The Department of Linguistics and Communication Disorders (LCD) is the result of the July 1997 merger between the Department of Linguistics and the Communication Disorders area of the former Department of Communication Arts and Sciences.

Human language is the primary and unifying theme of the department, which gives students an opportunity to explore the richness and diversity of this unique phenomenon. Students are provided with a solid background in linguistics, speech, hearing, and language science—disciplines thoroughly grounded in the liberal arts. They are also able to study first, second, and atypical language acquisition and use, examining similarities and differences in these processes. Through the exploration of human speech and language, we hope to impart to the student a deep appreciation and understanding of human nature.

The department houses programs in linguistics and in communication sciences and disorders. The communication sciences and disorders program is designed to provide the necessary preparation for students who are interested in careers in speech-language pathology, audiology, and related scholarly and professional disciplines. One undergraduate track in linguistics prepares students to be teachers of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) in K-12 school settings; the other track is in general linguistics. Graduate programs and advanced certificates are offered for K-12 and adult TESOL.