Graduate Program

Graduate Advisor
Janet Patterson, Ph.D.

Any changes made after initial advisement must receive prior approval from an advisor. Failure to obtain this approval can extend the program by one year.

Application Deadlines

Fall semester: February 1

Only applications received by this deadline are assured of consideration.

In addition to the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology described below, the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences collaborates with the Department of Linguistics in a doctoral program for students interested in combining the study of Speech and Hearing Sciences with Linguistics. The concentration in Speech and Hearing Sciences within the Linguistics Ph.D. program is described under the Linguistics Graduate Program section of this Catalog.

Degree Offered

Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (M.S.)

The Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences awards Master of Science degrees in speech-language pathology under both Plan I (thesis) and Plan II (non-thesis) according to regulations set forth in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog. The Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) accredits the program. All students must fulfill the academic and practicum requirements for the Certificate of Clinical Competence set forth by ASHA and specified by the department. Students must also comply with the requirements set forth in the SHS Graduate Student Handbook and the Clinic Policy Manual. Persons with a bachelor's degree in a field other than Speech and Hearing Sciences are encouraged to apply. Advisement materials specifying admission requirements and related material are available upon request from the department and on the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences Web site. All applicants should obtain and review these materials prior to initiating the admission process.

Students entering the graduate program must have earned grades of at least "C" in the courses used to meet the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association requirements of 3 credit hours in Biological Sciences, 3 credit hours in Physical Sciences, 3 credit hours in Social/Behavioral Sciences, and 3 credit hours in Statistics. These courses may be the same courses used to meet other college or university requirements. They may not include remedial coursework. Students who have not completed these requirements are required to do so within the first 3 semesters after acceptance into the graduate program in order to continue their enrollment.

All students entering the graduate program are responsible for completion of the following undergraduate courses or their equivalent within the first 3 semesters of graduate enrollment, with a grade of at least "B": SHS *303, 310, 321 (541), 330, *425, 428, 430 (530), 431, 450, *458, and 459. Courses or their equivalents that were taken more than six years before entering the graduate program, or courses for which grades lower than "B" were received, cannot be used to fulfill this requirement. The graduate advisor, in consultation with the Curriculum and Advisement Committee, determines whether a course may be considered equivalent and decide how the requirement must be fulfilled: by taking or re-taking the course, by testing out or by auditing.

The Speech-Language Pathology program includes the basic sciences requirements (see paragraph 2 above) and SHS 300- and 400-level courses listed above as well as the following 500-level courses: SHS 500 (at least 4 enrollments to include no more than 2 summer sessions), 506, 507, 517, 525, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 538, 558, and one 500-level elective that may be selected from department course offerings or from course offerings from a variety of departments (subject to approval by the SHS graduate advisor). SHS 506 must be taken in the first year of enrollment in 500-level classes. A minimum grade of "B" is required for all 500-level coursework.

Non-Degree Students

Non-degree Advisor:
Kate Blaker, M.S.

Call (505) 277-4453 for advisement before enrolling in any courses.

Non-degree students seeking admission to the graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology may enroll in the following courses prior to a decision regarding admission: SHS *302, *303, 310, 321, 330, *425, 428, 430, 431, 450, *458, and 459; and up to 12 credit hours selected from the following: 506, 507, 525, and 531. A minimum of 9 credit hours of Speech and Hearing Sciences course work, at any level, is required prior to application to the graduate program. For courses taken on a non-degree basis, students must earn a grade of "B" or higher to fulfill graduate course requirements (including undergraduate deficiencies/prerequisites) upon admission to the graduate program.

Students who have completed an undergraduate degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences may enroll as non-degree students in no more than 12 credit hours of SHS 500-level academic courses (permission of instructor required), and may not include courses in clinical practice and/or internship.

Keys and Symbols Reference