Minor, Speech Language Pathology

The minor in speech-language pathology provides candidates with an overview of the nature of human communication, including its origin, development and process. Candidates will also be introduced to common communication disorders and their impact on communication across the lifespan. The minor allows students to prepare for graduate study in speech-language pathology. 

  • Admission Requirements
    • Formal admittance to a baccalaureate program at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
    • UAA cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in the minor and the minimal cumulative GPA for the student’s major (see your program advisor for specific information).
    • Students must earn at least 3 credits in residence and must follow minor requirements from the same catalog used for the baccalaureate program. The minor must be completed as part of the baccalaureate degree.
    • Students are required to meet with an advisor from the College of Health Student Success Center prior to declaring the minor.
  • Courses

    Students majoring in another subject who wish to minor in speech-language pathology must complete the following requirements*:

    • EDSL A201 Foundations of Communication Disorders (offered Spring ONLY)
    • EDSL A301 Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Hearing (offered Fall ONLY)
    • EDSL A302 Phonetics (Offered Fall ONLY)
    • EDSL A303 Language Development Across the Lifespan (Offered Spring ONLY)
    • EDSL A401 Phonology and Articulation Development and Disorders (offered Fall ONLY)
    • EDSL A402 Audiology (Offered Spring ONLY)
    • EDSL A403 Aural Rehabilitation (Offered Spring ONLY)

    (All courses are 3 credits offered via distance delivery using Blackboard and Blackboard Collaborate interactive web conferencing)

    Regarding SLPA certification: The minor in SLP may not provide all of the coursework needed to meet ASHA's current requirements for SLP Assistant (SLPA) certification. Please visit ASHA's SLPA Eligibility Pathways page for more information on how to meet national SLPA certification  requirements. Please also consult the State of Alaska website for current Alaska SLPA state licensure requirements.

    Please note: To apply to the affiliated graduate program in Communication Sciences and Disorders through East Carolina University, candidates must also complete:

    •  EDSL A410 Speech Science (Offered Fall ONLY)
    •  EDSL A411 Neurological Foundations of Speech and Language (Offered Spring ONLY)

    The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association academic requirements for their certification include one each in statistics, biological sciences, physics or chemistry, and two in social/behavioral sciences.

    *Please note: beginning in Fall 2023, the course prefix will change from EDSL to CSD.

  • Student Learning Outcomes

    Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

    1. Recognize typically developing speech and language skills across the lifespan.
    2. Compare and contrast the impact of physiological variables (respiration, phonation, resonation, articulation, mentation, audition) on communication.
    3. Identify common disorders that affect the ability to communicate across the lifespan.
    4. Critically evaluate the impact of speech, language and hearing disorders on communication processes across the lifespan.
    5. Critically evaluate issues pertaining to cultural and linguistic diversity.

For more information about our minor, please review the UAA Catalog.