Mar 28, 2024  
Graduate Catalog 2018 - 2019 
    
Graduate Catalog 2018 - 2019 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Speech Pathology and Audiology, MA


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Department of Health Sciences Speech and Hearing Program

IM Building

Speech and Hearing Clinic - IM 275
Program Director Office - IM 339
(216) 687-3804
http://www.csuohio.edu/sciences/dept/healthsciences/graduate/index.html

Elizabeth Domholdt, PT, EdD., FAPTA
Director, School of Health Science

Myrita Wilhite, Au.D., CCC-A
Director, Speech and Hearing Program

Introduction

The Master of Arts degree program in Speech Pathology and Audiology provides students with the necessary clinical and academic expertise to obtain employment as a Speech-Language Pathologist in clinical and/or research positions. The program maintains an active speech-language and hearing clinic and has student externship liaisons with many hospitals, clinics, and schools in the Greater Cleveland area. The graduate academic program holds accreditation from the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

Faculty Research and Publications

Faculty members are active in a wide variety of research areas, and their research is published in international and national scholarly journals. The program features state-of-the-art clinic and audiology facilities for research, instruction, and service delivery. Graduate students are encouraged to pursue independent research by completing a master’s thesis.

Current faculty information can be located on the Cleveland State University Faculty Profile page.

Financial Assistance

The program offers graduate assistantships funded by University and grant support. Any student interested in applying for a graduate assistantship should complete the appropriate portion of the Application for Graduate Admission. Please refer to the section on Expenses and Financial Aid: Graduate Assistantships  in this Catalog.

Career Information

Graduates of the program meet the requirements for candidacy for ASHA certification, state of Ohio licensure, and, if opted for, the Ohio Department of Education pupil services license. Graduates hold positions in public schools, hospitals, community clinics, and long-term care facilities. Increasingly, experienced speech-language pathologists are establishing themselves as private practitioners. Program graduates also may elect to pursue a doctorate in Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology at another university and/or employment at a university or research facility.

Admission Information

Admission to the program is selective and limited. In addition to meeting College of Graduate Studies requirements for admission, applicants to the program must do the following:

  • Submit an application through the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS) by January 15.  A completed CSDCAS application includes: official undergraduate transcripts; results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); three (3) letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic and/or clinical performance; and a personal statement of interest that describes the applicant’s capabilities and career goals.
  • Complete the CSU Application for Graduate Admissions and send official undergraduate transcripts to the Graduate Admissions Processing Center.  By the time of admission, the applicant must have attained a confirmed baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and with an overall GPA of 3.00 or better.
  • Students whose undergraduate major was not communication sciences and disorders, must complete the following eight undergraduate courses or their equivalents before admission is possible.
  • SPH 228 - Phonetics
  • SPH 349 - Speech and Language Development for Majors
  • SPH 231 - Introduction to Communication Disorders
  • SPH 232 - Introduction to Audiology
  • SPH 335 - Clinical Methods in Communication Disorders
  • SPH 351 - Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism
  • SPH 485 - Speech and Hearing Science
  • SPH 481 - Aural Rehabilitation

All applicants must have completed four courses (or their equivalent) as required for ASHA certification. One course in each category listed below is required. Recommended courses at CSU are listed.

  • Biological sciences
    • BIO 101 - The Living World
    • BIO 102 - Human Genetics, Reproduction and Development
    • BIO 104 - The Brain
    • BIO 106 - Human Biology in Health and Disease
  • Social sciences
    • SOC 101 - Introduction to Sociology
    • SOC 201 - Race, Class and Gender
    • SOC 203 - Sociology of Poverty
    • PSY 101 - Introduction to Psychology
    • PSY 180 - Introduction to Gerontology
    • PSY 220 - Child Development
  • Physical sciences
    • PHY 101 - The Flying Circus of Physics: Motion and Heat
    • PHY 102 - The Flying Circus of Physics: Sound and Light
    • CHM 151 - Chemistry Around Us
  • Statistics
    • MTH 147 - Statistical Concepts with Application
    • PSY 217 - Behavioral Science Statistics: Description

Degree Requirements


Required grade-point average


Students must earn a 3.0 grade-point average or higher in all required graduate courses, including any required graduate course(s) taken as a non-degree student.

Minimum clinical hours


Students must complete a minimum 375 of supervised clinical hours of direct contact with a client/patient and 25 hours of documented clinical observation.

Licensure for public school speech language pathologists


Students who plan to work in a public school as a speech language pathologist must take additional courses that reflect knowledge in cultural differences and federal laws. A student teaching externship is required.

Exit Requirement


Students select and must successsfully complete either a research project or a master’s thesis as an exit requirement. Students enroll in SPH 591 - Comprehensive Examination  to complete a research project concentrating on the practice areas of prevention, assessment,  intervention, and advocacy. As part of this project, students analyze evidence that allows them to make informed clinical decisions. This research is conducted over two semesters and includes written and oral components.

Students interested in pursuing a thesis must first complete SPH 596 - Directed Study  with a faculty member who is interested in directing the thesis. The thesis can begin upon completion of at least eight credit hours of graduate study plus the directed study preparatory for the thesis. The student must have a minimum 3.3 grade-point average in order to pursue a thesis. The student selects a committee of at least three faculty members. The committee chair must meet the criteria of Level 1 or 2 graduate faculty status. Other committe members must meet Level 1, 2 or 3 graduate faculty status. After approval of the student’s thesis proposal, he or she carries out the study with the support of the thesis committee. Upon acceptance of the completed thesis by the committee, the student is awarded the Master of Arts degree, provided all other academic and clinical requirements have been met.

Curriculum Structure


The curriculum leading to a Master of Arts degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology, supports specific requirements established by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). These requirements partially fulfill the criteria leading toward the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) in speech-language pathology. In addition, a student must satisfy the specific requirements established by the Ohio Board of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology to obtain a license in Speech Language Pathology. Students must meet with their assigned advisors each semester to ensure that all clinical and academic requirements for national certification and state licensure are fulfilled by the time they plan to complete their program of study. This is a five semester graduate program.

Specific ASHA Guidelines


  1. The student must earn at least 36 semester credit hours in a program that addresses the knowledge and skills pertinent to the ASHA Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology. In accordance with the Council on Academic Accreditation Standards, students must demonstrate all clinical competencies as defined by the program.
  2. Students must show documentation of the 25 observation hours prior to beginning graduate school. All supervision and documentation must be provided by an individual who holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in the appropriate area of practice.

http://www.asha.org/Certification/2014-Speech-Language-Pathology-Certification-Standards/

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