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Department of Communication Disorders

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Welcome to the Department of Communication Disorders

Mission Statement 

It is the mission of the Department of Communication  Disorders to enrich the lives of the people of the Rio Grande Valley, State of Texas, United States, and internationally by preparing professionals who are highly competent, compassionate, and ethical service providers equipped to work collaboratively with educational, health, medical, and social science disciplines; who conduct transformative research to enrich the lives of persons with disorders of communication; and who value meaningful engagement with the communities they serve. 

Vision Statement 

The Department of Communication Disorders seeks to become a premiere program that strives towards empowering and engaging students of diverse backgrounds through exceptional and innovative academic and clinical preparation, transformative research and dedicated investment in regional and global communities. 

Welcome to the Department of Communication  Disorders at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. We are located on the main floor of the Edinburg Health Affairs Building West (EHABW). Our main office is EHABW 1.264. Our department offers a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreting, and a minor in ASL Studies. You can learn more about the requirements for the master’s and bachelor’s degrees and the ASL Studies minor by simply clicking on the appropriate links above. 

What are Communication Disorders? 

Two professions comprise the field of communication disorders: Audiology and Speech-language Pathology. Audiologists provide diagnostic hearing and balance evaluations and aural rehabilitation services. Speech-language Pathologists (also known as Speech Pathologists or Speech Therapists) work with people who have impairments of speech, language, and swallowing by diagnosing and remediating these disorders. Speech disorders may include problems with the proper pronunciation of certain speech sounds, voice and resonance disorders (such as vocal nodules or laryngectomy), and fluency disorders (such as stuttering). Language disorders can occur in children and adults. In children, language disorders may express themselves in the presence or absence of other disorders such as developmental disabilities or intellectual impairment. In adults, language and swallowing problems most likely result from a stroke or a progressive, degenerative neurological disorder such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease). Clients or patients represent the entire age range from birth to the elderly and come from a wide variety of racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Many employment positions are in public schools and medical settings, but opportunities also exist in community agencies, free standing clinics and private practice.  

Please note: The Department of Communication Disorders currently does not offer  a Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) program. Until the Au.D. program is established within our department, students desiring to become audiologists must either complete the audiology area of concentration for the baccalaureate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at UTRGV and then transfer to a university that offers an audiology program, or enroll from the outset at a university that has a professional doctoral program in audiology. 

Academic Programs