MASTER OF SCIENCE
The faculty in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science offer a program leading to the M.S. degree in Communication Disorders. Both a thesis and nonthesis degree option is available, and students may study either speech-language pathology or audiology. The program is accredited by the Educational Standards Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Admission Requirements. Students applying for admission to this program should have their undergraduate transcripts mailed to the Graduate Admissions Office. In addition, candidates should have their Graduate Record Examination scores, a statement of professional and academic goals not to exceed 200 words, and three letters of recommendation sent to the Department of Speech and Hearing Science. All materials must be received in the department by January 15 for fall admission which is the only term in which students may begin their program of study. Candidates who have undergraduate deficiencies may need to take required prerequisite courses.
Academic Requirements. A student must complete a minimum of 30 or 33 semester hours of graduate course work, exclusive of credit for practicum, approved by the supervisory committee.
Statistical Proficiency Requirements. A student pursuing the M.S. degree must provide satisfactory evidence of competency in statistical methods appropriate to the behavioral sciences.
Clinical Requirements. A student in the M.S. program must complete at least 375 clock hours of supervised clinical practicum experience, of which a minimum of 250 clock hours must be obtained at the graduate level.
Thesis Option. Students wishing to pursue the thesis option will complete 30 semester hours of course work, six hours of which must be thesis credit, excluding practicum and internship hours. The thesis must meet requirements established by the Graduate College.
Nonthesis Option. Students choosing the nonthesis option will complete 33 semester hours of course work, excluding practicum and internship hours.
Final Examinations. For a candidate for the M.S. degree (thesis option), two final examinations are required: (1) the National Teacher Examination in speech pathology, or the National Teacher Examination in audiology, administered by Educational Testing Service and available at ASU through the University Testing Service, and (2) an oral defense of the thesis. For a candidate for the M.S. degree (nonthesis option), two final examinations are required: (1) the National Teacher Examination in speech pathology, or the National Teacher Examination in audiology, administered as described above, and (2) a four-hour comprehensive written examination administered in October and March of each year by the departmental graduate faculty.
Students should expect to spend two years completing the academic, practicum and research requirements for either degree option.
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
The faculty and students in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science maintain active research programs. Students are encouraged to conduct research during their entire graduate program.
The department maintains the equipment and facilities for a full range of research in both speech pathology and audiology. Areas in which active research programs are under way include: oral sensory physiology; aphasia and neurogenic communication disorders; speech perception in normal and hearing-impaired populations; speech synthesis; pediatric and adult aural rehabilitation; voice disorders; phonological development and disorders; childhood language acquisition; stuttering; central auditory dysfunction; electrophysiological assessment of auditory function in infants and neurologically impaired individuals; psychoacoustics; and language disorders in infants, preschool, and school-age children.
Omnibus Graduate Courses: See omnibus graduate courses that may be offered.
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