Minor in Speech and Hearing Science

Undergraduate minor in speech and hearing science

The Division of Speech and Language Pathology (SLP) offers an undergraduate minor in speech and hearing science, which provides students with the basis necessary to develop foundational knowledge in normal and disordered processes of speech, language and swallowing.

Completion of this minor will not allow students to practice as a speech and language pathologist. However, completion of this minor will prepare students to apply to a graduate program in speech and language.

Students completing the minor who plan on applying to a graduate program are advised to complete a course in each of the following areas*:

• Social science (psychology, sociology or anthropology)
• Physical science (must be in physics or chemistry); introductory physics or chemistry with a lab is recommended 
• Life science (biology of animal or human); BIOL 113 with a lab is recommended
• Lifespan development; PSYC 220 or HDEV 200 are recommended 
• Statistics; MATH 147, MATH 148 or PSYC 243 are recommended 

* Students are responsible for checking the admissions requirements (e.g., minimum GPA, course requirements) for each school to which they are applying for graduate programs. A list of graduate programs in speech and language pathology is available on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) website.

Who may take this minor

Coursework may be undertaken by students in any major throughout Binghamton University, regardless of whether they choose to pursue the minor in speech and hearing science or not. Examples of majors that fit well for students exploring the minor in speech and hearing science include:

• Psychology
• Human development
• Linguistics
• Sociology
• English
• French
• Spanish
• Italian  

While the majors listed above integrate well with the speech and hearing science minor curriculum, the minor is open to students pursuing any major. 

Required courses   

Check the schedule of classes for course descriptions.                                           

Course	Credits
SLP 409: Speech and Hearing Science	2
SLP 435: Clinical Methods	2
SLP 408: Anatomy and Physiology of Speech, Language and Hearing	4
SLP 414:  Introduction to Communication Disorders	4
SLP 415: Normal and Abnormal Speech and Language Development	4
SLP 418: Clinical Phonetics	4
SLP 420: Audiology and Aural Rehabilitation	4
Total credits required for minor	24
Students should be advised that the courses above will not lead to certification in speech and language pathology.

Important information about registering for SLP courses: Students are advised to register for courses during their assigned registration time as most of the SLP courses will be offered only once each year. While there should be an ample number of seats in these courses, students will want to ensure they are able to complete the minor. Students who are not enrolled in the speech and hearing science minor will have equal access to the coursework.

Application procedures for the minor

• Applications are reviewed for the fall and spring semesters.
  • Recommended application deadlines are April 15 for fall semester enrollment and November 15 for spring semester enrollment; however, the committee reviews applications on a rolling basis.
  • There is no minimum credit/GPA requirement to apply for the speech and hearing science minor. 
  • Decisions are made within 30 days of the application submission. Upon approval, DegreeWorks will be updated to reflect minor requirements. 
• Students may take any of the SLP courses at any point of their studies, but an approved application for the minor is required prior to graduation. Despite the flexibility when taking courses, there is a suggested sequence for students entering their first-year.