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Deaf Education Program
In the United States alone, two out of every 1,000 infants are born profoundly deaf and approximately 3 million children have a hearing loss.
For nearly 50 years, Fontbonne has prepared professionals for teaching children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. We offer one of the few four-year undergraduate deaf education programs in the country. Our program is approved by the Council on Education of the Deaf, a national certification organization.
The deaf education program has a strong foundation in liberal arts, child development and elementary/special education. It emphasizes speech, spoken language and auditory skills for children who are able to develop these skills. During your sophomore and junior years, before beginning student teaching, you’ll have the opportunity to work with children as a teacher assistant or tutor.
Why Deaf Education with Fontbonne?
We prepare educators who are knowledgeable of current trends and are committed to collaboration, lifelong learning and professional development. We encourage understanding and respect for differing points of view in deaf education, and we emphasize the development of listening and spoken language. In Fontbonne’s Center for Teacher and Therapist Education (CTTE), our students learn in a collaborative environment with small class sizes and faculty who emphasize discussion and communication.
During both semesters of your senior year, you’ll participate in three different levels of student teaching experience at St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf, an internationally known school noted for its auditory-oral approach to teaching. Your senior year, teaching experience is designed to fit your interests and may include a placement in other deaf education programs. You’ll work with children in a variety of settings, and you’ll have the opportunity to work with children using cochlear implants and with children who have additional disabilities.
With a Fontbonne education, you’ll graduate with a broad background in deaf education and special education as well as speech and hearing sciences. Plus, undergraduates are eligible for Missouri teacher certification in birth-12 deaf/hearing impaired education. You’ll also have the opportunity to apply to Fontbonne’s competitive master’s degree program in early intervention in deaf education.
What Can I Do With My Degree?
Most of our graduates are teachers of the deaf in public or private schools. With further study, the deaf education major also prepares you for careers in speech-language pathology, counseling, audiology or educational leadership.
Learn more about career opportunities for majors in deaf education. (pdf, 136.86KB)
Questions? Contact Admissions: (314) 889-1400 or 1-800-205-5862 | fbyou@fontbonne.edu
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