Hearing and Speech Sciences Major
Department Chair: Rochelle Newman, Ph.D.
UG Program Director: Jared Novick, Ph.D.
Hearing and speech sciences is an inherently interdisciplinary field, integrating knowledge from the physical and biological sciences, medicine, psychology, linguistics, and education in order to understand human communication and its disorders. The department curriculum leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. An undergraduate major in this field primarily provides the background for graduate training in Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology. However, it is also an excellent preparation for students who wish to pursue graduate study in other disciplines such as: occupational therapy, physical therapy, special education, or nursing. The student who wishes to work professionally as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist must obtain a graduate degree in order to meet national certification requirements and state licensure laws.
The hearing and speech sciences curriculum is designed in part to provide supporting course work for majors in related fields, so most course offerings are available to both departmental majors and non-majors. Courses offered by this department may be found under the following acronym: HESP. Permission of an instructor may be obtained to waive course prerequisites for non-majors wishing to take hearing and speech courses of personal interest.
Admission to the Major
The undergraduate program in HESP is not a limited enrollment major. The program is structured to provide adequate background for graduate training in Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology and Speech, Language or Hearing Sciences. It is considered to be a pre-professional program. It is important for HESP students to understand that in order to pursue a career as a Speech Language Pathologist or Audiologist, you must continue on to graduate study. Further information regarding education and training for these careers can be found on the American Speech-Language Hearing Association website. Students should be advised that graduate school admissions are highly competitive; therefore students must perform to the best of their ability throughout the entire undergraduate curriculum in order to be considered for admittance into any graduate program. The coursework in Hearing and Speech Sciences requires careful sequencing. Material learned in early courses provides the foundation for later courses and some required courses are only offered during certain semesters. For this reason most HESP courses have required pre-requisites and academic advising is crucial. This also means that students transferring into the major late in their academic careers or transferring from a community college, may not be able to complete the major in four years.
Program Objectives
The Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences strives to provide state-of-the-art teaching, research, and clinical services in the areas of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.
Program Learning Outcomes
The undergraduate curriculum in Hearing and Speech Sciences is structured to provide a strong background for graduate training in Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology and Hearing, Language or Speech Sciences. Although required courses at the undergraduate level are identical for all undergraduate majors, emphasis can be given to individual curricula through the selection of elective courses. Having completed the degree program, students should have acquired the following knowledge and skills:
- Students will demonstrate application of fundamental concepts of basic sciences (i.e., biological, physical, mathematics/statistics, behavioral and social sciences) to the hearing and speech sciences discipline.
- Students will demonstrate knowledge of basic communication processes.
- Students will demonstrate knowledge of speech, language, and hearing disorders and differences, including etiologies and characteristics, prevention, assessment, and intervention.
Students majoring in Hearing and Speech Sciences must complete 33 semester hours of required HESP courses in order to complete their degree. In addition to these HESP courses, students must also complete 12 semester hours of supporting courses in psychology, statistics and other related fields. 14 credits in the major also overlap with the University of Maryland's General Education courses.
All courses required for the HESP major must be completed with a grade of "C-" or better. In addition, when a HESP course has a listed pre-requisite, this pre-requisite must have been completed with a grade of "C-" or better before registration in the subsequent course will be approved.
Because course sequencing is extremely important, advising for HESP majors is mandatory prior to registration each semester.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| College Requirements | ||
| Required Courses | ||
| HESP120 | Introduction to Linguistics (Also fulfills either DSHS or DSSP General Education Requirement) | 3 |
| HESP202 | Introduction to Hearing and Speech Sciences | 3 |
| HESP300 | Introduction to Psycholinguistics | 3 |
| HESP305 | Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech Mechanism (Offered fall semester only) | 3 |
| HESP311 | Anatomy, Pathology and Physiology of the Auditory System (Offered spring semester only) | 3 |
| HESP400 | Speech and Language Development in Children | 3 |
| HESP403 | Introduction to Phonetic Science | 3 |
| HESP407 | Bases of Hearing Science (Offered spring semester only) | 3 |
| HESP411 | Introduction to Audiology | 3 |
| Select one of the following Disorder Courses: | 3 | |
| Language and Phonological Disorders in Children (Offered spring semester only) 4 | ||
HESP404 | ||
| Acquired Neurogenic Communication Disorders in Adults 4 | ||
| Seminar (in Hearing and Speech Sciences, topics vary) | ||
| Select one of the following Elective Courses | ||
| Experiential Learning 1 | ||
| Undergraduate Research Experience 1 | ||
| LEAP Classroom Internship 1 | ||
| Language and Phonological Disorders in Children | ||
HESP404 | ||
| Acquired Neurogenic Communication Disorders in Adults | ||
| Aural Rehabilitation/Habilitation 4 | ||
| Principles and Methods in Speech-Language Pathology 4 | ||
| Principles and Methods in Audiology (Offered only in the fall semester) 4 | ||
| Principles and Methods in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology 4 | ||
| Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology 1 | ||
| Neurological Bases of Human Communication 4 | ||
| Honor Thesis Research 1 | ||
| Seminar (in Hearing and Speech Sciences, topics vary) | ||
| Independent Study 1 | ||
| Additional HESP Major Requirements (These may also fulfill General Education Requirements) | ||
| PSYC100 | Introduction to Psychology (fulfills DSHS General Education Requirement ) 2 | 3 |
| Select one of the following Statistic courses: Fulfills FSAR General Education Requirement 2 | 3 | |
| Introduction to Educational Statistics | ||
| Statistical Methods in Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Biometrics | ||
| Select two courses from Allied/Related Fields. The most recent list of courses fulfilling this requirement can be obtained from the HESP Academic Advisor | 6 | |
| PHYS102 & PHYS103 | Physics of Music and Physics of Music Laboratory 2 | 4 |
| BSCI170/171 or BSCI103 OR any Biology course based on the biology of human systems 2,3 | 3-4 | |
| Total Credits | 49-50 | |
- 1
Internships, clinical or research experiences do not fulfill the Elective Course requirement.
- 2
These courses also satisfy national certification standards for Speech Language Pathology and Audiology.
- 3
Must be based on the biology of the human system and not plants or insects.
- 4
These courses are not required for the HESP major, however, some of these courses MAY be pre-requisite courses for some graduate programs. Students should consult the websites of the graduate programs in which they are planning to apply, to ensure that they take all the courses which are pre-requisites for those programs.
Other Requirements for the Major
The coursework in Hearing and Speech Sciences requires careful sequencing. Material learned in early courses provides the foundation for later courses and some required courses are only offered during certain semesters. For this reason most HESP courses have required pre-requisites and academic advising is crucial. This also means that students transferring into the major late in their academic careers or transferring from a community college, may not be able to complete the major in 4 years.
Click here for roadmaps for four-year plans in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.
Additional information on developing a four-year academic plan can be found on the following pages:
- http://4yearplans.umd.edu
- the Student Academic Success-Degree Completion Policy section of this catalog