Speech-Language Pathology, M.S.

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OSRHE Program Code: 137
CIP Code: 510203
Major Code: 6870

Purpose

The Northeastern State University Speech-Language Pathology graduate program provides students with the academic and clinical practicum experiences necessary for a career in the work settings available to a speech pathologist.

Credential Requirements

A master’s degree is required for licensure in speech-language pathology and for the Certificate in Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC/SLP).

To qualify for the CCC/SLP, students who complete the Master of Science degree will have the academic and clinical practicum experience necessary to pass the required speech-language pathology Praxis exam and to complete the required Clinical Fellowship after graduation.

To practice in the State of Oklahoma, students must complete the Master of Science degree program, the Clinical Fellowship, and pass the Praxis exam in order to apply for a license in speech-language pathology from the Oklahoma State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (OBESPA).

To practice in the Oklahoma public schools, students who complete the Master of Science degree program must pass three competency examinations and apply for the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) Standard Certificate in Speech-Language Pathology. (OSDE Test Requirements) The three competency examinations are the Oklahoma General Education Test (OGET), the Oklahoma Professional Teaching Examination (OPTE), and the Oklahoma Subject Area Test (OSAT) Speech-Language Pathology (035) exam.

Advisement. The program chair serves as adviser for all SLP graduate students. Students who have been admitted to the SLP graduate program must attend a scheduled group advisement/orientation meeting prior to their first enrollment in SLP graduate courses. Students will meet with the program chair during subsequent semesters for advisement concerning course sequences and to track progress toward completion of the degree.

Accreditation Information

The Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology provides students with the academic and clinical experiences necessary for a career in various work settings where Speech-Language Pathologists practice. Students completing the degree will complete academic and clinical experiences to meet the requirements for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the license in speech-language pathology from the Oklahoma State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and the Oklahoma State Department of Education Standard Certificate in Speech-Language Pathology.

The Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program at Northeastern State University is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). 2200 Research Boulevard, Mail 310; Rockville, MS 20850-3289. 800-498-2071. https://caa.asha.org/

Student Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate competency in etiologies & characteristics of the 9 major disorder areas
Demonstrate competency in assessment and treatment for the 9 major disorder areas
Demonstrate competency in professional skills and habits such as oral and written reporting of assessment & therapy results, confidentiality, and ethical behavior.
Demonstrate competency in the field of Speech-Language Pathology in order to obtain national certification provided by ASHA.

Admission Requirements

All admission requirements for the Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Program must be fulfilled by February 1 to be considered for the start of a new cohort in the Summer semester. An applicant may be considered for the new cohort if missing coursework is in progress and will be completed during the Spring semester. Criteria for admission into the M.S. Speech-Language Pathology program include:

1. Admission to the Graduate College. Official transcripts of all previous college coursework directly submitted by the institution where coursework was completed to the NSU Graduate College.

2. Baccalaureate degree in speech pathology from an accredited college or university OR baccalaureate degree in another discipline from an accredited college or university and completion of leveling course requirements listed below with a grade of B or better.

3. Undergraduate GPA of 3.25 overall and a GPA of 3.0 in undergraduate SLP courses on official university transcript(s).

4. Those who speak English as a second language must take and make a minimum TOEFL Total Score of 105 and at least a 26 on the Speaking and Listening subtests OR a minimum IELTS Total Score of 7.5 and at least a 7.5 on the Speaking and Listening segments as per proposed American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Certification Standards described in the February 2019 Final Report of the ASHA Ad Hoc Committee on Language Proficiency.

In the event the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of spaces available in the Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Program, applicants will be reviewed and ranked according to the above criteria by a committee made up of the SLP faculty. Students will be admitted to the program based on their ranking and the number of spaces available.

SLP Prerequisite Courses

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Certification Standards have very specific requirements for prerequisite courses that must appear on a college or university transcript. These courses are Biology, Chemistry or Physics, Statistics, Social Science, and Behavioral Science. Please refer to the ASHA website for details of the requirements for these courses that meet ASHA Certification Standards.

ASHA required prerequisite courses must be completed with a C or better.

BIOL 1013 Introductory Biology I
and BIOL 1011 Introductory Biology I Laboratory

or BIOL 1113 General Biological Science (Lecture)
and BIOL 1111 General Biological Science Lab

CHEM 1123 General Chemistry I (Lecture)
or PHYS 1114 General Physics I

POLS 1113 American Federal Government
(or a social science that meets ASHA prerequisite requirements)

PSYC 1113 Introduction to Psychology
(or a behavioral science that meets ASHA prerequisite requirements)

BADM 3933 Business Statistics
or MATH 3513 Statistical Methods
or PSYC 3553 Psychological Statistics
or SOC 3323 Social Statistics
or other statistics course that meets ASHA prerequisite requirements

SLP Leveling Courses

Applicants who do not have a bachelor’s degree in SLP/Communication Disorders may be required to take leveling courses by the end of the spring semester prior to the start of the new cohort in the Speech-Language Pathology graduate program in the summer semester.

All SLP prefix leveling courses must be completed with a B or better.

25 hours of Guided Observation Hours. ASHA requires that undergraduate students observe 25 hours of speech therapy sessions. For every hour of observation, a CCC/SLP who has completed ASHA’s requirements for clinical supervision must spend 15 minutes debriefing what was observed. This same licensed CCC/SLP must sign that the observation and debriefing was completed. https://www.asha.org/Certification/Certification-Standards-for-SLP-Clinical-Practicum/

All SLP prefix leveling courses must be completed with a B or better.

SLP 3213 Language Disorders in Children
or SLP 4213 Language Disorders in Adolescents

SLP 3223 Clinical Phonetics

SLP 3363 Anatomy and Physiology of Speech Mechanism

SLP 3813 Language Development

SLP 4263 Aphasia

SLP 4413 Audiology for Speech-Language Pathology

SLP 4783 Articulatory & Phonological Disorders

SLP Required Courses - 56 hours

Retention Standards

The student must make a B or better in all didactic coursework as well as internship and externship experiences. A student that does not make a B or better in a course will be placed on academic probation and must retake the class. The student will be allowed one attempt to improve the course grade to a B or better. A student that fails to earn a B or better in the retake will be denied enrollment in additional SLP courses.

Graduation Requirements

Students must have a grade of B or better in all graduate coursework and must satisfactorily complete 425 clinical practicum hours.

Accelerated B.S. Speech-Language Pathology to M.S. Speech-Language Pathology

Note: Please refer to Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree Program for complete information concerning the minimum requirements of the Accelerated Degree Program (ADP). The Speech-Language Pathology, M.S. degree requires a minimum grade of B. Refer to the current Graduate Catalog for master’s degree requirements.

IMPORTANT:

Students admitted to the Accelerated B.S. Speech-Language Pathology to M.S. Speech-Language Pathology degree program will complete up to 18 hours of graduate level credit to apply toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Students may not receive credit toward both the undergraduate and the paired graduate-level course. A student completing an undergraduate course and the paired graduate-level course will only receive credit for one course toward the bachelor’s degree.
A minimum grade of B is required for all 5000 level graduate courses.
Students who do not follow the approved degree plan may become ineligible to continue in the accelerated degree program.
Prior to completing the undergraduate degree, if the undergraduate GPA, graduate GPA and/or overall GPA fall below a 3.00, the student becomes ineligible to continue in the ADP.
Students may withdraw from an approved accelerated degree pathway. Graduate credit hours completed prior to the student withdrawing or becoming ineligible to continue in the ADP apply toward the undergraduate degree only.

ADP Paired Courses

Major electives (1 hour)	SLP 5001 Fundamentals of Speech-Language Pathology
Major electives (2 hours)	SLP 5150 Advanced Supervised Clinical Practice Lab (total of 2 hours)
Major electives (2 hours)	SLP 5172 Fluency Disorders
Major electives (2 hours)	SLP 5222 Early Intervention
Major electives (3 hours)	SLP 5343 Augmentative & Alternative Communication
Major electives (3 hours)	SLP 5523 Diagnostics in Speech-Language Pathology
Major electives (2 hours)	SLP 5802 Research and Evidence-Based Practice
Major electives (3 hours)	SLP 5843 Advanced Articulation & Phonological Disorders