"We're taking our field internationally and reaching out to as many individuals as possible..."

College of Allied Health | CSD

Having attended a state school for her undergraduate degree, communication sciences and disorders graduate student Emily West was quick to notice the Harding difference when she stepped on campus. It was the faculty’s compassion for their students and the program’s reputation of excellence that convinced her to enroll.

“My sister came to Harding and was a CSD undergrad here and always had wonderful things to say about the program,” West said. “The undergraduate program prepared her for master’s-level education in speech pathology, and that is not found at many universities. So the fact that she felt prepared enough that she could accomplish what she wanted to in a graduate program speaks very highly of Harding.”

West was especially drawn to the CSD program’s overseas mission to Zambia and the ability to work in speech pathology on an international level.

“We are not just using speech pathology here in the United States. Harding has an outlook that is much more broad,” West said.

“We're taking our field internationally and reaching out to as many individuals as possible who need help and don’t have access to the resources. In our field, we want to help people. We want to help people make progress and impact their life in a positive way and make some sort of positive change to their life.”

The CSD faculty is passionate about preparing its students, which can result in a heavy academic workload for students in addition to seeing clients and managing those needs in clinical settings. And while finding ways to balance it all can be difficult, West is confident in the education she is receiving.

“They have presented us with information and then they expect it to be applied. I think that’s really going to set up for success. They are going to give you the information that you need to fill in any gaps so you’re ready for that job on day one. You’re not just ready but overly prepared. That gives you confidence going into the field.”