Undergraduate Requirements

The undergraduate program in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences is intended to produce graduates who are scientifically knowledgeable, professionally literate, and who understand the impact of science on human function and human interactions. The undergraduate curriculum provides basic knowledge in communication sciences and disorders and fully prepares students who choose to pursue graduate study in the clinical areas of Audiology or Speech-Language Pathology, or those who choose a research career in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences or related disciplines.

The Bachelor of Science degree requires 120 units that includes the general education requirements for the College of Science, and at least 33 units of coursework in the major.

  • SLHS coursework provides foundational knowledge in human communication and communication disorders, as well as an introduction to clinical practice in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.
  • Students are required to complete a minor, either taken in a single department or as a collection of thematically related coursework distributed across several departments.
  • Students also have the opportunity to take a number of elective courses that enhance their knowledge and provide learning opportunities outside the classroom.
  • The SLHS Department participates in the Honors program in that students may enter into an “Honors contract” in any course and receive honors credit by pursuing a pre-arranged course of study.

Our student handbook provides detailed information to guide students in planning their program. Academic advising appointments are available by contacting our academic advisor, Tharini Wijeweera (raini@email.arizona.edu), to set up an appointment. Students can also learn more about the profession by talking with individual faculty members.

SLHS Student Handbook Introduction (The Cactus Book) 2012-2013: Faculty, course listings, research overview.

SLHS Undergraduate Student Handbook (The Cactus Book) for students admitted in 2012-2013: Advising guide for the Bachelor of Science program in SLHS.

SLHS Undergraduate Student Handbook (The Cactus Book) for students admitted in 2011-2012: Advising guide for the Bachelor of Science program in SLHS.

Please use this two-page SLHS major checklist to plan your undergraduate coursework.  A great introduction to the field is “Survey of Human Communication and Its Disorders” (SPH 207).

A typical plan of study would include the following courses:

Freshman year: Fall semester
Survey of  Human Communication and Its Disorders (SLHS 207)

Sophomore year: Fall semester
Acoustics for Speech and Hearing Sciences (SLHS 267)
Scientific Thinking (SLHS 270)

Sophomore year: Spring semester
Phonetics (SLHS 367)

Junior year: Fall semester
Hearing Science (SLHS 380)
Language Science (SLHS 340)
Neurobiology of Communication (SLHS 362)

Junior year: Spring semester
Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech Mechanism (SLHS 261)

Senior year: Fall Semester
Communication Disorders  I (SLHS 477)
Principles of Audiology (SLHS 483R/L)

Senior year: Spring Semester
Communication Disorders II (SLHS 473)
Language Acquisition (SLHS 441)

In addition, students are also required to take one course in statistics and one course from the
following listed courses: PSIO 201, 202,  or SPH  263, 282.  (For more information see the UA Course Catalog):

The ability to write well is an integral skill in this department. Please utilize the Writing Skills Improvement Program, a free service for all UA students, if you are having any difficulty in this area.

« Undergraduate Experience