Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

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Speech-Language Pathology (MA)

Program Overview

The Master of Arts program in Speech-Language Pathology (residential) at the University of Delaware is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Our admissions process begins in October for admission into the following fall semester (traditional track) or summer semester (extended track).

The Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSCD) program provides academic and clinical training commensurate with the Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology degree. This entry-level degree program provides students the necessary coursework and practicum experiences to apply for certification in speech-language pathology (CCC-SLP) from ASHA, following successful completion of a national board exam and their Clinical Fellowship (CF-SLP). Graduates are also eligible to apply for licensure as a speech language pathologist in Delaware. Public disclosures related to licensure across states for this program are available here. The University of Delaware CSCD traditional MA SLP Path is full-time and of two years duration, including one winter session and one summer session. The extended MA SLP Track is also full time and includes one additional Summer and/or Fall term. 

The CSCD program is housed in the Tower at STAR on the STAR Campus. The Department has modern, well-equipped classrooms, collaboration spaces, and laboratories for research, education, and clinical practice. In addition, there is a full-service, in-house Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, which provides clinical practice opportunities and training for CSCD students.

Requirements for Admission

Candidates with baccalaureate degrees from accredited colleges and universities are eligible to apply for admission into the CSCD graduate program. International students from accredited universities outside of the United States are eligible to apply. All international transcripts must be evaluated by a recognized credentialing agency prior to application. Applicants must follow the application process outlined on the Communication Sciences and Disorders website. The program admits approximately 25-35 students annually.

Admission to the program is competitive. Acceptance is based on demonstrated academic excellence, required essays, and letters of recommendation. Acceptance is based on the stated criteria without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation.

The minimum entrance requirements for the CSCD program include:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with official transcript
• Completion of all required prerequisite coursework before enrolling in the graduate program
• Three letters of recommendation
• Essays

Students whose first language is not English must achieve a minimum TOEFL score of 102 or an IELTS score of 7.5 or better may be submitted in place of a TOEFL score.

Students wishing to become ASHA certified upon completion of the degree must satisfactorily complete at least one course in each of the following areas at the undergraduate level and we highly recommend that these courses are completed prior to matriculation. These classes are not offered in our department:

• Biological sciences
• Physical sciences
• Statistics, and
• Social/behavioral sciences

Students enrolling in the traditional 2-Year Full-Time track should also have satisfactorily completed the following clinically relevant prerequisite coursework:

• Speech Science (including information about anatomy & physiology of speech and hearing mechanism)
• Phonetics/Phonology (including phonetic transcription using IPA)
• Speech and Language Development
• Introduction to Audiology
• Coursework in Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology is not required but highly encouraged.

Applicants should also have completed or be in the process of completing the required 25 hours of clinical observation that have been signed by an ASHA certified Speech-­Language Pathologist.

Students missing some or all of the clinically relevant prerequisite coursework may be admitted to an extended track and enroll in the above courses at the 500 level. Students electing this pathway begin their coursework in the Summer following admission and may extend their academic program by one additional Summer and/or Fall term to meet clinical education requirements. For students enrolled in the 3+2 program these requirements must be completed in years 1-3 of the program.

The B.S. in Cognitive Science and M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology offers students an accelerated 3+2 track, by way of completing 3 years in the Linguistics and Cognitive Science Department (Arts and Sciences) and the standard 2 years toward the Master of Arts Degree in Speech-Language Pathology in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (College of Health Sciences). Application to the 3+2 program will occur during the Fall and Spring of the students Junior Year (Year 3), students with a G.P.A. of 3.6 or higher will be eligible to apply for the 3+2 program.

Requirements for the Degree

The MA in Speech-Language Pathology program (Traditional Track) requires 60 hours of graduate coursework. The Extended Track requires up to 15 additional hours relative to the prerequisite needs of the student. These hours represent didactic instruction, experiential learning, research, clinical internships and externships, and other equivalent academic experiences. All clinical hours are supervised by ASHA certified speech-language pathologists and audiologists. In addition to our in-house clinic, students will rotate through a variety of educational and health facilities in the state and region. Clinically relevant pre-requisites at the 500 level are only offered to admitted graduate students who lack these core preparatory courses and do not count toward the degree.

Programs

• Speech-Language Pathology (MA)

• Communication Sciences and Disorders (PhD)

• Cognitive Science/Speech-Language Pathology 3+2 (BS/MA)

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