Descriptions of Departments and Units
Departments
Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education - The U.S.U. programs in Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology, and Deaf Education are nationally recognized for their high quality. The undergraduate programs provide extensive preparatory work for graduate study in Clinical and Educational Audiology or in Speech-Language Pathology. A master's degree is required State licensure, state and national certification employment, and for membership in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The Department offers three graduate programs: Educational and Clinical Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology, and Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The Department also supports the SKI-HI Institute, a research unit that serves children with all types of sensory impairments, ages birth through five, and their families. The Institute has been identified by the U.S. Office of Education as an "educational program that works."
Elementary Education - The Department of Elementary Education has been recognized by the National Science Teachers Association as one of seven top programs preparing elementary educators. The Department has an internationally recognized faculty with an outstanding record of teaching, publications, presentations, research, and other scholarly activities. This program is the only one in Utah accredited by the Utah State Office of Education, Utah Board Of Regents, Northwest Association of Universities and Colleges, and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. More U.S.U. students major in Elementary Education than in any other program. The advisement program has been recognized nationally and on campus as one of the best. The Department offers a BS and a BA in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education, and an MS and an MEd in Elementary Education. The Department also participates in the Interdepartmental Doctoral Program.
Family, Consumer, and Human Development - Students in the Department of Family, Consumer, and Human Development have the opportunity to gain an understanding of individual development and family relationships across the life span, and the interplay of these processes with economic and consumer forces, societal norms, and public policies. Students prepare to apply this knowledge in educational, organizational, and outreach programs.
At the bachelor’s level, emphases in the FCHD major include Family and Community Services, Human Development, Family Finance, and Deaf Education. Majors are also offered in Early Childhood Education and Family and Consumer Sciences. The Master of Science, Master of Family and Human Development, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees are offered at the graduate level. Graduate and undergraduate students participate with faculty in research and outreach through our Dale and Adele Young Child Development Laboratory, The Family Life Center, The Northern Utah Child Care Resource and Referral, and many ongoing research and Extension projects conducted by our faculty.
Health, Physical Education, and Recreation - The Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation serves U.S.U. students in many ways. The Department offers an extensive elective activity course program. These courses encourage students to increase their lifetime participation skills, achieve and maintain personal fitness, enjoy opportunities for creative expression, and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
The Department offers a Bachelor of Science degree in three majors: Health Education, Physical Education, and Parks And Recreation. Each major, except the recreation major, includes teaching certification requirements. In addition, courses leading to the Master of Science and Master of Education degrees in Health, Physical Education and Recreation are offered by the Department. The MS is available to students who plan to teach, provide community leadership, or do further graduate or research study. The MED is designed for students desiring to improve teaching competencies.
Instructional Technology - Instructional technology is a systematic way of designing, implementing, and evaluating the processes of learning and teaching based on research in human learning and communication. The Department of Instructional Technology at Utah State University is recognized by many practicing professionals as one of the outstanding graduate programs in the United States in this area. At the graduate level the department offers a Master of Education, Master of Science, Educational Specialist degree, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Instructional Technology. Although the Department does not have an undergraduate Bachelor of Science program, the Department contributes to undergraduate education by providing several undergraduate courses that support teacher education. The Department offers two undergraduate minors: one in Multimedia Design and Development, and the other in School Library Media Center Administration.
Psychology - The Department of Psychology prepares students at the undergraduate level for acceptance into graduate programs or for post-bachelor employment opportunities. The Department offers three formal areas of concentration at the bachelors level; the approved teaching major, the Behavior Assessment and Analysis track, and the Interpersonal Skills track.
The Department of Psychology offers two doctoral training programs, the Combined Professional-Scientific Psychology Program, and the Research and Evaluation Methodology Program. The Department also offers two master's degree programs, the School Psychology and the School Counseling programs. In addition, the Department sponsors the American Indian Support Project, and national program for recruiting and training Native American Psychologists.
Secondary Education - The Department of Secondary Education prepares teachers, supervisors, curriculum specialists, and other professionals for careers in secondary education. The program and its options are fully accredited. At the bachelors degree level, the secondary education program consistently attracts high-quality students to the profession with a selection of 15 teaching majors, 23 teaching minors, and 11 composite teaching majors. The masters degree programs in Secondary Education offer training for those preparing to become master teachers. The department also participates in the Interdepartmental Doctoral Program. These programs prepare individuals for careers in instructional supervision, curriculum development, and teacher education, both in school settings and in higher education.
Special Education and Rehabilitation – The Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation offers educational training opportunities for teachers, supervisors, support personnel, rehabilitation counselors, and others working with exceptional children or adults with disabilities. The Department is recognized as one of the nation’s most productive research, development, and innovative training departments. It is the leading department in the nation in distance education for rehabilitation counseling. The undergraduate teacher preparation program provides students with didactic courses in special education and semester-long experiences teaching pupils with disabilities. The master’s degree programs in Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling provide an advanced level of preparation for professionals who work with children, youth, and adults with disabilities. The Ph.D. program in Disability Disciplines prepares leadership personnel for positions in research, behavior analysis with individuals with disabilities, teacher and rehabilitation counselor preparation, program development, policymaking, and administration.
Center for Persons with Disabilities - Established over 30 years ago, the Center for Persons with Disabilities (CPD) is one of 61 University Centers for Excellence in Disabilities Research, Education and Training located at major universities throughout the United States, its trusts and territories. The CPD currently operates over 65 high-quality programs throughout Utah and the nation, with particular focus on rural, remote, and underserved areas. Diverse projects conduct basic and applied research, provide consumer supports and services, train students, paraprofessionals and professionals, and disseminate information in multiple formats, including web-based information, DVDs, and distance education. By combining a variety of disciplines, cutting-edge technology, and research in numerous areas, the CPD provides unique opportunities for consumers and trainees. Projects cover a wide array of topics, all with the common goal of improving the quality of lives for persons with disabilities and their families.
Funded primarily through external grants, contracts and cooperative agreements with federal, state and local government agencies, the CPD is the second largest research center on the USU campus. For every university dollar received in fiscal year 2004, the CPD generated more than five additional dollars from external sources, culminating in a total budget of over $15 million.
Center for the School of the Future - The Center for the School of the Future was established in 1996 at Utah State University. It began as a collaboration between Pulitzer Prize-winning and nationally syndicated Washington columnist Jack Anderson and former Utah State University President George Emert. The Center strives to determine what children should be taught and how they can learn most effectively. As a method for achieving this goal, the Center seeks to establish partnerships for the purpose of creative problem solving and decision making. These partnerships include higher education, local schools, parents, and other invested agencies and interests.
Edith Bowen Laboratory School - The Edith Bowen Lab School, designated as a Centennial School, was established in 1957. The school believes that it must provide the leadership necessary to keep its programs and methods in the forefront of educational practice. It's unique role enables it to serve a necessary and needed bridge between theory and practice. The school is committed to the search for strategies and methods to help students find links and connections between their lives and the world around them, and enables them to become effective, caring, contributing, and enlightened individuals in our society.
Emma Eccles Jones Center for Early Childhood Education - The Emma Eccles Jones Center for Early Childhood Education provides a comprehensive program for educational innovation, research, and dissemination. The Major role of the Center is to provide educational experiences and resources for teachers and parents that reflect the most current understanding of the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive needs of children in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and the primary grades. The Center is also committed to serve as a clearinghouse of validated procedures and processes for the improvement of education in kindergarten and the primary grades.
