Students are prepared for professional careers as speech-language pathologist in schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and community clinics.
Students work with their advisors to develop an approved program of study.
The M.S. curriculum provides a variety of course offerings that emphasize evaluation and treatment of communicative disorders involving language, phonology, fluency, voice, alaryngeal speech, aphasia, cleft palate, augmentative communication and cerebral palsy. Graduate work may be completed on either a thesis or non-thesis option. Students selecting the thesis option must register for six credits of thesis and pass a comprehensive oral examination covering the thesis and background material. The non-thesis option requires comprehensive written examinations covering communication science, normal speech, language, and hearing processes, pathologies, and clinical procedures. Although individuality is considered in designing a program of study, students are encouraged to take the majority of curriculum offerings in order to adequately prepare for professional careers and successful performance on the comprehensive exam.