Why study speech, language, and hearing?
Communication is central to human behavior, and the treatment of communication disorders requires specialized knowledge and skills.
Undergraduates in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders study the basic processes of human communication. Programs are designed for the student who seeks a career in speech, language, or hearing or is interested in normal communication development and communication disorders.
Beginning with the undergraduate experience, you'll find stimulating course work, clinical observation, and a variety of hands-on laboratory projects. To practice as a speech-language pathologist, you will need to earn a master’s degree. Plan to pursue doctoral studies if you want to practice audiology or do research in speech, language, and hearing processes and disorders.
Undergraduate Admission
Admission to KU
All students applying for admission must send high school and college transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Unless they are college transfer students with at least 24 hours of credit, prospective students must send ACT or SAT scores to the Office of Admissions. Prospective first-year students should be aware that KU has qualified admission requirements that all new first-year students must meet to be admitted. Consult the Office of Admissions for application deadlines and specific admission requirements.
Visit the Office of International Student and Scholar Services for information about international admissions.
Students considering transferring to KU may see how their college-level course work will transfer on the Office of Admissions website.
Admission to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Admission to the College is a different process from admission to a major field. Some CLAS departments have admission requirements. See individual department/program sections for departmental admission requirements.
First- and Second-Year Preparation
Both the B.A. and the B.G.S. aspirant should fulfill the College general education requirements. Students also should complete SPLH 120, SPLH 261, SPLH 463 SPLH 465, SPLH 466, and elective courses in human physiology, psychology, and linguistics during their first 2 years. College Academic Advisors and Faculty members can help students select appropriate course work.
Requirements for the B.A. or B.G.S. Major
| Speech-Language-Hearing Prerequisite or Co-Requisite Requirements (0) | ||
| Majors must complete this requirement, however, these hours do not contribute to the minimum number of hours required for the major. | ||
| Mathematics. Satisfied by one of the following: | ||
| College Algebra | ||
| Precalculus Mathematics | ||
Or upper-level placement | ||
| Statistics. An introductory statistics course (PSYC 210, MATH 365) is recommended. | ||
| Speech-Language-Hearing Introductory Knowledge (7) | ||
| Majors must complete a course in the following areas (recommended within first and second year): | ||
| The Physics of Speech. Satisfied by: | ||
| SPLH 120 | The Physics of Speech | 4 |
| Survey Communication Disorders. Satisfied by: | ||
| SPLH 261 | Survey of Communication Disorders | 3 |
| Speech-Language-Hearing Core Knowledge and Skills (28) | ||
| Principles of Speech Science. Satisfied by: | ||
| SPLH 462 | Principles of Speech Science | 3 |
| Principles of Hearing Science. Satisfied by: | ||
| SPLH 463 | Principles of Hearing Science | 3 |
| Fundamentals of Clinical Phonetics. Satisfied by: | ||
| SPLH 465 | Fundamentals of Clinical Phonetics | 1 |
| Language Science. Satisfied by: | ||
| SPLH 466 | Language Science | 3 |
| Language Sample Analysis Laboratory. Satisfied by: | ||
| SPLH 565 | Language Sample Analysis Lab | 1 |
| Language Development. Satisfied by: | ||
| SPLH 566 | Language Development | 3 |
| Introduction to Audiological Assessment & Rehabilitation. Satisfied by: | ||
| SPLH 568 | Introduction to Audiological Assessment and Rehabilitation | 4 |
| Introduction to Speech- Language Pathology. Satisfied by: | ||
| SPLH 571 | Introduction to Speech-Language Pathology | 4 |
| The Communicating Brain: The Ultimate Personal Computer. Satisfied by: | ||
| SPLH 620 | The Communicating Brain: The Ultimate Personal Computer | 3 |
| Research Methods in Speech-Language-Hearing. Satisfied by: | ||
| SPLH 660 | Research Methods in Speech-Language-Hearing | 3 |
| Total Hours | 35 | |
| Further Speech-Language-Hearing Study (20-42) | ||
| SPLH 450 | Study Abroad Topics in: _____ | 1-5 |
| SPLH 451 | Directed Study Abroad in Speech-Language-Hearing | 1-3 |
| SPLH 452 | Examining Global Perspectives in Speech-Language-Hearing: ______ | 3 |
| SPLH 497 | Mentored Research Experience | 2-8 |
| SPLH 498 | Departmental Honors Research | 2-8 |
| SPLH 499 | Directed Study in Speech-Language-Hearing | 1-3 |
| SPLH 516 | Speech Perception | 2 |
| SPLH 588 | Multicultural Considerations in Speech-Language-Hearing I | 2 |
| SPLH 589 | Multicultural Considerations in Speech-Language-Hearing II | 2 |
| After completing the requirements, students with grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher may enroll in any one of the following: | ||
| SPLH 670 | Beginning Clinical Practice in Audiology | 1-3 |
| SPLH 672 | Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology | 3 |
Major Hours & Major GPA
While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:
Major Hours
Satisfied by 35 hours of major courses.
Major Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 28 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Graduation GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.
A sample 4-year plan for the BA degree in Speech-Language-Hearing can be found here: Speech-Language-Hearing, or by using the left-side navigation.
A sample 4-year plan for the BGS degree in Speech-Language-Hearing can be found here: Speech-Language-Hearing, or by using the left-side navigation.
Departmental Honors
The honors program offers exceptional undergraduates the opportunity to work closely with individual faculty members on scholarly projects over an extended period of time. Students are admitted to the program and matched with faculty through an application process that occurs each semester during course enrollment. Contact the Honors Coordinator for details. The following are required:
- A grade-point average at graduation of at least 3.25 overall and of 3.5 in the major.
- Completion of 6 to 8 credit hours in SPLH 498 Departmental Honors Research. Students work under the direction of a faculty member. Students may change areas of interest or faculty supervisors at the beginning of a semester with the consent of the honors coordinator. In the final semester of SPLH 498 enrollment, students also must complete a written report or public oral presentation detailing the purpose, methods, results, and impact of the research. Academic credit but no honors designation is given to students who meet the requirements for any semester but do not complete all requirements for departmental honors.