About Us
From the Chair
Welcome to the University of South Florida's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD), home to a world-class, multidisciplinary faculty of speech-language pathologists, audiologists, sign-language interpreters, linguists, hearing scientists and speech scientists. Together, we serve the diverse and growing Tampa Bay community through culturally and linguistically responsive care delivered across schools, medical centers, private practices and community settings.
Our department trains a diverse student body across each of these areas. We offer undergraduate degrees in language, speech and hearing sciences and sign-language interpreter training. Our graduate programs include a master's degree in speech-language pathology, a doctorate in audiology and a doctoral research degree in communication sciences and disorders. We pride ourselves on giving students the strongest possible preparation for these careers, and our faculty regularly win teaching awards acknowledging their commitment to student success.
The excellence of our graduate programs is reflected in their strong national rankings — currently #18th for audiology and #40th for speech-language pathology (U.S. News & World Report, 2025). As part of this pedagogical effort, we operate three clinics and a sign-language interpreter agency, giving students real-world, hands-on training while providing high-quality services to our clients.
In addition to this pedagogical and clinical work, CSD conducts transformational research. Our diverse faculty conducts interdisciplinary and translational research within communication sciences and disorders and in related fields such as education, medicine, biomedical engineering, aging, neuroscience, public health, computer science and cognitive psychology. Our department partners with premier research and clinical facilities within USF and across the surrounding community, including USF Health Department of Neurology, USF Health Department of Otolaryngology, USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Institute, Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital and Bay Pines VA Healthcare System. Our faculty's research excellence is recognized through national and international awards and significant funding. We also partner with multiple school systems and local clinics.
Our clinical faculty and scientists bring their work beyond the classroom and laboratory to make a difference in the Tampa community and around the world. We host numerous support groups and summer programs for people of all ages with communication needs, and our students and faculty engage in international collaborations spanning Israel, Spain, Mexico, Italy, Switzerland, Belize, Thailand and beyond.
The efforts described above reflect CSD's four-fold mission: pedagogical success, clinical excellence, innovative research and community engagement. If the USF Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders can be of help to you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Please check our clinical services, faculty and research programs to learn more about us.
Sincerely,
M. Adelaida Restrepo, PhD, CCC-SLP
ASHA Fellow, Fulbright Scholar
Professor and Chair, Communication Sciences and Disorders
College of Behavioral and Community Sciences
University of South Florida