachel Semel Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders Minor: Education Advisor: Joan E. Furey, Ph.D.; Cara Hammond (second reader) The purpose of this study was to investigate the […]
The Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) major prepares students for graduate study or careers in speech-language pathology or audiology, education, nursing, social work, and more.
CSD graduates work as audiologists, speech-language pathologists, rehabilitation specialists, behavior therapists, special educators, early childhood intervention specialists, education directors, and teachers. Our majors also include graduates who have had successful careers as a social worker, a magazine editor, a pastry chef, and a director of college admissions, among other professions.
Stacey Lim ’01 never let being born profoundly deaf get in the way of living a full life. The 2001 communication sciences and disorders […]
On Nov. 15, The College of Wooster hosted alumna Chelsea “Sarae” Addison ’14 for a presentation on her experience as a student and after […]
Kaitlyn (Evans) Jue ’10 finds her ‘Dream Job’ combining her interests
Departmental Honors is conferred on students who meet the following criteria:
If students earned Honors on their I.S., the Department will automatically consider them for Departmental Honors. If students did not earn a grade of Honors, they may still be considered for Departmental Honors at the end of their last semester at Wooster. Students earning a grade of Good and who meet the other two criteria will automatically have their names submitted to the Department by their advisor for consideration of Departmental Honors. In the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, the unanimous vote of the faculty has typically gone to those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Department.
The Emerson Miller Memorial Prize in Speech is awarded annually at graduation to the senior who is judged by the Departments of Communication Studies and Communication Sciences and Disorders to have contributed the most to the Departments’ programs during his or her college career.
The Cummings-Rumbaugh Speech Prize is awarded to the graduating senior in Communication Sciences and Disorders who has the highest academic standing.
The Freedlander Speech and Hearing Clinic, located on the ground floor in Wishart Hall, functions as an outpatient clinic to the Wooster community. Staff members assess and treat communicative disorders that is, problems of speech, language, and hearing (e.g., stuttering, speech/language delay, voice problems, cleft palate, hearing loss, and deafness). Currently, the staff is composed of three professionals (Clinic Supervisor Cara Hammond, M.S., CCC-SLP; Professor Donald Goldberg, Ph.D., CCC-SLP/A, FAAA, LSLS Cert. AVT; and Associate Professor Joan Furey, Ph.D., CCC-SLP), along with student clinicians.
For students majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders, the Freedlander Clinic serves another important function: It provides them with hands-on clinical experience, something that few undergraduate programs offer, Indeed, the Freedlander Clinic’s activities are natural sources of information for coursework in the major and for ideas about research that students might undertake. Student clinicians must enroll in the Speech and Language Clinic Practicum course for three semesters and work under the guidance of state-licensed and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certified supervisors. In the fourth semester, students may continue in the Speech and Language Clinic Practicum course or they may elect to enroll in the Audiology Clinic Practicum course.
The clients served at the Clinic are of any age, from infants through older adults, and the types of disorders managed are equally varied. Referrals come from numerous sources, including area physicians, local schools, and the College faculty, staff, and student body, in addition to self-referrals from the Wooster community. There are NO FEES for clients seen during the academic year, between regular clinic hours.
The Freedlander Clinic is equipped with modern audiologic test equipment, a new sound-treated audiology test booth, and a variety of tests, assessment protocols, and therapy materials for assessment and intervention. Audiologic or hearing evaluations, as well as speech/language evaluations, are scheduled throughout the academic year for clients of all ages.
In sum, the Freedlander Clinic serves as a catalyst for service, education, and research. The Clinic not only affords students the opportunity for rich educational experiences, but also provides individuals of the surrounding community with much-needed services, at no cost, that may significantly improve their quality of life.