Undergraduate Program Course Work
A minimum of 120 credits are required for a Bachelor of Science degree in CSD (45 credits are General Education Requirements, 57-58 credits are requirements for the Major (45 credits of Prescribed and 12-13 credits of Additional courses), and the remainder are for Electives).
General Education Requirements (GERs)
Students are required to take a minimum of 45 credits to complete the GERs. The GERs consist of course work in the following areas:
Writing/Speaking (9 credits; courses are designated with the suffix GWS)
Quantification (6 credits; courses are designated with the suffix GQ)
Natural Science (9 credits; courses are designated with the suffix GN)
Arts (6 credits; courses are designated with the suffix GA)
Humanities (6 credits; courses are designated with the suffix GH)
Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 credits; courses are designated with the suffix GH)
Health and Physical Activity (3 credits; courses are designated with the suffix GHA)
The following are GER courses recommended for CSD students:
Writing/Speaking: ENGL 015 or 030, SPCOM 100A or B, and ENG 202A, or C.
Quantification: EDPSY 101 or STAT 200.
Natural Science: BI SC 002, BI SC 004, BIOL 033, BIOL 055, PHYS 001, or PHYS 255.
Social and Behavioral Sciences: PSYCH 002, HD FS 129.
Health and Physical Activity: CSD 100, CSD 101.
Requirements for the Major
CSD majors are required to take 57-58 credits to complete the major where 45 credits are prescribed and 12-13 credits are additional courses.
CSD Prescribed Courses: CSD majors must take each Prescribed Course listed below.
| Course | Title | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|
| PSYCH 100 | Psychology | None |
| CSD 146 | Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders | None |
| CSD 230 | Introduction to Audiology | CSD 146 |
| CSD 245 | Professional Programs and Relationships | CSD 146 or concurrent |
| CSD 269DF | Deafness and Society | None |
| CSD 300 | Developmental Considerations in Assessment and Treatment of Language Disorders | None |
| CSD 301 | Acoustic Principles in Communication Sciences and Disorders | None |
| CSD 311 | Clinical Phonetics | None |
| CSD 331 | Anatomy & Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanisms | None |
| CSD 395W | Clinical Observations in Communication Sciences and Disorders | CSD 146 |
| CSD 433 | Aural Rehabilitation | CSD 230 |
| CSD 442 | Introduction to Disorders of Articulation & Phonology | CSD 146, 311, 331 |
| CSD 444 | Introduction to Organic Disorders of Speech & Language | CSD 146, 331 |
| CSD 451 | An Introduction to Augmentative & Alternative Communication (Only Fall Semester) | CSD 146, 300 |
| CSD 459W | Principles of Clinical Management in Communication Sciences and Disorders | CSD 146 |
| CSD 462 | Clinical Bases of Language Disorders | CSD 300 |
| *Note: All CSD majors must have a C or better grade in CSD courses as specified in Senate Policy 82-44 | ||
CSD Additional Courses
CSD majors must take one course within each of the four areas listed below. Some of the additional courses are also GER courses. The courses not taken as additional courses make excellent choices as elective courses.
Psychology of Human Learning: EDPSY 014 or PSYCH 204
Elementary Statistics: EDPSY 101, PSYCH 200, or STAT 200
Developmental Psychology: HD FS 129 or PSYCH 212
Development, Relations, Abnormal Psychology, and Psychology of Adjustment: HD FS 229, 249, 315, 411, 418, 432, PSYCH 470, or 437.
CSD Electives
CSD offers several courses listed below that are not required for graduation. These courses would be excellent elective courses for CSD majors.
PSU 014.200 First-Year Seminar in Communication Sciences and Disorders (1 credit; can only be taken during first year; counts as the First-Year Seminar Requirement if no other First-Year Seminar has been taken).
CSD 100 GHA Prevention of Vocal Abuse (1.5 credits; can count as a GER Health and Physical Activity course).
CSD 101 GHA Prevention of Hearing Loss (1.5 credits; can count as a GER Health and Physical Activity course).
CSD 218 American Sign Language I (3 credits).
CSD 318 American Sign Language II (3 credits; prerequisite is CSD 218).
Other Electives
Since Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists commonly work with infants, pre-school, and school-age children and adults, course work in the following areas would be excellent choices for electives.
Special Education: SPLED 400, 402
Counselor Education: CN ED 403, 404, 408, 409, 410, 415
Infant, Adolescent or Adult Development: HD FS 229, 239, 249, 435, 428, 429, 445; PSYCH 426
Communication Sciences and Disorders: CSD 100, 101, 218, 318
For students who wish to work in the public schools, you must take a literature course for Instructional I Certification. Go to www.ed.psu.edu/edservices/certification/lit.html for a list of literature courses.
Minor
By careful scheduling, students can use their elective credits to complete a minor in such areas as Psychology, Human Development and Family Studies, Linguistics, Health Planning and Administration, Spanish, or a related area. Typically, a minor requires 18 credits of which 6 credits have to be 400 level courses. CSD majors interested in obtaining a minor should consult with the department offering the minor to find out all of the requirements for a minor.
University Requirements
The following University requirements must be completed for graduation.
C or Better Course Requirement: CSD majors must obtain a C or better grade in all CSD courses.
Intercultural and International Competence Requirement: For CSD majors this requirement is completed once a student has passed CSD 269 DF.
Writing Across the Curriculum Requirement: For CSD majors this requirement is completed once the student has passed CSD 395W and 459W.
Academic and Advising Information
The University supplies students with the latest information concerning their academic progress, advising, and other information. CSD students are strongly advised to become familiar with and regularly use Penn State's eLion.