SUNY Fredonia chooses new name for Speech Pathology Department

The Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at SUNY Fredonia has been updated with a new identity, “the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences,” to better reflect its focus and course content.

“The former department name was incomplete and old-fashioned,” explained Dr. Kim Tillery, department chair. “The academic and clinic training in our programs involves more than teaching two areas: speech pathology and audiology. The new title better represents what we do as a team.”

Schools that train graduate students in these programs are mandated by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to teach nine specific disorders which include articulation, hearing, language, aphasia, voice, fluency (stuttering), dysphagia (swallowing), cognitive aspects of communication, social aspects of communication, and communication modalities (assistive technology). ASHA is the professional credentialing association for speech-language pathologists, audiologists and speech, language and hearing scientists.

SUNY Fredonia joins a growing number of universities across the nation to change the name of their Speech Pathology and Audiology department to Communication Disorders and Sciences.

Current academic and clinical components in department programs fulfill requirements for New York State licensing and ASHA certification and are not changing, Dr. Tillery noted. Students in the graduate program will continue to be awarded master’s of science degrees in Speech-Language Pathology. Those in the undergraduate program, which serves as a pre-professional program, will receive a bachelor’s of science in Communication Disorders and Sciences.

The new department name, which will soon appear on department stationery, signage in Thompson Hall, the department website, and in the online university catalogue, became official in March with President Dennis Hefner’s signature.

Job prospects for graduate students with a M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from SUNY Fredonia remain outstanding, Dr. Tillery said.

“We’ve always had a high standing reputation both in Western New York and throughout New York State,” she affirmed. “Our students usually are offered a job during their last semester with us.”

Fredonia graduates work in school districts, hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, private practice and nursing homes. Its undergraduate program enrolls 120 students, while the graduate program adds another 54.