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Are you looking for a profession that has many different employment options, one that allows you to help people, and gives you a sense of great satisfaction? Perhaps becoming a speech-language pathologist would be perfect for you. With a master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, you could work in a hospital, school, rehabilitation center or a clinic with clients ranging in age from very small children to older adults.

Rockhurst University offers both a major and a minor in Communication Sciences and Disorders. These undergraduate programs emphasize an ethically and culturally sensitive approach to clinical practice. An undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders may prepare a student for graduate work in speech-language pathology, special education, deaf education, or numerous other fields in the rehabilitation area. Undergraduate coursework typically provides a broad scientific base for the understanding of normal development of the basic human communication processes and an introduction to the study of disorders of communication.

There are 46 million Americans — one out of every eight — with a communication disorder. Speech-language pathologists serve children and adults who are born with neurological or organic problems, such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, cleft palate or hearing loss. They also serve children and adults who have experienced stroke or head trauma, as well as those with voice, articulation and stuttering problems and language delay. The number of children and adults with speech, language and hearing disabilities is significant and increasing, due in large part to medical advances that improve the survival rate of premature babies, young adults with head injuries and an expanding aging population. A speech-language pathologist can help all of these clients in some way.

For more information, check out Rockhurst's graduate program in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

You can also get up to date information about the future of the profession from the Occupational Outlook:

http://www.bls.gov/oco/print/ocos099.htm