Communication Sciences and Disorders — B.S.

Program director
Terry Douglas

The curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in communication sciences and disorders begins with the Autumn Quarter of the junior year. The freshman and sophomore years, which are taken at an accredited college or university prior to coming to Loma Linda University, provide the fundamentals of a liberal arts education. The emphasis in the junior and senior years is on preprofessional courses and may include practical experience.

Full-time enrollment in the undergraduate program is required; therefore, one of the considerations for acceptance into the bachelor's degree program is the student's ability to manage a full load of course work. There is no option to enter the program on a part-time basis; neither will a student be allowed to change from full-time to part-time status at any time during program progression. Courses are completed sequentially—with prerequisite courses offered in a given quarter, followed by subsequent courses in a later quarter.

Upon completion of the Bachelor of Science degree, students are prepared to seek admission to a graduate program in speech-language pathology or related disciplines. Students are encouraged to take CMSD 267 Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Fieldwork during their senior year in order to qualify for the speech-language pathology assistant license, issued by the California Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board.

Program learning outcomes

Students who graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in communication sciences and disorders will meet the University outcomes.

Students will also meet the following program-specific outcomes:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of basic human communication processes.
2. Demonstrate introductory knowledge of the major types of human communication and swallowing disorders.
3. Demonstrate introductory knowledge of assessment procedures for the major types of human communication and swallowing disorders.
4. Demonstrate a commitment to ethical and compassionate service.
5. Demonstrate introductory knowledge of processes used in discipline-related research.

Minimum grade required for graduation

A minimum grade of C (2.0) is required for a course to count towards graduation.

Clinical experience

Supervised clinical practicum is recommended but not required in the curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science degree. Completion of specific courses precedes placement for practicum. Clinical practicum is available for students who have a G.P.A. of 3.0 or above in the major courses.

Wholeness portfolio

Undergraduate students in the School of Allied Health Professions develop a portfolio during the junior and senior years. Students register for AHCJ 328 Wholeness Portfolio I during the junior year and AHCJ 498 Wholeness Portfolio II during the senior year. The purpose of the portfolio is to allow students to demonstrate their work towards achieving the outcomes set forth by the University. These outcomes were developed to aid the student in achieving personal and professional balance in the spiritual, intellectual, social/emotional, and physical domains.

CLEP

CLEP tests must be taken within one quarter of receiving the degree compliance report; otherwise, the course must be repeated.

Student progress review

Students must maintain a G.P.A. of 3.0 to ensure regular standing in the program. If the student's G.P.A. drops below 3.0 by the end of an academic quarter, s/he will be placed on academic probation for the following quarter. If the student's G.P.A. does not improve to at least 3.0 by the end of that quarter, s/he will be dismissed from the program. Each student's progress in the bachelor's degree curriculum is reviewed quarterly. Students are provided written feedback with recommendations for remediation if there are concerns about academic or clinical performance.

Speech-language pathology assistant

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science degree may work towards meeting eligibility requirements for registration in the state of California as a speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA).

In addition to Loma Linda University and School of Allied Health Professions admissions requirements, the applicant must also complete the following requirements:

Application deadline

Applications for the Bachelor of Science degree close June 1.

Prerequisites

Domain I: Humanities and religion (28-32 quarter units)

A minimum of 12 quarter units if the student is required to take 16 units of religion from a Seventh-day Adventist university before graduation*

A minimum of 20 quarter units if the student is required to take 8 units of religion from Loma Linda University before graduation*

Humanities—selected from at least three of the following content areas: civilization/history, fine arts, literature, modern language, performing/visual arts (not to exceed 4 quarter credits), or philosophy

Domain II: Scientific inquiry and analysis (24-32 quarter units)

Natural Sciences (minimum of 12 quarter units):

Required course work is as follows:

Mathematics requirement: Four semesters of high school advanced mathematics or intermediate algebra taken in college will meet the University's mathematics requirement; however, the student will not receive academic credit for the course work. College algebra will meet the University's mathematics requirement. In addition, the student will receive academic credit for the course.

Statistics: One course in introductory or basic statistics is required

One physical science required ( physics or chemistry recommended)

One biological science required (human anatomy and/or physiology, general biology,microbiology,and life science are examples of biological sciences)

Social Sciences (minimum of 12 quarter units)

Choose from anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, or sociology

General psychology required

Human growth and development, developmental psychology, or child development required

Elective units to complete 12 quarter units minimum: Choose from anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology

Domain III: Communication (9-13 quarter units)

English: Course work must include a complete sequence in English composition that meets the baccalaureate degree requirements of a four-year college or university (e.g., English 101 and 102)

Speech: One speech or interpersonal communication course required

Computer courses: Not required, but course work taken in this category would be counted in this domain

Domain IV: Health and wellness (2-6 quarter units)

Personal health or nutrition: One course required

Physical activity: Must include at least two separate physical activity courses totaling a minimum of 1 quarter unit

Electives

At Loma Linda University, the student begins the bachelor's degree curriculum in communication sciences and disorders with 96 quarter units (64 semester units). Students who transfer from a community college may transfer a maximum of 105 quarter units (70 semester units). All other credits must come from a senior college. Acceptance into the program to complete the bachelor's degree does not guarantee students all the academic credits needed to graduate. Some students may need to complete additional academic course work in general education to bring their overall course unit total to a minimum of 96 quarter units while enrolled at this University in order to meet graduation requirements.

For total unit requirements for graduation, see LLU General Education Requirements.

Although SLPAs typically receive an associate degree with a specialty in speech-language pathology, students who have completed a bachelor's degree in speech-language pathology or communication sciences and disorders may qualify for the California state-issued SLPA registration after achieving a grade of "P" (Pass) in CMSD 267 Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Fieldwork (2 units), offered at Loma Linda University.

Students generally make arrangements to register for CMSD 267 Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Fieldwork in their last year of undergraduate study (senior year).  Further information about SLPA registration can be obtained on the web at <http://www.speechandhearing.ca.gov>. Select "Applicants," then "SLP Assistants."

Normal time to complete the program

4 years — 2 years (6 academic quarters) at LLU — full-time enrollment required