Introducing the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

Starting this fall, the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology will officially change its name to the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences.

The change has come about for a number of reasons, according to associate dean, Dr. Ann Tyler. "The current name reflected the professions, which are speech-language pathology and audiology, but omitted the component devoted to language development and disorders," she said. "The new name not only includes language, but also better reflects the disciplinary foundation of the professions in the sciences."

According to research conducted by the department, only about 5% of similar programs across the country are still called Speech Pathology and Audiology. The majority are now called "Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences" or "Communication Sciences and Disorders."

The degrees offered in the department remain unchanged, as do the curricula of those programs. Both the audiology and speech-language pathology graduate programs are ranked in the top 50 such programs by U.S. News & World Report.

The new name was selected by faculty in the department in May 2015. The name change will be official on Sept. 6, the first day of the fall 2016 semester.