Northern Arizona University

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The department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) is located in the College of Health and Human Services. This graduate program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) http://www.asha.org/default.htm. In March 2009, the Master of Science in Clinical Speech Pathology program was accredited for the 2007-2015 cycle.

NAU initially established a CSD program in 1974, by offering a Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. In 1981, we also began a graduate program through which students could earn a Master of Science degree in Clinical Speech Pathology and complete the academic and clinical education requirements for ASHA's Certificate of Clinical Competence in speech-language pathology. In 1997, the Bachelor of Science degree was eliminated; undergraduate education in Speech Sciences & Technology (SST)is now offered by the School of Health Sciences through the Bachelor of Arts In Liberal Studies (BAiLS) program with an emphasis in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Currently, the CSD department has six full-time academic & clinical teaching faculty. The academic faculty represents specialties in aphasia, stuttering, voice, language development and disorders, articulation, phonology, phonetics, multicultural issues, anatomy and physiology of the speech and hearing mechanism, and audiology. The clinical faculty operate a full service speech, language and hearing clinic. The teaching and clinical faculty work together to meet the mission of the Program. For more information about our academic graduate program, please click on the "Graduate Program" link on the right of this page.

MISSION STATEMENT "The mission of the Program in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northern Arizona University is to advance the knowledge and practice in human communication and its disorders; to prepare our students to lead in the professions of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology; and to enable all individuals to communicate, read and write, think and learn, in order to succeed in a changing world."

To accomplish this mission, the Program of Communication Sciences and Disorders will...

• Discover new knowledge through empirical research
• Promote scholarship and other creative works
• Contribute to the profession at local, regional, national and  international levels
• Foster critical thought in a student-centered learning  environment
• Incorporate current technology to enhance classroom and  clinical teaching
• Mentor students in their achievement of professional  competence to serve individuals across the lifespan
• Serve as a local and regional clinical resource for individuals with  communication disorders
• Foster interdisciplinary collaboration
• Maintain excellence in professional service

The Program of Communication Sciences and Disorders is committed to enriching research, teaching, learning and the professional service environment by embracing the cultural and linguistic diversity of our region and nation.