The Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders School of Communication Northwestern University

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at Northwestern University offers a variety of doctoral and master's degree programs. Students work with faculty members and patients of all ages to develop new and more effective ways of preventing, diagnosing, and treating disorders related to human speech, hearing, and learning.

Located within the School of Communication, the CSD department is widely regarded for the quality of its programs and the caliber of alumni it produces. The "US News and World Report" ranks the school's professional audiology and speech and language pathology programs among the top 10 in the nation.

Communities of Interest within the School of Communications

The School of Communications at Northwestern University provides online collaborative platforms called "communities of interest." Sponsored jointly by the Departments of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Theatre, and Communication Studies, the Children and Communication module provides students with added opportunities to study the developmental origins of communication. Through study, volunteerism, and research, students study the ways in which children help shape and are shaped by the communities in which they live.

Students in the module are expected to build portfolios of collected work and are strongly encouraged to keep journals throughout their experience. All students also volunteer at medical centers or other organizations that serve infants or young children and their families.

The PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders Program at Northwestern University

Northwestern University offers an interdisciplinary Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Communication Sciences and Disorders to students preparing for careers in academics, research, or teaching. The model research program offers intensive laboratory experiences while fostering cross-disciplinary research and study opportunities in the areas of music, psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and complex systems.

Course offerings and research opportunities focus on several key areas, exploring molecular and epidemiological bases for communication, developing assessments and treatments for people with disordered communication, and examining how communication is affected by the processes of cognition, sensation, perception, and motor control.

The Doctor of Audiology Program at Northwestern University

Northwestern University offers an accelerated Doctor of Audiology (AuD) program to students preparing to become independent practitioners in a private practice, hospital, medical clinic, or university setting. AuD faculty members are world-renowned leaders in the areas of amplification devices, auditory learning, auditory neuroscience and electrophysiology, cochlear physiology, hearing loss diagnosis and management, psychoacoustics, and speech perception. Students have access to state-of-the-art clinical facilities, diverse clinical populations, and more than 30 off-campus sites to complete their supervised practicum experiences.

The "US News and World Report" ranks Northwestern's AuD program among the top in the nation. Program alumni are employed in a variety of settings, including providing direct clinical services, overseeing clinical service programs, and teaching clinical courses in university settings.

The Master of Science in Speech, Language, and Learning at Northwestern University

Northwestern offers a Master of Science (MS) in Speech, Language, and Learning that is unique in its recognition of the close relationships between speech-language pathology and learning disabilities. The program provides students with broad academic backgrounds in both fields. Current trends within the field are naturally integrated into class discussions, further revealing in-depth links between theory, research, and practice.

MS students participate in clinical practice, first at on-campus clinics and then in off-site settings. Students are also encouraged to select an area of concentration and to participate in various interdisciplinary research and colloquia opportunities.

Faculty Members in the CSD Department at Northwestern University

CSD department faculty members are renowned for their discoveries and accomplishments in the processes that underlie hearing, learning, and speech, including cognition, sensation, perception, and motor control. For instance, Dr. Sumit Dhar, in conjunction with the Northwestern University Auditory Research Laboratory, has received a 5-year, $3.2 million grant to develop better diagnostic tests to determine hearing loss.

Dr. Charles Larson co-authored 16 publications in 5 years related to his research involving the neural mechanisms connecting auditory feedback and voice control. He has also been presented with several teaching awards, including the ASG Faculty Honor Roll and the ASHA Zemlin Award.

Dr. Pamela Souza is the principal investigator on a longstanding research program that studies the effects of hearing aids for older listeners and those with severe hearing loss. The NIH has awarded several grants for the program, totaling more than $2.7 million.

Financial Aid Opportunities at Northwestern University

The Graduate School at Northwestern University provides merit-based fellowship and scholarship opportunities for most doctoral degree-seeking students. Fellowships generally include tuition scholarships and stipends. Available fellowships include the Catalyst Grant, Dependent Care Grant, and Ryan Fellowship. Fellows and scholarship recipients are not expected to assist in laboratories or teach in return for their awards, except when such duties are required of all doctoral students in the department.

Graduate assistantship opportunities are also available as either teaching assistants or research assistants. Assistantships provide monthly stipends and are usually accompanied by merit-based tuition scholarships.

Northwestern University -- An Innovative and Interdisciplinary Institution

Northwestern University was founded in 1851 under the Methodist Episcopal Church to serve the Northwest Territory. Today, the private university uses innovative teaching and pioneering, interdisciplinary research to provide intellectual opportunities that transcend academic boundaries.

Northwestern has 3 campuses: a 240-acre campus on the original location in Evanston, Illinois; one in Chicago; and one in Doha, Qatar. Students at each of the Illinois campuses benefit from the cultural richness of Chicago, as Evanston borders the city to the north.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Audiology Doctor of Audiology (Au D)
• Speech, Language, And Learning Master of Science (MS)
• Communication Sciences And Disorders Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees 41
• Doctoral Degrees 3
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? No
• Evening/weekend programs available? No
• Distance learning programs available? No
• Terminal master's degree available? Yes

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees Seminar paper
• Doctoral Degrees Required and pre-dissertation research project, qualifying exam
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Acceptance Rate
• Applied254
• Accepted113
• Acceptance Rate44%
• EnrolledNot Reported
• Applying
• Application Fee - Domestic $60
• Application Fee - International $75
• Electronic applications accepted? Not Reported
• Applications processed on a rolling basis? Not Reported
• Application Deadlines
• Type Domestic International Priority Date
• Fall deadline January 1st Not Reported Not Reported
• Winter deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Spring deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Entrance Requirements
• Master's DegreesGRE General Test, letters of recommendation
• Doctoral's DegreesGRE General Test, letters of recommendation
• First-Professional's DegreesNot Reported
• Other Advanced DegreesNot Reported
• International DegreesTOEFL required

• Tuition & Fees
• In-state tuition *$29,940
• Out-of-state tuition *$29,940
• International student tuitionNot Reported
• * Tuition for full-time graduate student per academic year
• Fees
• Per-academic year feesNot Reported
• Per-term feesNot Reported
• One-time feeNot Reported
• * Fees for full-time graduate students
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitFAFSA
• Application deadlines for financial awardsFebruary 1
• Types of financial support availableFellowships, Research Assitantships, Teaching Assistantships, Career or Field-Related Internships, Federal Work-Study, Institutionally-sponsored Loans, Scholarship and/or loans, Traineeships

• Gender
• Total Graduate Students17
• Female Percentage76%
• Male Percentage24%
• Participation
• Total Graduate Students17
• Part-time PercentageNot Reported
• Full-time PercentageNot Reported
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic / Latino0%
• Black / African American0%
• White / Caucasian91%
• American Indian / Alaskan Native0%
• Asian9%
• Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander0%
• Two or more races0%
• Unknown0%

• Faculty Breakout
• Total Faculty25
• Full-time Percentage96%
• Part-time Percentage4%
• Female Percentage64%
• Male Percentage36%

• Existing Research
• Focus of faculty researchSwallow behavior, verb structure in aphasia, language decline in dementia, cognitive processing in children, word-finding defects in children
• Externally sponsored research expenditures last year$4,188,800