Speech & Hearing Science: Neuroscience of Communication, BS
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Speech & Hearing Science, Neuroscience of Communication Concentration
The Bachelor of Science in Speech & Hearing Science, Neuroscience of Communication Concentration is not currently accepting applications. Suspension of admissions effective Spring 2026. If you are interested in the Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science program, visit the Speech and Hearing Science, B.S. catalog page for more information.
The Neuroscience of Communication concentration provides an interdisciplinary understanding of the neurological systems that underlie human communication. Students will study the biological basis of communication in order to understand brain-behavior correlates of typical and disordered speech, language, and hearing function. In addition, students will benefit from faculty research that utilizes innovative technologies to study the structure and function of the sensory-motor systems that underlie human communication abilities. This concentration is intended to help prepare students for health and science-related careers, including medicine and neuroscience. In addition, undergraduates interested in pursuing careers as an audiologist or speech-language pathologist can combine this concentration with pre-certification requirements.
More information about the fields of speech-language pathology and audiology may be found on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s website.
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Speech & Hearing Science, Neuroscience of Communication Concentration
Graduation Requirements
Minimum hours required for graduation: 120 hours.
All students must complete a series of SHS professional core classes and an additional 12 credits of SHS electives. Students are advised to work with the undergraduate academic advisor to ensure courses are taken in proper sequential order and, if desired, that they meet the requirements for eventual ASHA certification. NOTE: For those planning on pursuing graduate studies in Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology, many graduate programs require 25 clinical observation hours prior to starting graduate school. Some of these may be completed as part of SHS 475.
University Requirements
Minimum of 40 hours of upper-division coursework, generally at the 300 and 400 level. These hours can be drawn from all elements of the degree. Students should consult their academic advisor for additional guidance in fulfilling this requirement.
The university and residency requirements can be found in the Student Code (§ 3-801) and in the Academic Catalog.
General Education Requirements
Follows the campus General Education (Gen Ed) requirements. Some Gen Ed requirements may be met by courses required and/or electives in the program. Speech and Hearing Science Gen Ed courses may be viewed: SHS Gen Ed
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Composition I | 4-6 | |
| Advanced Composition | 3 | |
| Humanities & the Arts (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences & Technology (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Cultural Studies: Non-Western Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: US Minority Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses, at least one course must be Quantitative Reasoning I) | 6-10 | |
| Language Requirement (Completion of the third semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required) | 0-15 | |
Speech & Hearing Science Major Requirements
Chemistry/Physics Requirement (Select one)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 101 | Introductory Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 102 & CHEM 103 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry Lab I | 4 |
| CHEM 108 | Chemistry, Everyday Phenomena | 3 |
| CHEM 202 & CHEM 203 | Accelerated Chemistry I and Accelerated Chemistry Lab I | 5 |
| PHYS 101 | College Physics: Mech & Heat | 5 |
| PHYS 102 | College Physics: E&M & Modern | 5 |
| PHYS 211 | University Physics: Mechanics | 4 |
| PHYS 212 | University Physics: Elec & Mag | 4 |
Animal/Human Biology Requirement (Select one)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 143 | Biology of Human Behavior | 3 |
| ANTH 241 | Human Biological Variation | 3 |
| ANTH 246 | Forensic Science | 4 |
| ANTH 249 | Evolution and Human Disease | 3 |
| HK 150 | Bioscience of Human Movement | 3 |
| IB 100 | Biology in Today's World | 3 |
| IB 104 | Animal Biology | 4 |
| IB 110 | Race and Environmental Biology | 3 |
| IB 150 | Organismal & Evolutionary Biol | 4 |
| MCB 100 | Introductory Microbiology | 3 |
| MCB 150 | Molecular & Cellular Basis of Life | 4 |
| MCB 170 | Society and the Brain | 3 |
Statistics Requirement (Select one)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| STAT 100 | Statistics | 3 |
| STAT 107 | Data Science Discovery | 4 |
| STAT 200 | Statistical Analysis | 3 |
| STAT 212 | Biostatistics | 3 |
Linguistics Requirement
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| LING 100 | Intro to Language Science | 3 |
Speech and Hearing Science Professional Core
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SHS 170 | Intro Hum Comm Sys & Disorders | 3 |
| SHS 191 | Freshmen Seminar | 1 |
| SHS 200 | General Phonetics | 3 |
| SHS 240 | Intro Sound & Hearing Science | 3 |
| SHS 271 | Communication and Aging | 3 |
| SHS 280 | Communication Neuroscience | 3 |
| SHS 300 | Anat & Physiol Spch Mechanism | 4 |
| SHS 301 | General Speech Science | 4 |
| SHS 320 | Development of Spoken Language | 3 |
| SHS 385 | Interpreting Clinical Research in Speech & Hearing Science | 3 |
| SHS 391 | Professional Preparation in Speech & Hearing Science | 1 |
| SHS 450 | Intro Audiol & Hear Disorders | 4 |
| SHS 451 | Aural Rehab Children to Adults | 3 |
| SHS 475 | Prepracticum in SHS | 1 |
| Plus 12 hours of SHS electives from the list below. | 12 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SHS 120 | Child, Comm, & Lang Ability | 3 |
| SHS 121 | American Sign Language I | 4 |
| SHS 221 | American Sign Language II | 4 |
| SHS 222 | Language & Culture of Deaf Communities | 3 |
| SHS 270 | Comm Disability in the Media | 4 |
| SHS 321 | American Sign Language III | 4 |
| SHS 352 | Hearing Health and Society | 3 |
| SHS 375 | Communication Partners and Health | 3 |
| SHS 380 | Comm Competence and Disorders | 3 |
| SHS 383 | Special Topics | 3 or 4 |
| SHS 427 | Language and the Brain | 3 or 4 |
| SHS 433 | Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders Across Communication Contexts | 3 |
| SHS 480 | Understanding Disability and Assistive Technology | 2 |
| SHS 481 | Creating and Procuring Accessible Electronic Materials | 2 |
| SHS 482 | Designing Universally Accessible Web Resources | 2 |
| One of the courses below may be counted toward the 12 credits of SHS electives | ||
| CMN 232 | Intro to Intercultural Comm | 3 |
| EPSY 202 | Exploring Cultural Pluralism | 3 |
| LING 210 | Language History | 3 |
| LING 450 | Sociolinguistics I | 3 or 4 |
| No more than 3 credits total from the courses below may be counted toward the 12 credits of SHS electives | ||
| SHS 291 | Research Lab Experience in SHS | 1 to 3 |
| SHS 390 | Individual Study | 2 to 4 |
| SHS 395 | Honors Individual Study | 2 |
Electives
All students are encouraged to take electives inside and outside the department that will count towards the 128 required hours for graduation (the total number of electives students may take may vary with each individual). Students are encouraged to select electives that will complement their areas of interest and future goals. Areas listed below are only a sampling of possibilities; they are not to be considered as requirements and students are not limited to these choices. All students are responsible for addressing course pre-requisites, and course availability may vary.
Relevant areas include: Anthropology (ANTH), Communications (CMN), Kinesiology and Community Health (KIN, CHLH), Educational Organization and Leadership (EOL), Curriculum & Instruction (CI), Educational Policy Studies (EPS), Educational Psychology (EPSY), English (ENGL), English as a Second Language (ESL), Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS), Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS), Library and Information Science (LIS), Linguistics (LING), Neuroscience (NEUR), Psychology (PSYC), Recreation, Sport, & Tourism (RST), Rehabilitation Counseling (REHB), Special Education (SPED ), Sociology (SOC), Social Work (SOCW). Additional areas to explore may include: courses in a foreign language beyond the completion of the University’s requirement, as well as additional courses in science, such as Biology (IB, MCB), Physics (PHYS), microcomputer applications (e.g. ACE), and courses in cultural studies.
Neuroscience of Communication Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SHS 280 | Communication Neuroscience | 3 |
| SHS 389 | Neuroplasticity and Communication | 3 |
| SHS 427 | Language and the Brain | 3 |
| SHS 470 | Neural Bases Spch Lang | 3 |
| Students must also take 6 hours from the following specified electives: | 6 | |
Any Chemistry or Physics 100-level class | ||
| Biology in Today's World | ||
| Intro to Brain and Cognition | ||
| Child Psych | ||
or EPSY 236 | Child Development in Education | |
| Perception & Sensory Processes | ||
| Cognitive Psych | ||
| Learning and Memory | ||
| Communication and Aging | ||
| Research Lab Experience in SHS 1 | ||
SHS 333 | ||
| Communication Partners and Health | ||
| Individual Study 1 | ||
| Honors Individual Study 1 | ||
| Augmentative & Alternative Communication | ||
| Prepracticum in SHS | ||
| Total Hours | 18 | |
- 1
No more than 3 credits from SHS 291, SHS 390 and SHS 395 may be counted toward the 6 credits of specified electives.
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Speech & Hearing Science, Neuroscience of Communication Concentration
This sample sequence is intended to be used only as a guide for degree completion. All students should work individually with their academic advisors to decide the actual course selection and sequence that works best for them based on their academic preparation and goals. The minimum number of hours required for the BS degree is 128. Enrichment programming such as study abroad, minors, internships, and so on may impact the structure of this four-year plan. Course availability is not guaranteed during the semester indicated in the sample sequence.
Students must fulfill their Language Other Than English requirement by successfully completing a third level of a language other than English. This may require up to three semesters of language depending on high school coursework or placement. See the corresponding section on the Degree General and Education Requirements page.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | Spring Semester | Hours |
| SHS 170 | 3 | SHS 200 | 3 |
| SHS 191 | 1 | Language Other than English (3rd level) | 3 |
| Composition I or General Education Course | 3 | Composition I or General Education Course | 3 |
| General Education Course | 3 | General Education Course | 3 |
| General Education Course | 3 | General Education Course | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 1 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall Semester | Hours | Spring Semester | Hours |
| SHS 280 | 3 | SHS 240 | 3 |
| SHS 320 | 3 | SHS Specified Elective | 3 |
| General Education Course - choose Natural Science & Technology course from departmental list | 3 | General Education Course - choose Quantitative Reasoning I course from departmental list | 3 |
| General Education Course | 3 | General Education Course | 3 |
| General Education Course | 3 | General Education Course | 3 |
| Elective | 1 | Elective | 1 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall Semester | Hours | Spring Semester | Hours |
| SHS 300 | 4 | SHS 301 | 4 |
| SHS 450 | 4 | SHS 385 | 3 |
| General Education Course | 3 | SHS 389 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 2 | Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall Semester | Hours | Spring Semester | Hours |
| SHS 470 | 3 | SHS 427 | 3 |
| SHS Specified Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 1 | Elective | 1 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Total Hours 128 | |||
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Speech & Hearing Science, Neuroscience of Communication Concentration
The Department of Speech and Hearing Science
Speech and Hearing Science faculty