Speech Language Pathology - M.A. and Ph.D. Download to print

The Master of Arts in Speech Language Pathology educates competent speech-language pathologists to critically evaluate communication disorders and the methods used in the habilitation and rehabilitation of those disorders.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Speech Language Pathology provides the student with a strong theoretical background and research competencies in communication processes and/or disorders and is ideal for those interested in academic and research careers in communications sciences.

NOTE: 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 SPA program 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 (ODE) 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 ODE for specific information about the results of the background check.

M.A.: Official transcript(s), GRE, goal statement and three letters of recommendation. Students applying to any of the graduate programs are required to have earned a recognized Bachelor's degree, but not necessarily in areas of speech-language pathology and audiology. However, students wishing to enter the Master's degree program who have neither 1) completed an undergraduate degree in speech-language pathology and audiology, nor 2) possess the necessary prerequisite coursework, are required to complete that coursework.

Ph.D.: Official transcript(s), master's degree from an accredited institution, a recommended minimum graduate GPA of 3.500, GRE scores (a recommended score of 50th percentile of higher), goal statement and three letters of recommendation. Students applying to any of the graduate programs are required to have earned a recognized Bachelor's degree, but not necessarily in areas of speech-language pathology and audiology.

For more information about graduate admission, please visit the Graduate Studies website.

M.A.: The degree requires a minimum of 43 semester hours of graduate coursework, and an overall grade point average of 3.000.

Licensure Requirement (not required for graduation):
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.

Ph.D.: Students may be admitted to the Ph.D. program on a part time basis; however, all students must meet a residency requirement with two consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment prior to acceptance into candidacy.

After admission to the Ph.D. degree program, students and their sponsor/advisors cooperatively plan a program of at least 45 (post master's degree) or 75 (post bachelor's degree) semester credit hours of pre-candidacy study. This plan of study will encompass their general needs and specific interests while consisting of at least 24 hours in a major area of study, 15 hours in each of two minor focus areas and a minimum of 6 semester hours of research tools coursework. Students who have not completed a master's thesis are required to complete and defend a research project prior to taking their comprehensive examination.

Students must maintain an overall grade point average of at least 3.000 throughout the program. After completion of doctoral coursework, students take the candidacy examinations, consisting of both written and oral portions. The written portion entails 16-20 hours of writing on material studies within the major and minor concentrations. The oral portion occurs two to four weeks later and can cover information on any topic in addition to those covered on the written portion. Successful completion of these examinations culminates in "admission to candidacy" and allows the candidate to begin work on the dissertation.

Doctoral Candidacy:

Once admitted, candidates are expected to maintain continuous enrollment in Dissertation, including summers, until the dissertation is defended.

See the College (EHHS) and program (SPA) handbooks for more specific details.

Graduates of the M.A. program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary to effectively communicate knowledge and interact with diverse populations (age, culture, disability).
2. Demonstrate the ability to collect, analyze, synthesize, and apply research and data regarding the nature, prevention, diagnosis, treatment of communication disorders throughout the lifespan and across cultures.
3. Demonstrate competency in the ability to 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.

Graduates of the Ph.D. program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate competency within 1 major and 2 minor areas of expertise.
2. Demonstrate skills necessary to develop, implement, and evaluate a line of individual and collaborative research.
3. Demonstrate oral and written communication skills and synthesis/application of materials needed to teach within a clinical and/or didactic context.

Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology