Oct 08, 2024  
2024-2025 University Catalog 
    
2024-2025 University Catalog

Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, BS

Location(s): West Lafayette


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About the Program


The Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences major prepares students with the foundational tools for a variety of career opportunities in healthcare. Courses in the major introduce students to basic processes of speech, language, hearing, swallowing, and to disorders affecting these processes from infancy to adulthood. Additional coursework on evaluation, treatment, and research on communication disorders as well as neuroscience and scientific communication are offered. Students may also earn course credit working as research assistants, participating in clinical observations, and completing clinical internships under the supervision of department faculty. The Bachelor of Science degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences prepares students for pursing graduate degrees (MS, AuD, PhD), as well as a variety of careers in healthcare and scientific communication.

Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Major Change (CODO) Requirements   

Degree Requirements


120 Credits Required

Departmental/Program Major Course Requirements (33 credits)


Students are required to earn a C- or higher in all of the SLHS Foundation and Area 1 courses.

SLHS Foundation Requirements (18 credits)


A minimum GPA of 2.5 in SLHS 11500, 22700, 30200, 30300, 30600, and 30900 is required. (No grade lower than a “C-” will be allowed.)

Area 1: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Selective (15 credits)


Select 15 credits of any SLHS courses not used to satisfy the SLHS Foundation Requirements.

  • A minimum of 12 credits MUST be at the 40000 level or above.
  • No more than 3 credits can come from SLHS 34500, 49000 or 49800.

Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (51-74 credits)


Cultural Competence Selective (12-16 credits)


 The Cultural Competence Selective may be met by completing ONE of the six options below.  Depending on selection, courses may also be used to satisfy University Core. 

(Select from American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish. Modern language satisfies Human Cultures: Humanities for core.)

Option 1:

Proficiency through level IV in any one modern language

  • 10100 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
  • 10200 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
  • 20100 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
  • 20200 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)

Option 2:

Proficiency through level III in any one modern language AND a course from the Cultural Competence Selective list .

  • 10100 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
  • 10200 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
  • 20100 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
  • Cultural Competence Selective (Credit Hours: 3.00)

Option 3:

Proficiency through level II in any one modern language AND two courses from Cultural Competence Selective list .

  • 10100 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
  • 10200 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
  • Cultural Competence Selective (Credit Hours: 3.00)
  • Cultural Competence Selective (Credit Hours: 3.00)

Option 4:

Two courses in any one modern language AND one or two approved study abroad experiences that total at least six weeks in duration and six total credits. Study Abroad Experience/s must take place outside of the United States, have a significant cultural immersion and language component either through the nature of the courses taken abroad or through extracurricular activities, and be approved by the SLHS Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.

  • 10100 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
  • 10200 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
  • Study Abroad Experience/s (Credit Hours: 6.00)

Option 5:

One level of a modern language AND three courses from the Cultural Competence Selective list .

  • 10100 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
  • Cultural Competence Selective (Credit Hours: 3.00)
  • Cultural Competence Selective (Credit Hours: 3.00)
  • Cultural Competence Selective (Credit Hours: 3.00)

Option 6:

Four courses from the Cultural Competence Selective list .

  • Cultural Competence Selective (Credit Hours: 3.00)
  • Cultural Competence Selective (Credit Hours: 3.00)
  • Cultural Competence Selective (Credit Hours: 3.00)
  • Cultural Competence Selective (Credit Hours: 3.00)

Math and Science Requirements (12-16 credits)


Depending on selection, courses may also be used to fulfill University Core.

  • Biology: Any BIOL course except BIOL 14700, 20500, or 20600 - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
  • Chemistry/Physics: Any CHM course OR Any PHYS course except PHYS 21500 - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
  • MA 15300 or select any course from University list EXCEPT MA 13800 or PHIL 15000 - Credit Hours: 3.00-5.00 (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core)
  • Statistics: STAT 30100, or SOC 38200, or any STAT 30000-59999 level course - Credit Hours: 3.00

Area 2: Pure and Applied Sciences (6-8 credits)


Select 6-8 credits. Cannot use a course that is used to fulfill University Core or Math and Science requirement.

  • Biology: Any BIOL course except BIOL 11000, 14700, 20500, or 20600
  • Chemistry: Any CHM course above CHM 11100
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering: Any ECE course
  • Math: MA 15555 or numerically higher
  • Physics: Any PHYS course except PHYS 21500
  • Statistics: Any STAT course at 30000 level or higher or SOC 38200

Area 3: Behavioral, Linguistic, and Social Sciences (6 credits)


Select 6 credits.  Cannot use a course that is used to fulfill University Core or Math and Science requirement.

  • Anthropology: ANTH 34000, 36800, or 41400
  • American Sign Language: ASL 28000
  • Health and Kinesiology: HK 25300, or any 30000 - 49999 level HK course
  • Languages and Cultures: LC 36100
  • Linguistics: Any LING 30000-49999 level course except LING 31500 (credit cannot be given for both LING 31500 and SLHS 30600)
  • Psychology: PSY 20000, 22200, 23500, or any PSY 30000 - 49999 level course
  • Public Health:  PUBH 30500, 32000, 32500, 40000, 40500, 48000, or 49200
  • Sociology: SOC 27500 or 37400

Additional Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements: (15-28 credits)


  • SLHS Human Cultures: Behavioral & Social Sciences - Credit Hours: 3.00; (This is an SLHS requirement in addition to the University core requirement fulfilled by SLHS 22700)
  • SLHS Information Literacy - Credit Hours: 1.00-4.00 (This is an SLHS requirement in addition to the University core requirement)
  • Information Literacy - Credit Hours: 1.00-4.00 (satisfies Information Literacy for core. If STAT 30100 is selected for other requirements, this requirement is fulfilled)
  • Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Oral Communication for core)
  • Science - Credit Hours: 2.00-5.00 (satisfies Science for core. MAY be fulfilled, depending on course selected for other requirements)
  • Science - Credit Hours: 2.00-5.00 (satisfies Science for core. MAY be fulfilled, depending on course selected for other requirements)
  • Written Communication ♦ - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00 (satisfies Written Communication for core)

Electives (13-36 credits)


Grade Requirements


  • Students are required to earn a C- or higher in all of the SLHS Foundation and Area 1 courses.
  • No grade lower than a “C-” will be allowed in SLHS 11500, 22700, 30200, 30300, 30600, and 30900.

GPA Requirements


  • A minimum GPA of 2.5 in SLHS 11500, 22700, 30200, 30300, 30600, and 30900 is required. (No grade lower than a “C-” will be allowed)
  • 2.0 GPA is required for graduation.

Course Requirements and Notes


  • Courses may not double count between the following SLHS Major and Departmental Requirements:
    • SLHS Foundations
    • SLHS Area 1
    • SLHS Area 2: Pure and Applied Sciences
    • SLHS Area 3: Behavioral, Linguistic, and Social Sciences
    • SLHS Math and Science
    • SLHS Cultural Competence Requirement.
    • SLHS Departmental Behavioral/Social Science Requirement
    • SLHS Departmental Information Literacy Requirement 

Pass/No Pass Policy


  • A student may elect the Pass / Not-Pass grading option for elective courses only, unless an academic unit requires that a specific departmental course/s be taken Pass / Not-Pass. 

  • Students may elect to take University Core Curriculum courses Pass / Not-Pass; however, some major Plans of Study require courses that also fulfill UCC foundational outcomes.  In such cases, students may not elect the Pass / Not-Pass option. 

  • A maximum of 24 credits of elective courses under the Pass / Not-pass grading option can be used toward graduation requirements. For further information, students should refer to the College of Health and Human Sciences Pass / Not-Pass Policy.

Transfer Credit Policy


  • Transfer credit (including AP, IB, dual credit) may be applied toward the SLHS Major and Departmental Requirements, if approved by the SLHS Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.

University Requirements


University Core Requirements


For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.
  • Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
  • Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
  • Information Literacy (IL)
  • Oral Communication (OC)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
  • Science #1 (SCI)
  • Science #2 (SCI)
  • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
  • Written Communication (WC) 

Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement


The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test.  The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused.  There are three different pathways:

  • Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
  • Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
  • Approved course pathway - Complete  one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.

More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue.

Upper Level Requirement


  • Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
  • Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.

Sample 4-Year Plan


Fall 1st Year


  • Credits: 3.00
  • Written Communication core ♦ - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
  • Modern Language 10100 or Cultural Competence Selective- Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
  • Quantitative Reasoning core - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15-17 Credits


Spring 1st Year


  • Credits: 3.00
  • Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Science Selective (CHM or PHYS) - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
  • Modern Language 10200 or Cultural Competence Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00 - 4.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15-17 Credits


Fall 2nd Year


15-16 Credits


Spring 2nd Year


15-16 Credits


Fall 3rd Year


  • Additional Behavioral/Social Sciences - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • STAT Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Area 1 - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Area 1 - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


  • BIOL (Science) - Credit Hours: 3.00 - 4.00
  • Area 1 - Credit Hours: 3.00 - 4.00
  • Area 2 - Credit Hours: 3.00 - 4.00
  • Area 3 - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15-18 Credits


Fall 4th Year


  • Area 1 - Credit Hours: 3.00 - 4.00
  • Area 3 - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15-16 Credits


Spring 4th Year


  • Area 1 - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Area 2 - Credit Hours: 3.00 - 4.00
  • Information Literacy Core - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • SLHS Additional Information Literacy - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15-16 Credits


Pre-Requisite Information


For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.

World Language Courses


World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

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