"This really sets Rutgers apart" - Kristen Syrett, linguistics dept. chair
"This new major was created and built on the excitement and momentum of the undergraduates,” says Linguistics chair Kristen Syrett.
For more than a decade, faculty members in the Department of Linguistics at Rutgers University have noticed a trend emerging among their undergraduate students.
A growing number want to pursue careers in speech-language pathology, a healthcare profession focused on treating people with communication disorders.
Sarah Nichols
“It’s really an up-and-coming field,” says senior Maya Brisman, an aspiring speech therapist who majors in linguistics and serves as president of the Speech and Hearing Club at Rutgers. “When I first started, we were pulling hairs to get 20 people to show up for our (club) meetings.
“Now we get 100 people on our group chat.”
Brisman and other students are drawn to linguistics—the scientific study of language—as the ideal undergraduate major before heading off to graduate school for speech-language pathology.
Their passion for the subject matter prompted the linguistics department to introduce a certificate program in speech and hearing sciences in 2016. But with numbers continuing to rise, the department is launching a new major for Fall 2025: Speech and Hearing Sciences in Linguistics, one of the few undergraduate programs in the region to combine both fields.
“This really sets Rutgers apart, not just in New Jersey, but with respect to a lot of institutions that might have one or the other but keep them separate,” says Kristen Syrett, the department chair. “Our students will come out with a really strong theoretical foundation in language, and they’ll have done all the things they need to do to become good clinicians.”
The new program, which students can enroll in now, was developed over time, with Syrett and linguistics professor Crystal Akers working with students and tapping into resources on campus and in the field to gradually increase course offerings and instructional support.
Maya BrismanSophomore Sarah Nichols said she was thrilled about the new major, which she plans to take along with a second major in cognitive science.
“My eyes lit up and I was like ‘no way,’” says Nichols, who wants to work in a hospital or a rehabilitation facility, preferably in a pediatric setting.
Like her fellow students, Nichols says she’s fascinated by the science behind speech-language pathology, and sees the career as very much a moral calling.
“I have a passion for helping people communicate their ideas, speak about what’s important to them, and form genuine relationships with one another so they can be part of the community,” Nichols said.
The new major comes amid rising demand in the employment market for speech therapists, audiologists, and other roles within the field. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment of speech-language pathologists is projected to grow 18 percent by 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 14,000 openings for speech-language pathologists are projected each year during that time.
Tirzah Carvalho
Rutgers students note that the field is moving in bold new directions, especially in outreach to marginalized communities
Junior Tirzah Carvalho, fluent in several languages, sees a growing need for providing speech therapy in bilingual settings.
“This is something really important to me; being able to help Portuguese speaking children and Spanish speaking children,” says Carvalho. “That is my ultimate goal. “
The linguistics department at Rutgers is known for its experimental culture, with faculty doing laboratory-based research into language development as well as fieldwork and linguistic investigations around the world. One graduate student led an effort to document the language of an isolated Amazonian tribe that emerged from the rainforest in 2014 to contact the outside world. Other graduate students are heading to Kazakhstan for a documentation project.
Syrett said the traditional linguistics major is still thriving, and that students in the new major will get the classic linguistic background in topics such as syntax, phonology, and semantics, while also taking courses in natural and social sciences, and the speech and hearing sciences.
It was in 2010 that faculty began seeing a steady stream of their graduates entering master's degree programs in speech-language pathology. Now, more than half of the linguistics majors at Rutgers take the certificate program in speech and hearing sciences.
Samantha Krasner
“The certificate was created and built on the momentum and energy of the undergraduates,” Syrett said. “Now, this new major was in turn created built on the excitement and momentum of the undergraduates.”
She also noted that Rutgers linguistics majors have demonstrated a competitive edge in getting into graduate programs for speech-language pathology.
“Our students are not just accepted; they are sought after, and eagerly accepted into research assistantship positions,” she said in a written report. “They are given scholarships and fellowships, they hit the ground running.”
Junior Samantha Krasner, a linguistics and cognitive science double major, who also takes the certificate, says she feels well-equipped for graduate school in speech-language pathology.
“I am so grateful I came here, because I am set up for the most success,” she said. “Having that linguistic base is so essential in providing the absolute best care for any type of individual seeking assistance with speech.”
The new major, she said, will make Rutgers a top destination for a new generation of students.
“Having our world-renowned linguistics department incorporated in this speech and hearing sciences major is out-of-the-park amazing,” she said. “It is going to be incredible.”
