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Speech & Hearing Sciences

College of Arts & Sciences

The B.S. in Speech and Hearing Sciences is for students interested in the scientific and theoretical frameworks for understanding human communication and its disorders, including the roles of biology, cognition, environment and culture. The major provides an overview of the discipline, including the neurological, behavioral, physical and anatomic-physiological bases of speech, language, hearing and swallowing. It also provides an introduction to evaluation and treatment considerations for individuals with communication disorders. The program prepares students for paraprofessional employment (e.g., SLP assistant, audiology technician, ABA therapist, special education aide) as well as graduate study for a either a research or clinical career. This program is appropriate for students with interests in related fields such as education, early childhood development, linguistics, psychology, public health, biology, neuroscience and other health professions.

Major category: Capacity-constrained

Topic(s): Natural and environmental sciences

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Degree requirements

Applicant type

Applicant type

Freshmen can apply to the UW to begin autumn quarter or winter quarter (U.S. applicants only)

Read more about applying to the UW as a freshman, including details for programs that provide high school students with college credit (like Running Start).

Speech & Hearing Sciences is a capacity-constrained major. An additional application is required after you enroll at the UW, and admission may be competitive. Visit the department website for more information.

Quarters of general admission to UW: autumn / winter (U.S. applicants only) / spring / summer

Preparation for the major is a factor in transfer admission.

  • Use the information below to help you prepare for this degree
  • Visit MyPlan to run a degree audit.
  • Use the UW Equivalency Guide to find out how courses taken at a Washington state community or technical college will transfer to the UW.
  • UW college and school graduation requirements

Department admission information

Please contact the department for details about the application process.

This major is capacity-constrained. Completion of prerequisites does not guarantee admission.
  • Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 for all college course work.
  • Competitive applicants should have a GPA of at least 3.0 (B) in the prerequisite coursework with no single course graded less than 2.0 (C).It is highly recommended that all prerequisite coursework grades be a 2.5 or above.
  • Applicants must have completed a minimum of 75 credits to apply. If accepted, students must complete at least 90 credits by the quarter they enter the major.
  • Transfer students can apply to the department (if they are at or near junior standing) and the UW concurrently.
  • See department website for more information on how to apply to Speech & Hearing Sciences.

Read more about applying to the UW as a transfer student.

Courses required for the major:

  • One introductory statistics course (statistical computation)
  • One social science course (psychology, public health, sociology, anthropology)
  • One biology course (human- or animal-based)
  • One introductory physics or chemistry course
  • One introductory linguistics course (phonology, phonetics, morphology, syntax, and semantics.)

Entering transfer information:

Total undergraduates: 68
Total from Washington community colleges: 9

Career outcomes

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See list of all majors