West Texas A&M University’s Department of Communication Disorders is one of the best in the state, and its speech-language pathology master’s degree program is one of the best in the nation, according to two independent agencies.

Universities.com ranked WT’s communication disorders department at No. 8 in Texas, ahead of such schools as Texas State University and others.

The independent agency uses its own ranking algorithm to inform and empower consumers, utilizing data and research on more than 7,000 universities and colleges. Among the metrics considered for the rankings are admissions, retention and graduation, student-faculty ratio, financial resources, and more.

SpeechPathologyGraduatePrograms.org specializes on the field of communicative sciences and disorders, providing a dedicating resource for students to learn about graduate program options, state licensing requirements and more. The independent website gave WT an overall B+ for its graduate degree, citing cost and affordability, student achievement, praxis exam pass rate, on-time program completion rate, employment rate and more.

“We love how West Texas A&M University’s MS in Communications Disorders program caters to different types of learning styles. Students of this program can choose between a thesis or non-thesis option, and the university’s Speech and Hearing Clinic provides graduate students with all the opportunities they could ever hope for when it comes to gaining pre-professional experience and mentorship. Add to that the fact that the program is very affordable to both in-state and out-of-state students and you have a winning combination that works for any eager SLP grad student in the country,” SpeechPathologyGraduatePrograms.org writers said in the ranking.

“WT is committed to provide high quality, economically feasible education to students across Texas, the region and the world,” said Dr. Brenda F. Cross, department chair and clinical assistant professor. “These accolades are the result of the efforts of our hard-working, dedicated faculty members.”

The recent accolades attest to the department’s efforts to provide for critical regional needs, a key tenet of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World. That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign.

-West Texas A&M University