Program Options

Traditional Program (typically 6 semesters)

In consultation with the Graduate Program Director, students plan and implement individualized programs to acquire and retain knowledge and skills in the competency areas outlined by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Specific knowledge must be verified/demonstrated in the following areas: Articulation, Fluency, Voice & Resonance, Language, Hearing, Swallowing, Cognitive Aspects, Social Aspects, and Augmentative & Alternative Communication Modalities. Each student’s graduate program of study is created to ensure that they possess the appropriate requisite knowledge when registering for competency-based and elective coursework.

Program Deficiencies

Students whose undergraduate preparation in speech-language pathology has areas of deficiency (i.e., missing coursework or prerequisite course grades below a B) or who completed an undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders or an equivalent program from another institution will be required to complete the necessary foundational (preparatory) courses identified in the Extended Program section. The Program Director will assist those students in identifying those deficiency areas which must be completed in order to fulfill the certification requirements.

Extended Graduate Program (typically 8 semesters)

Students admitted with undergraduate preparation in areas other than speech-language pathology will be required to complete the Extended Graduate Program. This is in accordance with the minimum 75 semester hours required by ASHA for certification. Students must earn a grade of B or higher in all foundational courses in order to continue in the program. Permission to repeat a foundational course may be granted on a case-by-case basis. The extended program includes the following foundational courses or their equivalents:

1. 15 credit hours in Basic Communication Processes: CSD 132 Speech-Language Acquisition; CSD 201 Phonetics; CSD 231 Anatomy of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism; CSD 232 Speech Science; CSD 252 Psycholinguistics. (When available, CSD 504 Language Acquisition may be taken to fulfill CSD 132 and 252.) See Undergraduate Catalog for course descriptions.

2. 15 credit hours in Methodology and Practice: CSD 333 Speech Pathology I; CSD 335 Methods of Speech-Language Evaluation; CSD 335L Language Analysis Lab; CSD 500 and CSD 500L Methods of Speech-Language Therapy and Lab; CSD 437 Hearing Problems and Testing; CSD 438 Aural Rehabilitation. See Undergraduate Catalog for course descriptions.

Liberal Arts and Sciences Pre-requisite Course Requirements

All students enrolled in the graduate program must have transcript credit (which could include coursework, advanced placement, CLEP or other examinations of equivalency) for each of the following areas:

1. biological sciences (Biology)

2. physical sciences (Physics or Chemistry)

3. Statistics

4. Social-behavioral sciences

Direct Admit BS/MS Program (typically 6 semesters)

A five-year combined BS/MS in speech-language pathology is available to highly qualified undergraduate students who are also seeking the graduate degree.  Application to this accelerated program takes place in the junior year.  A minimum major GPA of 3.5, successful completion of one clinical semester, and demonstration of professional skills must be met for admission. Graduate coursework begins in the last semester of the senior year, allowing students to complete the B.S. and M.S. degrees in 13 semesters, rather than the 14 semesters required by the traditional undergraduate and graduate programs.