• The undergraduate curriculum in Hearing and Speech Science is considered to be a pre-professional program. It does not prepare you to work as either a speech-language pathologist or an audiologist. It only prepares you to go on to Graduate School to get an advanced degree in Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology, or Speech and Hearing Sciences. However, it is STILL a college degree and what you choose to do with it is up to you. It is important for students to understand that this major requires a graduate degree. Students should also be advised that graduate school admissions are highly competitive, and they should be prepared to perform to the best of their ability throughout the rigorous undergraduate curriculum in order to be competitive when applying to graduate programs.
  • The field of Speech-Language Pathology deals with the diagnosis and remediation of speech, language, voice, swallowing, and fluency problems in children and adults. The field of Audiology deals with the measurement of hearing and the rehabilitation of those with hearing impairments. Both the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (and the State of Maryland (require a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology and a Doctoral Degree in Audiology (Au.D.) as the minimum educational background for certification and licensure. There are very few opportunities to work in these fields with only a Bachelor’s Degree. In addition to these clinical fields, the experimental study and teaching of Hearing and Speech Sciences generally require a Ph.D. as the minimal graduate degree.