Dean's Message

Welcome to the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at the University of Memphis!  This is an exciting time to be part of this field, and an exciting time to be part of the UofM. The School shares the Community Health Building, south of main campus, with the Loewenberg College of Nursing. Our faculty, students, and graduates are proud of our School’s history of excellence, including our educational quality, service to the local and professional communities, and research contribution to the professions. The Doctor of Audiology and Masters in Speech Language Pathology programs at the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders are among the nation’s best (USNews & World Report). CSD also began an undergraduate degree in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies in 2022. 

Our clinical programs have over 60 agreements throughout the broader community to further training in offsite practica, including several specialty hospitals. Clinical education takes place initially at the Memphis Speech and Hearing Center (MSHC), which is housed on the first floor of the Community Health Building. MSHC has served the Memphis community for nearly 80 years. MSHC programs have grown to include the Clinical Voice and Vocal Health Program and the Cochlear Implant Program as well as ongoing speech, language, and hearing diagnostics and treatment. Our summer Aphasia Bootcamp is outstanding, and we have a growing impact in vestibular/balance testing. 

The School and its faculty are dedicated to ensuring students have a strong science foundation. Our faculty conduct cutting-edge research across a wide range of areas, including voice and emotion, fluency and cognition, infant vocalization, hearing aids, neural correlates of hearing and perception, adult conversational interaction, vestibular science, and motor speech disorders. All students have opportunities to participate in research. The faculty believe that a student’s capacity to evaluate cutting edge research will make them better life-long learners and critical thinkers. The School is also designated as a state Accomplished Center of Excellence (Center for Research Initiative and Strategies for the Communicatively Impaired, CRISCI), which supports the research endeavors of the faculty. Many faculty engage in interdisciplinary activities with, for example, the interdisciplinary Institute for Intelligent Systems (IIS), the School of Music, and the Herff College of Engineering on main campus. 

We are very proud of our School’s students on the national stage and in the local community. Our newest student group is the UofM Tigers ASL Club that hosts several events throughout the year. Our graduate student-led chapter of the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA) has won national recognition with Gold Chapter Honors for philanthropy, community service, advocacy, and networking several times in the last five years. Our Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) group actively promotes hearing health and awareness throughout the city. CSD students recently established CSD STRIDE (Students to Raise Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity) that works closely with the Memphis chapter of the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing (NBASLH). Every spring, the NSSLHA chapter organizes the Mid-South Conference on Communicative Disorders in which they invite experts from around the country. In 2020, we celebrated 50 continuous years of this student-led conference—the longest continuously run conference of its kind! 

If you are a prospective student, please browse the website for current information on our clinical education and academic programs. If you are alumni, thank you for checking in and supporting the School. We appreciate all that you do for us, from serving as off-site supervisors, to spreading our reputation with your good work, to contributing financially so that the future of the professions remains strong.  

Please let our faculty or staff know if there are any questions you might have about our programs or the School. Wishing you every success! 

Linda Jarmulowicz, PhD, Dean