New Honors Certificate Program in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Certificate Will Provide More Research Opportunities for Communication Disorders Majors

The Department of Communication Disorders has gained approval for a new honors certificate program. This program is designed for students in the University Honors program who typically bring substantial credit from high-school Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams. Consequently, the need for courses to fulfill general education requirements has been reduced. A new emphasis has been placed on providing high quality experiences for honors students throughout their undergraduate career. The Department of Communication Disorders is taking the lead in redefining the honors experience at FSU. This new Honors Certificate program provides a means of efficiently accumulating 18 hours of Honors credit that culminates in a capstone experiential learning project.

The Department of Communication Disorders has been a leader at FSU in the production of students graduating with Honor-in-the-Major. In recent years, over 10% of undergraduate majors in the Department of Communication Disorders have completed honors theses. This commitment serves as a model for a field that is experiencing a growing shortage of PhDs who are needed to generate new knowledge in the field. To help address this need, we hope to continue to offer opportunities for students to work closely with our outstanding faculty on research projects.

Students eligible for the University Honors program are encouraged to apply to the limited access Communication Sciences and Disorders major early and begin major coursework as freshmen or sophomores. In addition to at least 6 hours of University Honors coursework, students take up to 6 hours of Department of Communication Disorders honors coursework (honors sections of regular courses, honors seminars, or honors-augmented courses). The remaining 6 hours are associated with work on the honors thesis. The Honors Certificate will recognize the combined completion of the University Honors program as well as Honors-in-the-Major.