About

Interdisciplinary & Innovative

Our Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences (SPHS) is IU’s home base for this interdisciplinary field with roots in psychology, physiology, physics, music, linguistics, and education.

Our faculty conduct clinical, translational, and basic research within three broad areas: Speech, Language, and Hearing. Their research reflects training and expertise in a very wide range of areas, including psychology, linguistics, physiology, and engineering.

Recognized among the best

Various evaluations, including those from U.S. News & World Report and The Chronicle of Higher Education, have consistently placed our department in the top 20 of its kind nationally. This indicates that we are meeting many of the goals that are valued in the field: research productivity through grants, publication, and professional service; excellent clinical education in our graduate curricula and in-house clinics; and the application of research findings to provide supportive and beneficial clinical services.

Our department is highly regarded within the profession for its research profile. This is documented by means of grants attained, national honors received, editorial appointments undertaken, NIH review participation, and other objective measures.

It is clear that our students achieve their goals as indexed by 100% employment of our clinical program graduates (M.A. and Au.D.) and the placement of our Ph.D. students in major universities and research positions in the industry.

Clients in our two department clinics are highly satisfied by our services, as noted on consumer surveys and in local newspaper ratings. We intend to maintain and grow these strengths—through excellent faculty recruitment and retention, curricular revisions, and clinical service.

Our vision

With this foundation in mind, the focus of our vision over the next 3-5 years is on:

  • enriching clinical education and services in audiology and speech-language pathology
  • enhancement of research and expansion of the Ph.D. program
  • developing greater opportunities for our burgeoning SPHS undergraduate majors