Speech and Hearing Honors Program, B.A.

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The Speech and Hearing Upper Division Honors Program is designed for the Speech and Hearing (SPH) major who seeks engaged learning opportunities in research, clinical experience, or cultural competency tracks. Application for admission to the Honors Program must be made at least 30 days before the semester in which the applicant wishes to enter, typically the spring or summer semester before their senior year. The SPH Honors Committee will review these applications. A minimum overall GPA of 3.5 is required for admission.

University Honors students majoring in SPH who meet the minimum 3.5 GPA requirement may enter the Honors Program and must maintain the GPA requirement throughout the Honors Program.

Upon entering the Honors Program the SPH student must select an honors adviser from among the SPH faculty or professional staff. The honors adviser will be responsible for coordinating the student’s honors experience. This person will be the SPH 495 - Speech Seminar instructor of record and will supervise the student’s honors experience.

SPH majors in the Honors Program will complete all of the requirements of the major. Honors work completed by SPH students will be in addition to the courses required for the major. However, SPH students may coordinate their honors assignments with the requirements for their Senior Capstone Portfolio (with permission of the honors adviser and the instructor for the SPH 497 - Senior Capstone Portfolio course).

The successful completion of the honors requirements leads to recommendation by the SPH Honors Committee for graduation with honors. Achievement of this goal is indicated on the student’s transcript.

Requirements of the College of Sciences and Health Professions:

A minimum of 128 credit hours is required for a degree, of which 42 semester credit hours must be earned in 300- and/or 400-level courses.

General Education Requirements:

All degree-seeking students are required to meet general education requirements in addition to the course work required by the academic major. A comprehensive description of the requirements is found at http://www.csuohio.edu/academic/gened/.

I. Research Track Requirements (9 credits)

1) HSC 484 - Adv. Research & Writing in HSC (5 credits) PRIOR TO 2) SPH 495 - Speech Seminar (1 to 3 credits) for 2 semesters for a total of 4 credits.

Students enroll in HSC 484 (WAC approved by UCC) to (a) become familiar with current faculty research as well as published research in the student’s area of interest, (b) gain advanced knowledge and skill in research methodology, and (c) design a research project under faculty mentorship. Students should begin consulting with SPH faculty or professional staff while enrolled in HSC 484 to coordinate the HSC 484 course material with the research areas under study by the faculty or professional staff or to discuss research in the student’s area of interest.

Research proposed during HSC 484 is then conducted while SPH majors are enrolled in SPH 495 - Speech Seminar . Enrollment in SPH 495 results in completion of an honors research project under the direction of the honors adviser. Research projects can involve basic or applied research using a variety of methodologies.

The honors research project will be presented as a poster to students, faculty, and professional staff during Health Sciences Honors Research Day or during the College of Science Research Day.

II. Clinical Track Requirements (6 credits minimum to 8 credits maximum)

ONE graduate level course in Speech and Hearing or Health Sciences (3 credits). The course must be approved by the student’s honors adviser.
As a prerequisite to the cooperative education experience, students are required to take CSC 321 - Employment Strategies , which is a web-based course.
An approved cooperative education experience (2 credit minimum to 4 credits maximum). Ongoing enrollment in SPH 495 for 2 semesters during this experience for at least 1 credit hour per semester in order to meet the 2 credit minimum to 4 credit maximum.

Graduate Level Course

The student will take 1 graduate level course. Students may not use these credits towards the CSU graduate degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology if the credits count toward the bachelor’s degree, per CSU policy. Note: Students may enroll in graduate courses in SPH only by permission of the instructor and the SPH Program Director because these courses are generally only open to students accepted into the SPH graduate program.

Cooperative Education Experience (2 credit minimum – 4 credit maximum) (Note: 1 credit = 15 hours of contact time)

Students must complete a 2 to 4 credit Cooperative Education Experience for 2 semesters. This experience will be supervised by the student’s honors adviser. Students will enroll in SPH 495 in order to receive credit and supervision by the honors adviser.

The focus of the cooperative education experience is to provide the honors student with an opportunity to participate in an engaged learning experience that will enhance knowledge and expertise in an area relevant to a career focus, e.g., speech-language pathology or audiology. The student will prepare a response to the experience that will connect theory and practice. This response will include an analysis of research literature relevant to the student’s cooperative experience.

Suggestions for Cooperative Education Experiences

Working as a teaching assistant to the honors adviser in order to assist in the delivery of an undergraduate course (after having completed the course with a B+ or higher). The student will complete a teaching assignment to be determined by the faculty or professional staff member. Examples include developing teaching aids, developing tutorials for students, or teaching a unit in a course.
Completing a clinical career experience by working with a practicing speech-language pathologist or audiologist. If this practitioner is not a CSU employee, he or she will collaborate with the honors adviser.
Working as a research assistant for the honors adviser on a clinical research project.

Examples of Literature Analysis Supporting Clinical Track Experiences

Analysis of literature on a disorder of speech, language, or hearing
A review of the evidence-based literature supporting clinical practice or clinical research
An overview of research focused on supporting a particular clinical intervention

The outcomes of the Cooperative Education Experience will be presented as a poster to students, faculty, and professional staff during Health Sciences Honors Research Day or during the College of Science Research Day.

III. Cultural Competency Track Requirements (8 credits minimum to 10 credits minimum)

HSC 505 Culture and Health Care (3 credits)
Students must complete a 300-400 level course in anthropology, sociology, communications, or psychology associated with the pending interdisciplinary Culture, Communication, and Health Certificate Program offered through HSC (3 credits). (This course may serve to complete another requirement, such as WAC or upper division coursework.)
The above requirements must be completed PRIOR TO enrollment in SPH 495 - Speech Seminar . Ongoing enrollment in SPH 495 for 2 semesters for at least 1 credit hour per semester in order to meet the 2 credit minimum to 4 credit maximum. (Note: 1 credit = 15 hours of contact time)

Enrollment in SPH 495 results in completion of a cultural competency project. The focus of the project is for the students to apply principles of cultural competency to an engaged learning experience and to develop a response to the experience connecting theory and practice. The project must include both an engaged cultural experience and an analysis of research literature relevant to the student’s cultural experience.

Examples of a Cultural Competency Project

Completing a service learning or community experience such as volunteering at the Free Clinic or with a health advocacy agency for persons in economic need
Working as a research assistant for the honors adviser on a research project that explores issues relevant to culture and health
Participating in an international program offered through CSU and focusing the analysis of relevant literature on culture and health in this location

The cultural competency project will be presented as a poster to students, faculty, and professional staff during Health Sciences Honors Research Day or during the College of Science Research Day.