Undergraduate Program
What can I do with a degree in Speech-Language-Hearing?
As an undergraduate in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders, you will study the basic processes of human communication. This background will prepare you for many options, including graduate work in speech-language pathology, audiology, and speech, language, or hearing research. Because communication is central to most human activities, a degree in speech-language-hearing also can lead to a career in many other fields.
Speech-language pathologists treat a range of disorders, including delayed language development, stuttering, articulation or pronunciation difficulties, and language loss caused by head injury or stroke. Audiologists conduct hearing tests and suggest and fit hearing aids. They teach lip reading techniques and measure brain activity related to hearing, even in operating rooms. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists work in settings that include schools, medical centers, state and federal agencies, universities, and rehabilitation centers. Recently, more professionals in both fields have been entering private practice.
Occupational Possibilities
The basic study in speech-language pathology and audiology provided in the speech-language-hearing curriculum prepares students for graduate study in those fields. Such programs are offered through the Intercampus Program in Communicative Disorders at the University of Kansas.
A major in speech-language-hearing also provides preparation for many careers within itself. The following list was compiled from national data and from Major Options by Nocholas Basta (1991, New York: The Stonesong Press), which is available for use at University Career and Employment Services. For some of the occupations listed below, such as computer programmer, further skills and/or related training may be desirable. Additional graduate study is generally expected for those occupations marked with a * on the following list.
| Human Services | Business/Industry | Education/Communication | Public Administration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caseworker | Industrial relations coordinator | Teacher (K-12) | Affirmative action officer |
| *Day care center director | Executive search consultant | *Professor | Community organizer/planning specialist |
| *Employment counselor | Computer programmer | *Experimental psychology | Relocation worker |
| Probation/parole officer | Compensation analyst | Curriculum designer/researcher | Policy analyst |
| Youth counselor | Job analyst | Interpreter | *Field health officer |
| *Audiologist | Marketing manager | *College student affairs administrator | *Health policy planner |
| Volunteer services director | Training specialist | Consumer researcher | *Environmental psychologist |
| *Speech/language pathologist | Employment recruiter | Statistical report writer | *U.S. Census Bureau researcher |
| *Child development specialist | Advertising account manager | Technical writer | |
| *Neuropsychologist | Market research analyst | Media director | |
| Rehabilitation worker | Systems analyst | Public opinion survey worker | |
| Health-service administrator | Salesperson | *Elementary/high school administrator | |
| *Speech therapist | Labor relations coordinator | Journalist | |
| Human resources manager | Speech synthesis specialist | Attorney | |
| *Biomedical laboratory technician | |||
| *Intelligence systems designer |
Skills and Abilities
The study of speech, language, and hearing sciences and disorders develops skills in critical analysis, accurate problem definition, the relation of theory to evidence, and the interpretation of data through the examination of human physiology, psychology, and linguistics. The skills developed through a speech-language-hearing degree may be applied to job responsibilities in a variety of occupational groups. For example, while an audiologist, a rehabilitation worker, and a marketing specialist might use critical analysis for different purposes, each will probably use that skill on a daily basis. A sampling of representative skills and abilities follows.
| Human Relations | Research | Communication | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counseling | Observing people/data/things | Influencing and persuading people/groups | Defining problem areas |
| Analyzing/modifying behavior | Framing research questions | Informing/explaining ideas | Creating a system to analyze data |
| Motivating | Developing ideas and theories | Mediating/negotiating conflicts | Offering new perspectives |
| Perceiving and understanding individual differences | Gathering information | Writing clearly | Developing new solutions for recurring problems |
| Fostering group dynamics | Clarifying goals/problems | Presenting information effectively | Evaluating theory and evidence |
| Exhibiting empathy toward others | Organizing and analyzing data | Applying knowledge about language | Comparing/contrasting ideas and information |
| Identifying and understanding needs | Summarizing results | ||
| Synthesizing conclusions | |||
| Working with research subjects |
Where can I find work as an Audiologist?
Audiologists provide professional services in many different places including:
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