Communication Disorders, MS
ASU Health - Clinical, Language, Language Development, Speech Assistant, Speech Pathologist, Speech Therapy, Speech-Language Pathologist, Speech-Language Pathology, audiology, pathology, speech
Make a difference in the lives of individuals who have developmental disabilities and those who have acquired neurogenic disorders, hearing loss, and feeding and swallowing difficulties.
The Master of Science program in communication disorders prepares students to become certified speech-language pathologists. This is a full-time residential program that can be completed in 20 months.
In the first year of the program, students take a series of courses to develop knowledge of and skills in assessment and intervention approaches for communication disorders across the life span. They also gain hands-on experience providing services to real-world clients in on-campus clinics, guided by clinical faculty educators.
In the second year, students take required and elective courses to further develop their knowledge in selected topic areas and to acquire additional clinical skills in supervised external placements in the community.
This program offers research and clinical opportunities in many diverse settings, including:
- early intervention programs and private practice clinics
- inpatient and outpatient medical sites
- public schools
A part-time employment program is available for speech-language pathology assistants in public schools. Those seeking specialized training can pursue a certificate in multilingual and multicultural services. Students interested in research have the opportunity to work in labs and complete a master's thesis.
Students may have the option of completing some second-year courses via ASU Sync, with program approval. ASU Sync enables students to attend live classes remotely via Zoom, and classes are designed to foster active collaboration and discussion in real time with faculty and peers.
Students on F-1 or J-1 immigration status should verify they meet the minimum in-person credit hour and total credit hour enrollment requirements prior to requesting permission to enroll in courses via ASU Sync.
Students seeking to use GI Bill® benefits for ASU Sync programs should contact the Pat Tillman Veterans Center regarding certain limitations.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/.
This program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. https://www.asha.org/
- College/school:
College of Health Solutions
- Location: Tempe
- STEM-OPT extension eligible: No
60 credit hours and a thesis, or
60 credit hours and a written comprehensive exam
Required Core (34 credit hours)
SHS 538 Clinical Methods and Simulation in Speech-Language Pathology (4)
SHS 539 Professional Issues in Speech-Language Pathology (2)
SHS 567 Neural Bases of Communication Disorders (2)
SHS 570 Communication Disorders and Multicultural Populations (2) or SHS 597 Bilingual Speech-Language Pathology (2)
SHS 571 Augmentative Communication and Language Programming (2)
SHS 572 Language Assessment and Intervention in Infants and Toddlers (2)
SHS 573 Language Assessment and Intervention with School-Age Populations (2)
SHS 574 Management of Feeding and Swallowing Disorders (2)
SHS 575 Aphasia and Related Neurogenic Language Disorders (2)
SHS 577 Current Assessment, Intervention and Research in Autism (2)
SHS 578 Fluency Disorders (2)
SHS 579 Voice and Resonance Disorders (2)
SHS 581 Traumatic Brain Injury and Cognitive Linguistic Disorders (2)
SHS 582 Differential Diagnosis of Communication Disorders (2)
SHS 585 Articulation and Phonology: Assessment and Intervention (2)
SHS 587 Language Assessment and Intervention with Preschool Populations (2)
Electives (0 or 6 credit hours)
Other Requirements (20 credit hours)
SHS 500 Research Methods (1)
SHS 580 Clinical Practicum (9)
SHS 584 Clinical Internship (10)
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Praxis national exam in speech language pathology (0)
Culminating Experience (0 or 6 credit hours)
written comprehensive exam (0) or
SHS 599 Thesis (6)
Additional Curriculum Information
SHS 538 and SHS 539 should each be taken twice across consecutive fall and spring semesters. Students should repeat SHS 580 and SHS 584 until they have completed nine credits of SHS 580 and 10 credits of SHS 584. Students who choose the written comprehensive examination as their culminating experience must take six credit hours of electives. Students should see their academic unit for an approved list of elective courses.
All students must take the American Speech-Language Hearing Association Praxis national exam and have their scores reported to the program.
General university admission requirements:
All students are required to meet general
university admission requirements.
U.S. applicants | International applicants | English proficiency
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the College of Health Solutions.
Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's degree in speech and hearing science or a related field from a regionally accredited institution and completed prerequisite coursework in speech and hearing.
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program.
All applicants must submit:
- graduate admission application and application fee
- official transcripts
- resume or curriculum vitae
- personal statement, not to exceed 300 words
- three references (academic or professional)
- proof of English proficiency
Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.
All applicants must complete competencies in the following areas prior to matriculation (ASU-related coursework is included in parentheses):
- biological sciences (BIO 160 or BIO 181 or BIO 201 recommended)
- physics or chemistry (PHY 101 or CHM 101)
- statistics, not speech and hearing science related (HCD 300 or STP 226 or PSY 230)
- psychology, sociology, anthropology or public health (PSY 101 or SOC 101 recommended)
Applicants who have earned a bachelor's degree in an are other than speech and hearing sciences must complete additional competencies in speech and hearing sciences before admission. Competencies include the following (ASU-related coursework is included in parentheses):
- Introduction to Phonetics (SHS 250)
- Anatomical and Physiological Bases of Speech (SHS 310)
- Hearing Science (SHS 311)
- Language Science (SHS 367)
- Speech Science (SHS 375)
- Introduction to Audiology (SHS 401)
- Clinical Methods and Treatment of Communication Disorders (SHS 402)
- Speech and Language Acquisition (SHS 465 or 565)
- Aural Rehabilitation (SHS 496 or 596)
Applicants who are in the process of completing prerequisite coursework are encouraged to submit their application after final grades for relevant fall term courses have been posted to their transcript and before the priority deadline. The admission committee begins reviewing complete applications after the priority deadline. Applications are considered complete when all materials, including letters of reference, have been received.
Contact information for three references is required. References are contacted via email to submit a letter of recommendation and respond to a series of questions about the applicant. It is recommended to have two references from faculty in speech and hearing or a related field; the third may be professional.
An interview may be required in person or via teleconference.
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | In Person | 01/15 | Priority |
Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program has the following program outcomes:
- Evaluate evidence-based resources using scientific foundation principles to justify an approach to service provision as a speech-language pathologist.
- Generate recommendations for clients by synthesizing in-depth knowledge of communication and swallowing processes including etiologies, characteristics, anatomical, physiological, acoustic, psychological, developmental, linguistic and cultural correlates.
- Formulate prevention, assessment and treatment options for clients with communication and swallowing disorders.
- Demonstrate skill-based competency in evaluating and treating people across the lifespan who have communication, speech, language, literacy, cognition and swallowing difficulties.
- Effectively function in their role as a speech-language pathologist including active utilization of interprofessional collaboration, interpersonal skills, counseling skills, supervision and advocation for individuals who need services as well as the ability to act in accordance with the ethical, legal and philosophical principles of the speech-language pathology profession and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Speech-language pathologists evaluate speech, language, cognitive, hearing, feeding and swallowing functions, integrating medical history and background information to diagnose disorders and plan treatment. Graduates have many opportunities to work with culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
Speech-language pathologists are in high demand. Employment rates are extremely high across all settings, including:
- all school levels, including elementary, middle and high school
- early intervention settings, including home health
- inpatient and acute care hospitals
- neonatal intensive care units
- outpatient rehabilitation
- pediatric outpatient centers
- private practice
ASU programs that may lead to professional licensure or certification are intended to prepare students for potential licensure or certification in Arizona. Completion of an ASU program may not meet educational requirements for licensure or certification in another state. For more information, students should visit the ASU professional licensure webpage.
College of Health Solutions
|
HLTHN 401AA
CHSGrad@asu.edu
602-496-3300
3 year programs
These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
