UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Undergraduate students now can learn the fundamentals of communication sciences and disorders, thanks to a new minor offered by Penn State’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
The minor in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) — open to any undergraduate student at the University — is particularly beneficial to students who plan to pursue a career in fields such as education, social services, medicine, rehabilitation, linguistics and mental health.
The new minor prepares students to support individuals with speech, language, and hearing differences and disorders across the life span in educational, vocational, health care and community settings. A minor in CSD will equip students with the knowledge and skills to better support these individuals in their future career.
“No matter what field a student is planning to go into, they will have opportunities to interact with individuals who communicate differently than they do,” said Diane Williams, professor and head of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Penn State. “The CSD minor gives students the knowledge and skills to make a positive impact and promote full inclusion for everyone.”
The CSD minor consists of 18 credits — two prescribed courses, each worth three credits, and four additional three-credit courses that students can choose from predetermined lists based on their career goals and interests.
It is important to note that the CSD minor may not provide sufficient preparation for admission to graduate programs in speech-language pathology or audiology.
Students interested in the CSD minor can visit the CSD minor page to learn more about how this program may benefit their studies and future career goals. Students who wish to declare the minor can do so via the “Update Academics” feature in LionPATH.