Communication Sciences and Disorders (BS)

This program was approved for students entering the university in the Summer 2026-Spring 2027 catalog year. For more information about catalog year, go to Catalog Year Information.

Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders
Unit: School of Medicine
Department: Communicative Disorders
Academic Plan Code(s): CSD_BS_SLP, CSD_BS_DAA

Program Information

The Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders is a four-year program that seeks to attract top students whose interests center on the biological, physical, socio-cultural, and linguistic aspects of human communication and its disorders and differences. The program employs an interdisciplinary framework and the degree serves as a prerequisite for admission to graduate school, creating a pathway for students to study either audiology (4-year graduate degree) or speech-language pathology (2-year graduate degree).  To better prepare students for graduate school and the workforce, the BS degree can be completed via one of two tracks, both of which also occur in the graduate program:

• The Speech-Language Pathology Track is the default track for all students and is designed for those who have yet to decide whether they want to pursue graduate training in audiology or speech-language pathology.
• The 3+4 Accelerated Audiology Track allows undergraduate students to apply to UofL’s Doctor of Audiology (AuD) graduate program during their junior year. Students fulfill their senior year of undergraduate credits and earn the BS degree after successfully completing the first year of AuD coursework.

Degree Summary

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All undergraduate degrees require the completion of the University-wide General Education Program (link provided above).  Some General Education requirements may be met in the requirements for the major or supporting coursework, in which case additional electives may be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree. MATH 109 is required to meet the Qualitative Reasoning (QR) requirement for students in this program.

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Students in the traditional Speech-Language Pathology track are required to complete 47 credits in the Program Core; students in the Accelerated Audiology track are required to complete 55 credits in the Program Core.

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Students in the traditional Speech-Language Pathology track are required to complete 24 credit hours of Supporting Courses; students in the Accelerated Audiology track are required to complete 18 credit hours of Supporting Courses, including ASL 101 and ASL 102.

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Students in the traditional Speech-Language Pathology track are required to complete 18 credit hours of Free Electives; students in the Accelerated Audiology track are required to complete 16 credit hours of Free Electives.

Admission Requirements

Entering first-year students are encouraged to declare their major as “Communication Disorders” for advisement regarding appropriate program-specific coursework and the application process. Students will be assigned an advisor at the university level via the Office Undergraduate Advising. University advisors will work in tandem to provide information to prospective majors. Admission to the upper division of the program is selective and will be made when the following requirements are met:

1. Completion of a minimum of 30 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0,
2. Completion of CMDS 245 (Survey of Communication Disorders) with a grade of C or higher,
3. Completion of CMDS 270 (Clinical Observation) with a grade of “pass”, and
4. Completion of an application. Each student's advisor will notify the program that the student is ready to proceed with the application process.

The Change Major Request form can be found under the Academic Progress tile on ULink.

Transfer students with 24 credit hours and a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA may be admitted directly to the upper division if they have equivalencies for CMDS 245 and CMDS 270.

General Education Requirements

* All degrees require the completion of the University-wide General Education Program (link provided above).  Some General Education requirements may be met in the requirements for the major or supporting coursework, in which case additional electives may be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree.

Program/Major Requirements

Supporting Courses

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Students may substitute PHST 200 or PSYC 205 for this requirement.

All students will follow the speech-language pathology track as the default track until they reach the senior year coursework at which point, students pursuing audiology will complete the first year of the AuD program. See the Flight Plan tab for specific courses.

The first-year coursework of the AuD program will be cross-listed with their undergraduate equivalents.

Year 4 Courses (3+4 Accelerated Audiology Pathway)

All students will follow the speech-language pathology track as the default track until they reach the senior year coursework at which point, students pursuing audiology will complete the first year of the AuD program.

The first-year coursework of the AuD program will be cross-listed with their undergraduate equivalents.

Track in Speech-Language Pathology

3+4 Accelerated Audiology Pathway

The Flight Plan outlined above is intended to demonstrate one possible path to completing the degree within four years.  Course selection and placement within the program may vary depending on course offerings and schedule, elective preferences, and other factors (study abroad, internship availability, etc.). Please consult your advisor for additional information about building a flight plan that works for you.

Degree Audit Report
Degree Audit reports illustrate how your completed courses fulfill the requirements of your academic plan, and which requirements are still outstanding. Degree audits also take transfer credits and test credits into account. "What-if" reports allow you to compare the courses you have completed in your current academic plan to the courses required in another academic plan.  Should you have questions about either report, please consult with your academic advisor.

To create these reports:

1. Log into your ULink account.
2. Click on the Academic Progress tile.
3. Select the appropriate report.
   1. To run a Degree Audit report, click on "View my Degree Audit."
   2. To create a What-if report, click on "What-if Advisement Report."

Click here to run a Degree Audit report or create a What-if report.