Our faculty and students describe the value of a speech-language pathology degree from Ithaca College and how it positions you to be job-ready and a lifelong learner in the field.
Walk Through Your Four Years
Read more about the skills you will learn each year during your undergraduate studies.
Speech-Language Pathology at Ithaca College
Our Educational Approach
We use a building block approach to developing your skills, with each course you complete in our program enhancing the skills you learned in a previous course. The information below helps you understand the specific communication-related skills you will develop over your four years at Ithaca College. In addition to these skills specific to this major, the liberal arts courses that you take outside of the major and experiences such as research or study abroad will further enhance your ability to think and communicate in an integrative manner, and with a global perspective - all preparing you well for life and the work world.
First Year
Learn how to
...transcribe words phonetically (/fənɛɾɪks/)
Learn about
...communication disorders (When your voice is hoarse, what's happening to your vocal cords? Why do speech-language pathologists work with babies who can't yet talk?).
Second Year
Learn about
...the anatomy of the body that helps you speak (Where is your orbicularis oris and what does it do?).
...the anatomy of the ear that helps you hear (Where is your tympanic membrane and what does it do?).
...typical development of language in children (How many words can most children say when they are 18 months old?).
...language disorders (How can we help children with language impairment to learn new vocabulary words?).
...typical development of the sounds needed for speech (What is the average age for correct pronunciation of /l/?).
...how we help children to say sounds correctly (How do you help a child who says /w/ instead of /r/?).
...why people have difficulty hearing and what we can do to help them.
Third Year
Learn about
...how the brain works (Where are the language and speech centers of the brain?).
...how we make speech sounds and how speech sounds move through the air.
Fourth Year
Learn about
...what to look for when someone is communicating and how to work with clients by observing therapy sessions.
...therapy methods that will help you in assisting clients with their communication.
AND
...begin your clinical work by providing therapy.
Benefit from hands-on experience
Read more about how you will begin your clinical work by providing therapy services in the Sir Alexander Ewing Speech and Hearing Clinic or an affiliated off-campus site.
Contact
Lynne Hewitt, Chair
301 Smiddy Hall
Ithaca College
953 Danby Road
Ithaca, NY 14850