Undergraduate Major in Speech and Hearing Science

On November 30, 2023, The Department of Speech and Hearing Science held a virtual recruitment event. We invite you to view the session and learn about the Speech and Hearing Science major directly from our faculty, staff, and current and former students during this one-hour session. 

Remote video URL

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Speech and Hearing Science provides students foundational knowledge in the study of normal and disordered functioning of the auditory system, the speech mechanism, and language processing. We prepare students to think critically about how people communicate with one another and experience the world around them. Students are introduced to both basic and applied research and to clinical applications. 

Speech and Hearing Science is a diverse field which draws upon a number of other disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, psychology, linguistics, physics, engineering, medicine, and education.

Most students who graduate with the BA in Speech and Hearing Science pursue graduate school to complete their education as speech-language pathologists or audiologists. Students completing the program will have completed the coursework required for admission into most accredited Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology graduate programs.*

*Requirements of graduate programs may vary; we advise the prospective graduate student to review requirements of the graduate programs to which they are interested in applying


Program Highlights:

  • Approximately 85% of our Speech and Hearing Science undergraduate students that apply to graduate school receive offers of admission

  • Our students engage with world-class faculty who specialize in various areas in speech and hearing science, such as autism, cleft palate, traumatic brain injury, stroke, aging, noise-exposure, cochlear implants, chemotherapy, second language acquisition, dialectical variation, and more

  • Freshmen begin major coursework immediately

  • Our graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology is ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report; our graduate program in Audiology is ranked in the top 10

  • The career outlook for Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists is outstanding and is projected to grow exponentially over the next decade

    • Learn more about Speech-Language-Pathology careers here

    • Learn more about Audiology careers here

We invite you to explore and discover what The Ohio State University’s Department of Speech and Hearing Science has to offer!