The Unsung Majors of Maryville: Communication Sciences and Disorders

I’m on a mission to meet some of the people who chose a lesser-known major at Maryville and get to know them and learn about their story and their goals. This week, I talked to Maggie Rentfro, a third-year student, to learn about her Maryville experience.

Maggie chose communication sciences and disorders (CMSD) as her major in high school. She came across speech-language pathology and started researching more about it. After she had the opportunity to shadow an SLP, she fell in love with the career. “It was a way that we could help people and build relationships with them and see them progress.”

What is communication sciences and disorders?

When I asked Maggie to describe her major to someone who may not know, she explained, “You kind of think of it as the study of everything related to speaking, hearing, language, and swallowing. It’s exploring communication processes and disorders across the lifespan.”

With a Bachelor’s in communication sciences and disorders, you can work as a speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA). However, Maggie explained that most people either get a Master’s degree in speech-language pathology and become a speech-language pathologist (SLP) or pursue a doctorate in audiology.

Maggie plans on going through Maryville’s Master’s program and becoming a speech-language pathologist. She explained that SLPs can work in many different environments, such as hospitals, clinics, or schools, and work with people of all ages. Maggie has shadowed elementary, middle, and high school students before, and she enjoyed middle school the most. She may want to work with middle school-aged children in the future.

Learning ASL

In addition to her CMSD courses, Maggie is minoring in deaf studies and education. When I asked her what her favorite course she’s taken is, she said it would either be the Intro CMSD course or the American Sign Language (ASL) courses she’s taken. 

She especially enjoyed learning ASL because she really enjoyed learning a new and unique language and learning about deaf culture. Maggie explained that ASL is not only a fun skill to have, but will also be useful in her field. “It’s a way that some people do communicate if they can’t verbally.”

What are you involved in outside of class?

Maggie is involved in an organization on campus called NSSHLA (National Student Speech Language Hearing Association). She serves as secretary this year and looks forward to serving as vice president next school year. She recommends that all students try to get involved in a club or organization that interests them. “I feel like it really heightens the experience.”

NSSHLA has given Maggie a lot of opportunities to meet professionals in her field. “We’ve had several events where we’ve had people come and speak about their experience in unique fields, like some people who work with swallowing disorders in the NICU, or people who work with deaf populations or IDDs, or just specific things.”

Beyond the surface

Speech-language pathology is a profession that is often forgotten about in the healthcare world, but it is such an important one. SLPs help people of all ages with different speech, language, and swallowing disorders. But more importantly, they help improve their ability to communicate effectively and express themselves. Speech therapy helps improve their confidence and increase their quality of life. I enjoyed talking with Maggie and I wish her all the best in her future!

What major should I learn about next?