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Professional Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹'s website for professional licensure disclosure.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

The admissions process for the master's degree program begins by submitting an application through the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS). Only after program acceptance, applicants choosing to attend Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹ will be asked to apply to Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹ University.

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university¹
• Minimum 3.000 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• Goal statement
• Three letters of recommendation
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:²
  • Minimum 94 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 7.0 IELTS score
  • Minimum 65 PTE score
  • Minimum 120 DET score

¹

The bachelor's degree may not necessarily be in the areas of speech-language pathology and/or audiology. However, students wishing to enter the master's degree who have neither completed an undergraduate degree in speech-language pathology and audiology nor possess the necessary prerequisite coursework, are required to complete that coursework.

²

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores will not be considered for admission.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Priority deadline: January 15
    Applications submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission.
• Spring Semester
  • Priority deadline: October 1
    Admission for spring semester is reserved for Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹ University students in the combined B.S./M.A. degree program. Applications submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Effectively communicate knowledge and interact with diverse populations (age, culture, disability).
2. Collect, analyze, synthesize and apply research and data regarding the nature, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders throughout the lifespan and across cultures.
3. Engage in the development and implementation of research-based and ethical prevention, assessment, diagnostic and treatment plans for individuals with a variety of communication disorders throughout the lifespan.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

SPA 53404 is required for students who didn’t complete SPA 43404 (or equivalent) at the bachelor's degree level.

²

SPA 64311 is required for students who did not complete Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹’s or who do not have previous appropriate coursework in autism spectrum disorders approved by the program coordinator.

³

Students who do not plan to be licensed and certified may be waived from the clinical practicum courses SPA 64492, SPA 64525, SPA 64592, SPA 65092, SPA 65192, SPA 65292 and SPA 65392. Therefore, students may graduate with the M.A. degree with fewer than 70 total credit hours but no fewer than 40 total credit hours.

Progression Requirements

To meet requirements for certification by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), students must register and successfully complete the program's clinical practicum sequence (see Program Requirements above). Practicum registration is required each semester that a student is enrolled, including registration for the school-based practicum and externship placement.

Thesis Option

Students who elect to complete a thesis must register for SPA 64199 for a total of 6 credit hours. It is expected that students will continuously register for SPA 64199 — and, thereafter SPA 64299 — each semester until all requirements for the thesis have been met. Credit hours for SPA 64299 do not count toward the degree.

Graduation Requirements

• No more than one-half of a graduate student’s coursework may be taken in 50000-level courses.
• Grades below C are not counted toward completion of requirements for the degree.

Clinical Settings

For any clinical practicum (on campus or off campus) in speech pathology or audiology that requires candidates to be placed within the on-campus speech and hearing clinics, school or agency setting, the college requires candidates to complete Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCII) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background check and submit the results to authorized personnel at their assigned clinic/school/agency before the beginning of their placement or the first day of the semester in which the practicum will take place. Authorized school/agency personnel will determine whether a candidate may participate in practicum in the off-campus setting. The BCII and FBI background checks are good for one year and the candidates will need to complete one each year that they are in graduate school.

Electronic fingerprinting is available for BCII and FBI in 221 White Hall and should be completed one month prior to clinical practicum. Candidates are responsible for fees incurred for this requirement. For more information on this policy contact the Clinical Coordinators for the Speech and Hearing Clinics. Visit the Ohio Department of Education website for more information about background check requirements for those wishing to hold pupil personnel licenses in Ohio. Contact the Office of Professional Conduct at the Ohio Department of Education for specific information about the results of the background check.

Licensure Information

Candidates seeking Speech-Language Pathologist licensure are required to pass Praxis II test Speech-Language Pathology and minimum of 400 clock hours of supervised clinical experience in the practice of speech language pathology. Additional clinical coursework is required for Ohio Board of Speech Pathology License and optional ASHA certification.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

The Master of Arts degree in Speech Language Pathology (residential) at Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹ University 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.