Project mesa scholar Expectations

What to Expect as a Project MESA Scholar

Project MESA involves a combination of academic coursework, clinical training, and community-engaged experiences with young children with autism and developmental disabilities and their families. Participants should be prepared to actively engage, collaborate, and grow within multilingual and multicultural contexts. 

The following requirements and expectations are designed to support your success throughout Project MESA. These expectations reflect the skills, commitments, and level of engagement needed to fully participate in and benefit from the program.

Project MESA Scholar Education Requirements & Experiences

I. Required Graduate Coursework:

• Complete all required courses for the Speech and Hearing Sciences Master’s program including the following that relate specifically to the aims of Project MESA:

• SHS506 (2 credits): Fundamentals of Evidence Based Practice 

• SHS 524 (3 credits): Social Communication and Developmental

• SHS 532 (3 credits): Augmentative and Alternative Communication

• SHS 540 (2 credits): Language Disorders in Early Childhood

• SHS 520 (3 credits): Multicultural Considerations in Communicative Disorders

  1. • 1. • Please note: If you took SHS 459 (3 credits): Multicultural Considerations in Communicative Disorders at UNM, you will need to take an alternate graduate-level course approved by department advisors. 

     • For additional information about the required courses for the Speech and Hearing Sciences Master’s program, visit the FAQ page

• Complete the following elective Courses in Speech and Hearing Sciences

• SHS561 (3 credits): Bilingual Acquisition of Speech & Language OR LING 562 Topics (3 credits): Childhood Bilingualism 

• SHS 539 Topics (3 credits): Bilingual Assessment OR SHS 562 (3 credits): Bilingual Assessment & Intervention

• SHS 539 Topics (1 credit): International and Multicultural Studies

• SHS 539 Topics (1 credit): Naturalistic Intervention

• SHS 539 Topics (1 credit): Core Functions of SLP

• While 2 electives courses (6 credits) are needed for all speech and hearing sciences masters students to graduate, an additional 3 credits are required for Project MESA students.

  • By completing these additional credits, Project MESA students fulfill the requirements for the concentration in Bilingual Speech-Language Pathology.

• For additional information regarding the bilingual concentration, visit Bilingual Speech Language Pathology

II. Required Clinical Experiences:

• Naturalistic summer clinic with children ages 2.5 to 4 years old with autism and developmental disabilities (including multilingual children) with a focus on increasing each child's early communication and social skills in a small group setting using naturalistic intervention methods

  1. • 1. 1. • For additional information about the summer autism clinic, visit UNM's Project SCENES clinic

• At least 70 hours with young children (ages 0-5) in other clinical rotations (including with culturally and linguistically diverse children)   

• Optional: Interprofessional clinical experience abroad during Communidad Crecer service trip to Mexico City

  • 1. 1. • Project MESA students are not required to participate in Comunidad Crecer. However, if interested, they can use their additional professional development support the associated costs. 

          • For additional information about Communidad Crecer, visit Learning across borders: 33 years of Comunidad Crecer

III. Participate in Mentorship and Monthly Speaker Series:

• Regular attendance at monthly speaker series and individual mentorship meetings 

• Topics may include student supports, collaborative teaming, understanding autistic perspectives, etc.  

IV. Complete Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) interdisciplinary traineeship: 

• Completion of LEND traineeship including 300 hours and capstone  during your first year

• For additional information about LEND, visit New Mexico LEND

V. Ongoing Professional Development:

• 4 Autism Focused Intervention Resources (AFIRM) Modules

  • For additional information, visit AFFIRM modules

• At least 2 additional trainings related to cultural and linguistic differences or collaboration

  • Funding to pay for these included within Project MESA