UConn's Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

What UConn's Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences does

UConn's Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (SLHS) is an academic department within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs, Connecticut. The department delivers undergraduate and graduate education in speech-language pathology, audiology, and communication sciences, and operates the UConn Speech and Hearing Clinic, which provides evidence-based clinical services to UConn students and surrounding Connecticut communities. Its core educational offerings include an undergraduate major in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, a Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology (MA-SLP), a Doctorate of Audiology (Au.D.), and a Ph.D. in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. U.S. World & News Report ranks its Audiology program #14 of 74 and its SLP program #32 of 283 nationally.

Research and clinical activity are organized through five specialized laboratories: the Aphasia Rehab Lab (led by Dr. Jennifer Mozeiko), the Speech Perception and Language Development Lab (led by Dr. Adrián Garcia-Sierra), the Aural Rehabilitation Lab (led by Dr. Kathy Cienkowski), the Language and Brain Lab (led by Dr. Emily Myers), and the HELLO Lab (led by Dr. Derek Houston). Research spans aphasia rehabilitation, bilingual language processing, hearing conservation, auditory neuroscience, and developmental language disorder. External funding includes a Phase II SBIR from the Department of Defense/Defense Health Agency for hearing protector fit testing, an Apple Investigator Support Grant, and an American Academy of Audiology Foundation Investigator Research Grant. Clinic capability was upgraded in September 2025 with Titan Wideband Acoustic Immittance (WAI) equipment, extending middle-ear diagnostic frequency range beyond traditional tympanometry.

The department is not a commercial entity. It is funded through state appropriations, tuition and fees set by the University of Connecticut, research grants, and nominal clinic service fees. Recent strategic moves include the launch of an asynchronous online Pre-Masters Summer Coursework program delivered through HuskyCT (May 2026), the introduction of the CLAE peer mentorship program (January 2026), and Dr. Derek Houston's transition from Department Head to Associate Dean for Research and Strategic Initiatives in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (January 2026). Community engagement includes partnerships with the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence safe homes, the Connecticut Walk4Hearing, aphasia support groups, and newborn hearing screening initiatives. AI/ML usage is research-scoped, including Python-based NLP for aphasia discourse analysis and AAC/eye-gaze technology for alternative communication.

Name

UConn's Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

Legal name

Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut

Website

https://speech-language-hearing.uconn.edu

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UConn's Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences is an academic unit within the University of Connecticut offering undergraduate and graduate programs in speech-language pathology and audiology, operating the on-campus UConn Speech and Hearing Clinic, and conducting research across five specialized laboratories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education — Communication Sciences and Disorders

NAICS

Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Audiology & Hearing Diagnostic Centers (HLAFAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

AAC (Augmentative & Alternative Communication) & Speech/Language Therapy Tech (EDAFAKAB), Assistive Hearing & Communication Access (Captioning, Hearing Support, Transcription) (EDAFAKAC)

Keywords

• Speech-language pathology
• Audiology education
• Hearing sciences research
• Communication disorders
• Clinical speech therapy

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

UConn's Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences is an academic department offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs (MA-SLP, Au.D., and Ph.D.) in speech-language pathology and audiology, along with the UConn Speech and Hearing Clinic providing evidence-based clinical care to the community. The department also conducts research through specialized labs and provides community outreach including literacy programs and newborn hearing screenings.

Product overview

UConn's Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences is an academic department offering a portfolio of educational programs and clinical services. The department provides an undergraduate major in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, three graduate programs (MA-SLP for speech-language pathology, Au.D. for audiology, and Ph.D. for research), and operates the UConn Speech and Hearing Clinic providing evidence-based clinical care. The department also runs a Pre-Masters Summer Coursework program, the CLAE mentorship program, and multiple research labs (Aphasia Rehab Lab, SPLD Lab, Aural Rehabilitation Lab, Language and Brain Lab, HELLO Lab) focused on various aspects of communication sciences and disorders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UConn Speech and Hearing Clinic On-campus clinic providing state-of-the-art, evidence-based clinical care in speech-language pathology and audiology to clients from UConn and surrounding Connecticut communities at the Storrs campus.
• Master of Arts in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (MA-SLP) Two-year graduate program preparing students for careers in speech-language pathology with hands-on clinical and research experience.
• Doctorate of Audiology (Au.D.) Doctoral program in audiology preparing students for clinical practice in hearing assessment, diagnosis, and rehabilitation.
• Doctorate of Philosophy in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (Ph.D.) Research-intensive doctoral program preparing scholars for academic careers in speech, language, and hearing sciences.
• Major in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (Undergraduate) Undergraduate major preparing students for a wide range of careers and graduate study in speech-language pathology and audiology.
• Pre-Masters Coursework for Speech Language Pathology Online asynchronous summer prerequisite coursework for graduate school admission in speech-language pathology, covering SLHS 2204, 2156Q, 2203, 3247, and 3248.
• Aphasia Rehab Lab Research laboratory focused on improving treatment for people with aphasia, examining treatment intensity and communication environments, led by Dr. Jennifer Mozeiko.
• Speech, Perception, and Language Development Lab (SPLD) Research laboratory focused on bilingual language processing, neural mechanisms of speech perception and production, and cross-linguistic influence using ERP methods, led by Dr. Adrian Garcia-Sierra.
• Aural Rehabilitation Lab Research laboratory studying how to improve communication outcomes for individuals with hearing loss across the lifespan through patient-centered care, led by Dr. Kathy Cienkowski.
• Language and Brain Lab Research laboratory focused on speech signal perception and mapping to meaning, led by Dr. Emily Myers.
• HELLO Lab Research laboratory led by Dr. Derek Houston, conducting community-engaged research including newborn hearing screenings and other outreach initiatives.
• Collaborative Learning and Academic Engagement (CLAE) Mentorship program connecting new SLHS students with experienced peer mentors to support academic success, research engagement, and community involvement.
• Wideband Acoustic Immittance (WAI) Diagnostic Capability Advanced diagnostic capability using Titan Wideband Acoustic Immittance (WAI) equipment for middle ear assessment, offering broader frequency range measurement versus traditional tympanometry.

Quantifiable outcome

• U.S. World & News Report ranked the Audiology program #14 out of 74 programs nationally
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Boston University Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences: Private R1 peer offering undergraduate and graduate SLP/Audiology programs with similarly named department structure and clinical training at an on-campus clinic.
• University of Texas at Austin Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences: Public R1 peer with same-named department structure, graduate programs in SLP and Audiology, research labs, and clinical service operations.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences: Public R1 peer within a health sciences division offering graduate programs in SLP and Audiology with active research labs and a clinical service component.
• Northwestern University Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders: Top-ranked private R1 peer with elite SLP, Audiology, and Ph.D. programs and substantial research funding — represents the upper bound of competitive pressure on UConn's rankings.
• University of Minnesota Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences: Public R1 peer with similarly named department offering Au.D., MA, and Ph.D. programs, research labs across speech, language, and hearing, and a teaching clinic.
• Vanderbilt University Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences: Top-tier private peer consistently ranked among the leading SLP and Audiology programs in the U.S., offering Au.D., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees with strong clinical and research output.
• Purdue University Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences: Closely comparable peer — public R1 university department offering undergraduate, MA-SLP, Au.D., and Ph.D. programs in speech, language, and hearing sciences, with active research labs and an on-campus clinic.
• University of Iowa Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders: Direct peer offering Au.D., MA, and Ph.D. programs in a public R1 setting with a long-standing reputation in hearing and speech-language research and a teaching clinic.
• University of Washington Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences: Public R1 peer offering MS in SLP, Au.D., and Ph.D. programs with research strengths in hearing sciences, language development, and aphasia — closely mirroring UConn's lab portfolio.
• Ohio State University Department of Speech and Hearing Science: Large public R1 peer with comparable SLP and Audiology graduate programs, multiple research labs, and on-campus clinical training — comparable scale and structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/uconn-slhs.bsky.social
• Facebookfacebook.com/UCONNSLHS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uconnslhs
• Instagraminstagram.com/uconn_slhs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UConn's Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences