 Undergraduate Study
At the University of Wyoming, we are committed to providing you with a quality undergraduate education. Our department has a low student-faculty ratio that makes it easy for you to get to know your professors.
There are three professions in the field of communication disorders. These professions involve science and people skills. Job demand is very strong in all three professions.
- Speech-language pathologists work with individuals who have difficulties in communicating or swallowing.
- Audiologists assess and find solutions to hearing problems.
- Professors in communication disorders research and teach normal and atypical processes and interventions.
Speech-Language Pathology:
If you choose to be a speech-language pathologist, you will need a masters degree. As an undergraduate you'll study the normal processes associated with understanding and producing speech and language. These include anatomy, physiology, and neurology. You'll also study the normal development of speech and language in children.
As you progress through your program and become a graduate student, you'll learn about the various speech and language disorders, such as voice disorders, articulation/phonology problems, stuttering, language impairments, and speech and language problems associated with neurological disorders such as stroke, head injury, and cerebral palsy. You'll learn to diagnose speech and language disorders in children and adults, make recommendations for remediation, and remediate problems when they occur. You'll have opportunities to conduct research into the cause and treatment of communication disorders. As a speech-language pathologist, you'll work closely with physicians, teachers, special education personnel, psychologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, child development specialists, and audiologists.
Audiology:
If you decide to become an audiologist, you will need a doctoral degree. You will study the process of normal hearing and the anatomy, physiology, and neurology of the auditory system. You'll study different types of hearing loss and conditions that can cause hearing loss, including genetic features, birth trauma, viral and bacterial infection, injury, exposure to intense noise, and advancing age. You'll learn to evaluate hearing sensitivity and speech understanding, and test the hearing skills of infants and young children. You'll use audiometric test results to provide important information to physicians making a medical diagnosis of certain conditions. You'll learn to manage programs to help individuals in overcoming hearing loss. These programs include evaluation and recommendation of hearing aids and electronic amplification systems installed in theaters and churches.
As an audiologist, you'll work closely with physicians, hospital personnel, teachers and other educational professionals, hearing aid manufacturers and dispensers, and speech-language pathologists. You may also choose to direct programs for preventing hearing loss due to noise exposure.
Last Updated on 8/12/2009 11:12:46 AM |
