EIU Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences

Communication Disorders and Sciences Departmental Honors Program

List of recent Departmental Honors Theses

Overview

The Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences at Eastern Illinois University encourages scholarship in all students, and has offered a Department Honors Program since 1996. Our honors students have presented their work at national conferences, including at the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association’s annual convention, and are regulars at the annual Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s conference in Chicago, IL.

Admission to the CDS Honors Program is competitive, and requires minimum cumulative and major GPAs of 3.5/4.0 and approval of the Department Honors Admission Committee. To be eligible for the Departmental Honors Program students should also meet the Honors College requirement of completing 60 credit hours before the start of Fall semester of their Junior year. CDS Honors applications are considered in the spring of sophomore year, with CDS Honors coursework beginning in the Fall semester of Junior year, and continuing on through graduation.

While in the CDS Honors Program, students enroll in departmental honors coursework designed to support the completion of a small-scale research project. CDS honors students work closely with a faculty mentor(s), in an area of interest to the student, to produce a written thesis of approximately 30-40 pages in length. The research process, including data collection, data analysis, and writing of the thesis, is spread over the course of the junior and senior years, allowing for completion of work in a manageable time-frame.

Benefits

• Learn more about a communication disorder or problem that you are most interested in.
• Work one-on-one with a faculty member who has expertise and experience in that area.
• Gain experience presenting your original work to peers, faculty, and other professionals.
• Present yourself as a skilled writer and experienced researcher when applying to graduate schools.
• Establish the opportunity to continue on with your research at the graduate level.

Coursework

• Fall, Junior Year: CDS 4666, Honors Seminar (3 credit hours)
  • Learn to read, discuss, and critique original research in communication disorders.
• Spring, Junior Year: CDS 4644, Thesis (3 credit hours)
  • Begin to read original research in your area of interest, and begin to write thesis; you may also begin to collect data, depending upon the nature of your project.
• Summer, before Senior Year
  • Optional time to continue work on your project.
• Fall, Senior Year: CDS 4690, CDS Capstone & Honors Lab (3 credit hours)
  • Collect data for your project, continue to write more of your thesis.
• Spring, Senior Year: CDS 4644, Thesis (3 credit hours)
  • Analyze and evaluate your data, complete writing your thesis.
  • Present your work to the faculty.

Application

Interested students should complete an application form. Applications are due to the CDS office February 1 of your sophomore year. GPA requirements must be met and maintained throughout the Program. The CDS Honors Admission Committee makes selections of students during the spring of sophomore year, and extends invitations to students in time to plan for fall coursework.

For information please contact Dr. Angela Anthony, Departmental Honors Coordinator.