STATEMENT OF GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM

MISSION STATEMENT:

The Department of Communication Disorders in the College of Health and Human Services offers the Ph.D. degree with a concentration in Speech-Language Pathology. The doctoral program in Communication Disorders is designed to develop the scientific and cognitive skills needed to identify and independently study important questions concerning human communication. In pursuit of these goals, students engage actively in research and teaching, both academic and clinical. The program is designed to develop basic and analytical knowledge in (a) the sciences of normal speech and language, (b) disorders of speech and language, and (c) related disciplines providing insight into human communication, as well as (d) to develop research and technical skills in instrumentation and research methodologies.

The Department offers the only doctoral program in Communication Disorders in Northwest Ohio. Our program emphasizes a student-centered approach to doctoral education. Students participate in research throughout their programs and are closely supervised in their research and teaching experiences. The curriculum is individually designed to meet students’ educational needs and professional goals.

The Department has 12 full-time graduate faculty members. Active research programs exist in a range of areas, including:

• child language development and disorders (semantic development; communicative impairment in autism; treatment research; psychosocial aspects of developmental speech and language impairments)
• fluency disorders (attitude-related problems and handicapping; treatment research)
• speech perception (the role of auditory processing in language learning, normal and disordered)
• speech and voice science (neuromuscular physiology of the larynx; speech and voice characteristics of Parkinson’s disease; physical and computer modeling of phonation; aerodynamics and acoustics of singing; articulatory contact pressures during speech; alaryngeal speech)

The Department has experienced continued growth and development in recent years. External support for research and specialized teaching has consistently increased over the last seven years. BGSU is the lead institution in a multi-site, NIH-funded program in voice research. Active research collaborations and curricular opportunities exist with other regional institutions, including the University of Toledo and the Medical College of Ohio. In addition, interdisciplinary opportunities exist on campus. Students and faculty in the Department participate in the Center for Neuroscience, Mind, and Behavior, and the Center for Family and Demographic Research. Other departments on campus to which students and faculty have productive ties include psychology, physics, music, theatre, education, and kinesiology.

ADMISSIONS STANDARDS:

The Department of Communication Disorders seeks applicants interested in pursuing academic and research excellence. Admission requirements for the program are: completion of an appropriate master's degree from an accredited college or university, three letters of recommendation, GRE scores, and a personal letter of application that addresses reasons for pursuing doctoral training and identifies areas of research interest. The Admissions Committee also takes into consideration how well applicants’ abilities, interests, and professional goals fit our program. Most applicants have received a master’s degree in Speech, Language, or Hearing Sciences/Disorders, although students with other related backgrounds are encouraged to apply. A student is admitted to the program following recommendation of the Graduate Admissions Committee in the Department of Communication Disorders and upon approval of the Graduate College. The Department is committed to student diversity as an integral part of their learning environment.

ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE STATE OR REGION:

Nationwide the number of available faculty positions in communication disorders exceeds the number of applicants. The need for increased numbers of graduates with doctoral degrees is a priority of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. According to a survey conducted by the Council for Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders, as the current professorate ages, the gap between the number of vacancies and the number of qualified applicants will continue to widen. For a number of years Ohio universities have been facing the challenges created by small faculty applicant pools. In addition, Ohio has experienced a severe shortage in speech-language pathologists for the public schools. Doctoral faculty are necessary to continue to train and prepare future speech-language pathologists for school positions. Our department’s doctoral training mission focuses on helping to meet these faculty shortfalls by accepting more qualified applicants each year, and working to ensure their successful completion of the program in a reasonable timeframe.

PLACEMENT OBJECTIVES FOR GRADUATES:

Graduates from the doctoral program in Communication Disorders are trained so that they will be prepared to fill positions in academic, research, and clinical institutions. Over the last two decades, graduates from our program have moved directly into faculty, post doctoral research, or clinic administration positions.

PROGRAM REVIEW:
Date of last review: 1997-98
Date of next scheduled review: 2004-05
Date these program goals and objectives were last revised: November 3, 2003

Contact Information:

Larry Small, Chair
Lynne Hewitt, Graduate Coordinator
Room: 200 Health Center
Phone: 419-372-2515

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