The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Â鶹ŮÀÉ was established and approved by the Florida Board of Regents in July 1985. The student body has grown from its original class of nine to a current census of over 50 students. The program received its initial accreditation in 1994.
Our Programs
Faculty and Staff

Jeremy E. Bayne
Office Manager
College of Education
Communication Sciences and Disorders / Communication Disorders Clinic
Boca Raton Campus
Terry Clark, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
Senior Instructor
College of Education
Communication Sciences and Disorders / Communication Disorders Clinic
Boca Raton Campus
Lisa Collins, CCC-SLP
Clinical Adjunct Staff
College of Education
Boca Raton Campus

Christy Timm Fulkerson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Assistant Professor
College of Education
Communication Sciences and Disorders / Communication Disorders Clinic
Boca Raton Campus | ED 47 – 451

Kelly Steele, M.S., CCC-SLP
Clinic Director and Senior Instructor
College of Education
Communication Sciences and Disorders / Communication Disorders Clinic

Fatemeh Tabari, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
College of Education
Communication Sciences and Disorders / Communication Disorders Clinic
Boca Raton Campus | ED 47 - 427

Gregory Taylor, Ph.D.
Instructor
College of Education
Special Education
Maria Toth, MS, CCC-SLP
Clinical Adjunct Staff
College of Education
Boca Raton Campus

Dale F. Williams, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Chair and Professor
College of Education
Communication Sciences and Disorders / Communication Disorders Clinic

Anne L. van Zelst, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
College of Education
Communication Sciences and Disorders / Communication Disorders Clinic
Boca Raton Campus | ED 47 - 450

Lilyanna Zmijak, Ph.D.
Visiting Instructor
College of Education
Communication Sciences and Disorders / Communication Disorders Clinic
Accreditation
The Master of Science (M.S.) education program in speech-language pathology (residential) at Â鶹ŮÀÉ is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.
The program meets requirements for relevant Florida licensure.
Student Achievement Data
The Council on Academic Accreditation’s standard 1.9 requires that the program provide information about the program and the institution to students and to the public that is current, accurate, and readily available. One aspect of that information is student outcome measures. The data that must be available to the public are program completion rates, Praxis* examination pass rates, and employment rates for each of the three (3) most recently completed academic years. The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is very proud of its students’ performances on these benchmarks.
On-time Program Completion Rates
|
Period
|
# Completed within Expected Time Frame
|
% Completed within Expected Time Frame
|
|---|---|---|
|
2024/2025
|
22
|
92%
|
|
2023/2024
|
18
|
86%
|
|
2022/2023
|
21
|
91%
|
Praxis Examination Pass Rates of Test-takers
| Reporting Period | # Taking the Exam | # Passed Exam | % Passed Exam Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/2025 | 26 | 26 | 100% |
| 2023/2024 | 24 | 24 | 100% |
| 2022/2023 | 25 | 25 | 100% |
The department's mission:
Our mission is to prepare highly qualified, capable, and ethical professionals who engage in reflective decision-making and promote and sustain authentic change and excellence while exceeding the department's and ASHA's guidelines for clinical and academic preparation in speech-language pathology. Furthermore, we are committed to advancing research in typical and atypical speech, language, and hearing processes to enhance clinical and academic knowledge to address the evolving needs of a global society. Through evidence-based methodologies and emerging technologies, we endeavor to provide comprehensive speech, language, and hearing diagnostic and habilitation/ rehabilitation services to Florida Atlantic students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community. Additionally, we strive to serve as a vital resource for the University, as well as for local, state, national, and international communities, offering expertise as consultants, liaisons, lecturers, facilitators, master clinicians, researchers, and authorities in the various areas of communication disorders.