Communication Sciences and Disorders Department

Department Chairperson and Graduate Program Director: Teri James Bellis, Ph.D.

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Noteboom Hall, Room 104
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069
Phone: 605-677-5474
csd@usd.edu
www.usd.edu/csd

FACULTY

Professor:

Teri James Bellis, Chair and Graduate Program Director, Ph.D. Northwestern University. Specialization: Central Auditory Disorders, Clinical Audiology; Audiologic Assessment, Central Auditory Electrophysiology and Neurophysiology, Genetics of Hearing Loss, American Sign Language, Advanced Research Methods, Professional Issues.

Associate Professors:

Elizabeth Hanson, Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Specialization: Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Neuromotor Disorders, Communication Sciences, Research Methods.
Marni Johnson Martin, Au.D., Pennsylvania College of Optometry and Audiology. Specialization: Clinical Audiology, Pediatric Audiology, Advanced Aural Rehabilitation, Audiology Practice Management, Hearing Conservation.
Jessica Messersmith, Ph.D., University of Nebraska- Lincoln. Specialization: Psychoacoustics, Signal Encoding, Cochlear Implants and Other Implantable Devices, Anatomy and Physiology of Hearing.
Mandy Williams, Ph.D., University of Nevada-Reno. Specialization: Fluency Disorders, Voice Disorders, Craniofacial Anomalies, Acquired Disorders of Language and Cognition.

Assistant Professors:

Kyle Brouwer, Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Specialization: Language Disorders in Children, Advanced Language Disorders, Disorders of Phonology and Articulation, Diagnosis of Speech and Language Disorders.
Lindsey Jorgensen, Au.D., Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh. Clinical Audiology, Amplification, Aural Rehabilitation, OAEs and Balance Function Testing, Pathologies of Hearing.

Clinical Instructors:

Angela Brown, M.A., University of South Dakota. Specialization: Clinical Speech-Language Pathology.
Jane Clem Heinemeyer, M.A., University of South Dakota. Specialization: Clinical Speech-Language Pathology, Dysphagia.
Elizabeth Develder, M.A., University of South Dakota. Specialization: Clinical Speech-Language Pathology, Language Development.
Solveig Sperati Korte, M.A., Ohio University. Specialization: Clinical Speech-Language Pathology, Speech Science, and Professional Issues.
Tracey Lorang, M.A., University of Northern Iowa. Specialization: Clinical Speech-Language Pathology.

DEGREE

Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology
Doctor of Audiology

Program Description

The Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at the University of South Dakota prepares students for professional positions in the specialties of speech-language pathology and audiology. Speech-language pathology is concerned with the evaluation, diagnosis and rehabilitation of persons with speech and language disorders. Audiology is concerned with the evaluation, diagnosis, and rehabilitation of persons with auditory and vestibular disorders.

The department’s graduate programs in audiology and in speech-language pathology are nationally accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. The department also offers a large number of assistantships, fellowships, scholarships, and awards for eligible graduate students in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program.

ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Completed Graduate Application form found at: https://usd-web.usd.edu/apps/grad-app/login.cfm and a non-refundable application fee of $35.
One official transcript verifying receipt of an undergraduate degree and previous graduate credit (with English translation) must accompany an application. Official transcript of all academic work at the undergraduate and graduate levels are required for international students. The USD Graduate School and/or academic departments retain the right to require an Educational Credential Evaluators/World Education Services (ECE/WES) evaluation for a student if such an evaluation is deemed necessary.
Completion of a baccalaureate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders (speech-language pathology and audiology) or the completion of core foundational coursework in communication disorders after completing and receiving an undergraduate degree in another discipline is required. Contact the department for specific core prerequisites. An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better based on 4.0 scale in all undergraduate courses as well as in the Communication Sciences and Disorders major is required and/or graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, based on a 4.0 scale, on all graduate coursework is required for full admission. Each graduate program may admit students on provisional status per university policy.
Applicants with degrees from countries other than the United States who have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from a regionally accredited American college or university are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score. For all other applicants, a minimum score of 79 on the Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT) or 550 on the Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT), a minimum IELTS score of 6.0, or a minimum PTE score of 53 is required for graduate admission. Applicants from or who have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from these English-speaking countries (UK, Australia, Canada [except Quebec], Ireland, or New Zealand) are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score if their academic records indicate that English was the classroom language for the majority of their schoolwork.
Applicants are required to submit a statement of purpose or goal statement.

Additional Program Admission Requirements:

Official test scores. The GRE General test is required. There is no minimum score required; the score is considered along with the other application materials.
Three (3) professional letters of recommendation are required.
Applicants must successfully complete a criminal background check upon acceptance.

Subject to faculty approval, those who do not meet all of the criteria above may be admitted on a provisional basis.

Library, Clinical, and Research Facilities

The University’s I.D. Weeks Library, the Lommen Health Sciences Library, and the program’s specialized Communication Disorders library provide excellent collections of professional journals, texts, and reference material. The University of South Dakota Speech and Hearing Center serves as a clinical education center for students majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders. This center contains clinical rooms, clinical observation rooms, audiometric facilities, a speech and hearing science laboratory, videotaping facilities, computer laboratory, classrooms, offices, and lounges and study space for students. Additional clinical education and research opportunities are available through the University Affiliated Program in the School of Medicine, individual Mobile Unit projects, the USD Scottish Rite Children’s Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders Clinic Programs, and numerous off-campus internship opportunities.