College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences - Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders

Our Mission The mission of the Special Education and Communication Disorders Department is to prepare dedicated practitioners, reflective scholars, and responsible citizens who are unique in their ability to facilitate, design, implement, and evaluate programs for individuals with disabilities. This is accomplished by creating opportunities for the acquisition and maintenance of knowledge, skills, and dispositions as prescribed by the Council for Exceptional Children, the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (for graduate program only), and state and federal regulations. Undergraduate and graduate candidates follow a course of study with accompanying practical experiences that are founded in learned society theory, research, evidence-based practice, and experience. Our candidates develop essential interpersonal skills that make them valued members of collaborative, interdisciplinary teams in a variety of settings. Thus, each program of study is designed to promote problem solving skills that enable candidates to broaden their skills and enhance their expertise throughout their professional career. These skills facilitate the recognition and integration of professional ethics with the individual needs and values of the communities they serve.