Communication Sciences and Disorders (American Sign Language), Bachelor of Science

Program Overview

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders offers the Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders (COMD).  In part, the COMD mission strives to prepare professionals who are highly competent, compassionate, and ethical service providers. The undergraduate program is designed to provide a foundation of the speech-language pathology profession and prepares students for graduate study in communication sciences and disorders. Upon completion of the COMD Bachelor of Science degree, students are eligible for licensure to practice in the State of Texas as a speech-language pathologist assistant (SLPA).

Admission requirements for this program beyond university admission requirements. 

Students must apply and be formally accepted to the Communication Sciences and Disorders Undergraduate Program. The following must be completed prior to date of COMD Undergraduate program application:

  • Students must take MATH 1342 and complete the course with a ‘C’ or higher. No substitutions allowed.
  • Students must take either PHYS 1401 or CHEM 1311/1111 with lab and earn a grade of ‘C’ or higher. No substitutions allowed. 
  • Students must lack no more than six (6) courses from the following areas: General Education Core, Support Courses and the Free Elective. MATH 1342 and the two science courses cannot be included as part of the six courses lacking at the time of the application.
  • Students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.80. Admission into the Undergraduate Program is on a competitive basis.  

Progression requirements for this program.

  • Once formally accepted to the COMD Undergraduate program, students must follow the required COMD Major course block sequence.  
  • A 'C' or higher is required in the COMD Major courses. If a student drops a course or receives a grade lower than 'C' in any of the COMD Major courses, the student will not progress in the COMD Major course block sequence until he or she re-enrolls in the courses at their next offering. A grade of 'C' or higher is required.  
  • If a grade lower than a 'C' is earned in either of the Support Courses HRPT 2303 or REHS 3320,  the student will be allowed to proceed in the COMD Major course block sequence but must re-enroll at the next offering any of these courses for which a grade lower than 'C' was earned.  
  • The student must earn a grade of 'C' or higher in all courses in American Sign Language Studies. If the student earns a grade lower than a 'C,' he or she will be allowed to continue in the COMD Major course block sequence but must re-enroll in the ASLI course(s) in which a grade lower than a 'C' was earned. If the student earns a grade lower than a 'C' in an ASLI course that is a prerequisite to higher-level ASLI courses, those courses cannot be taken until the student earns a grade of 'C' or better in the deficient course. 

Specific graduation requirements for this program beyond university bachelor’s degree requirements. 

  • Students must earn a "C" or higher in the COMD Major, Support Courses, and American Sign Language Studies Minor courses.

 

Core Curriculum - 42 hours

The Core Curriculum serves as a broad foundation for the undergraduate degree. All candidates for a bachelor’s degree must achieve core student learning outcomes, including communication, critical thinking, empirical and quantitative skills, teamwork, personal responsibility and social responsibility, by completing courses within each category or component area of the Core Curriculum as outlined below.

The University has approved specific courses that satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements. Approved courses can be found on the Core Curriculum Page. Students seeking the most efficient way to complete the core curriculum and major or minor requirements are advised to take approved courses that can fulfill both requirements. Although core curriculum courses can also be used to fulfill major or minor requirements, earned credits hours are only applied once.

The courses listed below fulfill core curriculum and major requirements. Students who have completed a core curriculum category with courses other than those listed below will still be required to take the listed course(s) to meet major requirements.

020 Mathematics - 3 hours

MATH 1342Elementary Statistical Methods

3

030 Life and Physical Sciences - 6 hours

Choose one:

BIOL 1406General Biology I

4

BIOL 1407General Biology II

4

BIOL 2401Anatomy and Physiology I

4

BIOL 2402Anatomy and Physiology II

4

BIOL 1406, BIOL 1407, BIOL 2401, BIOL 2402 are given three credit hours each for the lecture component

Choose one:

CHEM 1311General Chemistry I

3

PHYS 1401General Physics I

4

PHYS 1401 is given three credit hours for the lecture component

080 Social and Behavioral Sciences - 3 hours

PSYC 2301General Psychology

3

090 Integrative and Experiential Learning - 6 hours

Choose one:

Choose the lab that corresponds to the lecture course taken in Life and Physical Sciences above:
CHEM 1111General Chemistry I Lab

1

PHYS 1401General Physics I

4

PHYS 1401 is given one credit our for the lab component

Choose one:

Choose the lab that corresponds to the lecture course taken in Life and Physical Sciences above: 
BIOL 1406General Biology I

4

BIOL 1407General Biology II

4

BIOL 2401Anatomy and Physiology I

4

BIOL 2402Anatomy and Physiology II

4

BIOL 1406, BIOL 1407, BIOL 2401, BIOL 2402 are given one credit hour for the lab component

Major Requirements – 57 hours

Required Courses - 51 hours

COMD 2310Introduction to Speech-Language

3

COMD 3310Normal Language Development

3

COMD 3315Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism

3

COMD 3320Phonetics

3

COMD 3330Articulation Development

3

COMD 3340Audiology I

3

COMD 3355Survey of Neurological Disorders

3

COMD 3360Neuroanatomy and Physiology for Speech, Language, and Hearing

3

COMD 4310Behavior Management for Speech-Language Pathology

3

COMD 4330Audiology (Re)Habilitation

3

COMD 4340Speech and Hearing Sciences

3

COMD 4350Clinical Applications

3

COMD 4360Language Disorders in Children I

3

COMD 4365Speech Disorders

3

COMD 4370Professional Report Writing in Speech-Language Pathology

3

COMD 4380Clinical Problem-Solving

3

COMD 4390Principles in Assessment of Speech-Language Pathology

3

Support Courses - 6 hours

Health Professions Courses
HRPT 2303Medical Terminology

3

REHS 3320Family and Disability

3

Minor - American Sign Language Studies - 18 hours

Required:

ASLI 1310American Sign Language I

3

ASLI 1320American Sign Language II

3

ASLI 2310American Sign Language III

3

ASLI 3310American Sign Language IV

3

ASLI 3320American Sign Language V

3

ASLI 3323Foundations of Deaf Culture

3

Free Electives - 3 hours

Free electives credit hours required may vary to achieve the institutional minimum of 120 hours for a degree. 
 

Total Credit Hours: 42

Total Credit Hours: 120

 

View this program’s recommended roadmap to graduation.

 

UTRGV Roadmaps are a suggested sequence of courses designed to assist students in completing their undergraduate degree requirements. This is a term-by-term sample roadmap of courses required to complete the degree. Students must satisfy all requirements in their catalog including, but not limited to course prerequisites, grade point average and course grade benchmarks, progression requirements, and graduation requirements. 

 

Students should meet with their academic advisor every semester to discuss their individualized path toward completion. Degree progress within this roadmap depends upon such factors as course availability, individual student academic preparation and readiness, student time management, work and personal responsibilities, and financial considerations. Students may choose to take courses during summer terms to reduce course loads during long semesters.