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The
Department of Communication Disorders offers degree programs in two areas
of study.
Deaf Education
Deaf Education at The University of Tulsa is an undergraduate program,
fully certified by the state of Oklahoma and the Council on Education
of the Deaf. The program's main objective is to prepare qualified classroom
teachers to instruct deaf school-age children. Although students are eligible
to be certified by the State of Oklahoma to teach N12, each student may
select a particular age group and/or subject area on which to concentrate
during his or her college career.
Speech-Language Pathology
The University of Tulsa's bachelor of science and master of science degrees
in speech-language pathology combine academic course work and practical
experience to prepare students to evaluate, treat, and conduct research
into human communication and its disorders. Speech-language pathologists
help people of all ages who have disorders such as stuttering, delayed
language development, aphasia, voice disorders, speech articulation problems,
swallowing impairments, and cognitive disorders. Speech-language pathologoists
assess, select and develop augmentative and alternative communication
systems and provide training in their use. They also provide audiologic
rehabilitation and counseling services to hearing impaired individuals
and their families.
The Mary K. Chapman Center for Communicative Disorders is a 14,000 square foot, free standing, two-level building specifically designed to provide excellent classrooms, observation, and practicum facilities for our educational programs. It is designed to accommodate the physically challenged person. The building contains three classrooms, a seminar room, a large reception/waiting room area, 16 clinic rooms, eight observation rooms, a children's group therapy room, two large audiometric suites, a video viewing lab, and faculty offices. The observation rooms have two-way mirrors and sound equipment for monitoring student performance.
The department has the latest equipment and instrumentation available for use in research, diagnostic, and therapy activities. We also have a very good selection of current materials for the assessment and management of a variety of communication disorders.
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Deaf Education
The sequence of courses has been efficiently and conveniently arranged to enable freshmen and sophomores to take course work in this major. Deaf education follows the prescribed Tulsa Curriculum, the basic general education component of the University. The number of courses taken in the major increases each year, as general education course work is usually completed by the end of the sophomore year. At the upper division, students devote their time to specific methods courses and related practicum experiences.
This program focuses on the development of the major modes of communication with deaf and hard of hearing children. Therefore, students must acquire knowledge of and demonstrate acceptable competency in all aspects of communication related to education of the deaf as well as the deaf community. Opportunities for interacting with a variety of deaf children and adults are arranged throughout the training program within the University’s speech and hearing clinic, public schools, and community organizations. Deaf Educators Association For TU (DEAFTU) allows deaf education majors to be involved in projects that directly benefit deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals.
Since required courses for this major are drawn from the broad field of speech and hearing (such as speech pathology and audiology), deaf education majors have the opportunity to learn from experienced faculty with diverse backgrounds. Courses include Introduction to Clinical Audiology and Normal Speech and Language Development. Students majoring in other speech and hearing programs are required to take course work within deaf education. This arrangement provides a built-in opportunity to learn from and share with a variety of instructors and students.
Speech-Language Pathology
Students who declare a major in speech-language pathology are assigned to a program advisor for guidance throughout their undergraduate years. Students are encouraged to enroll in introductory speech-language courses as first-semester sophomores and continue to take courses in the major through their senior year. Major courses are sequenced to prepare the student for clinical experiences in the senior year. Seniors begin their clinical activities in the University's speech and hearing clinic under the direct supervision of certified clinic instructors. These early practica emphasize helping children with speech articulation and language disorders. Graduate level practica focus on more difficult problems of communication and off-site clinical experiences in rehabilitation agencies and hospitals.
Undergraduate students who complete the major in speech-language pathology have a strong academic and clinical foundation for graduate work. Students must complete a master's degree to be certified as a school speech-language pathologist, licensed by the State of Oklahoma, or receive national certification by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The University of Tulsa's master's program is fully ASHA-CAA accredited.
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Deaf Education
Deaf education is a profession that focuses primarily on classroom teaching of all subject/content areas to deaf and/or hard of hearing children of any age, preschool through high school. Employment opportunities are available in a variety of settings, such as self-contained classrooms in public schools, state and private residential schools, resource rooms, and itinerant positions.
Deaf education provides an excellent foundation for graduate programs in related fields, such as speech-language pathology, audiology, and school administration. Many of our graduates have also pursued further training to develop interpreting skills, whether to accommodate deaf students in mainstream education, or to work for agencies that provides services to the deaf community.
Nationwide, there is a shortage of certified deaf education teachers, and employment opportunities are excellent.
Speech-Language Pathology
A career in speech-language pathology offers a wide variety of choices. You can work in a research laboratory, a rehabilitation clinic, a hospital, a state or federal agency, the military, in the schools, or teach and supervise in a college or university program. You can be an entrepreneur by developing your own private practice or inventing and marketing new communication devices or tests. Best of all, you can have a satisfying career by combining several of these options if you choose, or even change career focus over time.
Regardless of what work setting you may choose, there is a national shortage of speech-language pathologists. The U.S. Department of Labor has placed speech-language pathology on the list of the fastest growing job markets. Our graduates have received starting incomes ranging from $30,000 in some school districts to $45,000 for private practice and rehabilitation settings. According to a survey conducted by ADVANCE Magazine, average salaries in 1998 were: $48,739 (rural areas), and $46,919 (suburban areas). The average salary for speech-language pathologists in the Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, and Louisiana region was $44,554 per year.
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Majors Available
- Bachelor of Science in Deaf Education
- Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology
Department
of Communication Disorders
Mary K. Chapman Center [campus
map]
(918) 631-2504
fax (918) 631-3668
Mailing Address:
800 Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104