The Communicative Sciences and Disorders Major

Joyce Chung, Class of 2023, first learned about speech-language pathology in high school. “I doubted that I’d ever find a field that encompassed my three greatest passions: language, health care, and service. But communicative sciences and disorders was a perfect fit!” she says. As Communicative Sciences and Disorders majors, aspiring speech-language pathologists learn to prevent, assess, and treat communication and swallowing disorders. And Joyce is taking her education one step further by double-majoring in Global Public Health, a new joint major that responds to an increased demand for public health professionals.

With state-of-the-art facilities and small classes, the Communicative Sciences and Disorders program provides ample opportunities for undergraduates to work alongside faculty. Through lab-based research courses, you’ll contribute to cutting-edge studies. For example, Joyce works at the Biofeedback Intervention Technology for Speech Lab. There, she studies how technology can enhance speech therapy treatments. “I couldn’t be happier that I found this major,” she concludes. “And I hope to inspire more students to pursue this rewarding and impactful career.”

As a 16-year-old speech coach for elementary school students, Kenzo Kimura, Class of 2023, recognized the importance of finding one’s voice early on. Today, he’s a Communicative Sciences and Disorders major on the prehealth track. And he plans to pursue an MD after graduating. “Combining communication with my clinical passion has created an academic adventure I’ve loved ever since,” he says. “For prospective students, my best advice is to explore the major with no limitations.”

If medical school is the next stop on your academic path, the major provides an unparalleled foundation for a diversity of health-related careers. Popular courses include The Talking Brain, in which students learn the basics of communication processes, and Science of Language, which explores how humans use language. And thanks to the department’s small size, every student has the opportunity to bring their own point of view. For Kenzo, who grew up knowing Portuguese and English, this means studying speech development for multilingual Americans.

Priyanka Gupte, Class of 2021, has seen audiologists and speech-language pathologists since she was diagnosed with hearing loss at 20 months old. Now she’s paying it forward by pursuing a career in audiology, treating those with hearing loss and balance disorders. “With the Communicative Sciences and Disorders major, you become a detective,” she explains. “You can’t rely on textbooks because everyone communicates in their own way.”

Introduction to Audiology inspired Priyanka to pursue a career in the field through its various guest speakers. One class featured a man with a cochlear implant. Another an audiologist who owned her own practice. More recently, Priyanka took Anatomy and Physiology, which included a research component at the NYU Langone Health’s cadaver lab. “It’s rare for undergraduates to have access to a cadaver lab. I loved being able to view anatomy through a real-life model rather than a textbook,” she shares.