WELCOME

Thomas Mullin, Ph.D., Interim Chair

It’s my pleasure to welcome current and prospective students, colleagues, and friends to the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Web site at the University of Central Florida. As you navigate the site, we invite you first to meet our dedicated faculty and staff and to learn about their unique teaching, research, service, clinic and administrative interests.

We’re proud of our faculty and staff. It is their commitment to the department and the discipline that draws students at all levels to study with us — bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral. And, it is their commitment to diversity that makes the department a welcoming environment for students of varied backgrounds from the United States and abroad.

Whether you’re taking your first course in the discipline or aspiring to become a research scientist, we believe that the department has much to offer. Our programs prepare graduates for a lifetime of exciting career opportunities working with people of all ages and disabilities.

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is one of six departments and schools in the College of Health and Public Affairs. The department currently enrolls 418 bachelors- and 185 master’s-level majors. With 26 full-time and numerous affiliated faculty members, the department offers students a broad range of academic programs, comprehensive clinical experiences, and ongoing research opportunities in human communication sciences and disorders.

At the bachelor’s level, the curriculum is built on a strong liberal arts and sciences foundation. Graduates of the bachelor’s program pursue advanced study in speech-language pathology, audiology, communication sciences, or related professional fields such as education and social work; they use their four-year degree in communication sciences and disorders to gain entrée into entry-level health and human services careers; or, they practice as speech-language pathology and audiology assistants.

The primary goal of the clinical master’s program is to prepare speech-language pathologists for work in schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, community clinics, and private practice with children and adults who experience a variety of communication and associated disorders. To accomplish this goal, much of the educational programming at the master’s level takes place at the UCF Communication Disorders Clinic and in over 200 externship sites throughout the greater Orlando area and the state of Florida. The master's program in speech-language pathology has been continuously accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association since 1986.

Following completion of the master’s degree, some graduates continue on to pursue doctoral studies. At UCF, the Ph.D. in Education, Communication Sciences and Disorders Track, with a specialization in school speech-language pathology prepares graduates for leadership positions in language and literacy as university and college faculty, research scientists, specialized clinical practitioners, or program and policy development and evaluation specialists in schools and other agencies.

As you conclude your visit with us, I invite you to read about some of our innovative teaching, research and service accomplishments in Communiqué, our biannual departmental newsletter located in News. As the stories illustrate, UCF Stands for Opportunity. And, the opportunities in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders are many.

If you desire to study in a program with diverse colleagues, professors, and opportunities for professional growth and development, or if you are already a student in one of our programs,  we invite you to learn more about us.

Again welcome and warmest regards,

Thomas Mullin, Ph.D., Interim Chair