Communication Sciences and Disorders (MS)
Overview
The Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders program is designed to prepare graduates for the Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Fellowship (SLPCF), the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), a license to practice in the state of Texas, and eventually independent clinical practice in the profession of speech- language pathology.
Scope
The Master of Science degree (MS) in Communication Sciences and Disorders is a clinical and academic degree. Students must have earned a baccalaureate degree in communication sciences and disorders or speech-language pathology to enter the MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders. The graduate curriculum includes extensive supervised clinical practice, as well as coursework in the following areas:
- Research in communication disorders.
- Multicultural and multilingual issues.
- Normal speech, language, swallowing and hearing development across the life span.
- Procedures for diagnosing and assessing disorders of articulation and phonology; expressive and receptive language fluency; voice and resonance; swallowing; hearing (especially as it relates to speech and language development and disorders); cognitive aspects of communication; social aspects of communication; and augmentative and alternative communication.
- Procedures for addressing the intervention needs of individuals with disorders of articulation and phonology; expressive and receptive language; fluency; voice and resonance; swallowing; hearing; cognitive aspects of communication; social aspects of communication; and augmentative and alternative communication.
- Procedures for audiological screening, assessment and interpretation of audiological test results.
Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the graduate program in communication sciences and disorders, prospective candidates must first meet all requirements for graduate admission to UT Rio Grande Valley, and complete their graduate admissions application through the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS).
CSDCAS is a centralized application service for graduate programs in speech-language pathology and audiology. CSDCAS is a service of the Council on Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD) and is administered in partnership with Liaison International, an education information technology company. Applicants will begin by accessing the CSDCAS application portal and selecting the programs they are applying to, then submitting one application that includes all necessary requirements listed below:
- Bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders or Speech-Language Pathology from a regionally accredited institution in the United States, or a baccalaureate degree in a different discipline and successful completion of the leveling curriculum offered by the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at UTRGV.
- Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 60 semester credit hours.
- GRE General Test. GRE test scores are valid for 5 years. A waiver of the GRE requirement will be granted to applicants who show proof of completing a graduate degree (master’s or doctoral).
- Three letters of recommendation from professional or academic sources.
- Personal statement (500 words) detailing professional goals and reasons for pursuing the graduate degree.
- Resume including educational background and work experience.
CSDCAS completes a verification process of the completion of an application and supporting materials before transmitting these items to all the programs the applicant selects.
Application for admission must be submitted prior to the published deadline.
Progression Requirement
A student must earn a grade of ‘B’ or better in every academic and clinical course in the graduate degree program. In the event a student does not meet this requirement, the student shall not be permitted to proceed further in the program until he or she earns a grade of ‘B’ or better in the course(s) where a grade less than ‘B’ was earned. This typically occurs the following year when the course(s) is/are offered again.
A student earning less than a ‘B’ in more than two courses during his or her graduate study shall be dropped from the program.
Graduation Requirements
- Completion of all course requirements with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00.
- Completion of all course requirement with a grade of 'B' or better.
- Completion of all clinical practicum clock hour requirements.
- Completion of the summative assessment requirement.
- Formal program check-out with the external practicum liaison and the graduate academic advisor.
Completion of Summative Assessment
Students have one of two options for meeting the required summative assessment requirement: Graduate Thesis or a Capstone Project. Students can find more detailed information about the thesis and capstone project in the department’s Graduate Student Handbook.
Graduate Thesis
This option is for students who want to complete the thesis option. This option is reserved typically for students who anticipate completing a doctoral degree, but any student who feels he or she possess the ability to complete a thesis may choose this option. Students accepted for graduate thesis must register for COMD 7300 in the fall and COMD 7301 in the spring of their final year of graduate study. Only six (6) thesis credits may be counted toward graduation requirements. Students taking thesis must present and successfully defend their thesis to meet the summative assessment requirement. Students choosing this option must present, successfully defend and submit to the Graduate College their thesis according to the regulations set forth in the Graduate College's Thesis Manual. The thesis is intended to be an individual student project. Defense of the thesis shall take place at an annual Communication Sciences and Disorders Research Day event either in late March or early April of the final semester of study. The thesis defense must be a platform presentation before an audience. Appropriate PowerPoint slides must be created to organize and present the thesis research. Pass or fail shall be determined by an aggregate average score of 80% on a rubric designed specifically for the thesis and completed by all members of the audience in attendance at the defense. An aggregate average score below 80% will necessitate the completion of a Student Assistance Plan in collaboration with the thesis chair that must be successfully completed by the end of April immediately prior to graduation.
Capstone Project
Students who do not choose the thesis option must complete and pass a capstone research project. The examination will be in an essay format. No semester hour credits are earned for successfully completing the capstone project. Second-year graduate students will be contacted by the Graduate Program Coordinator and Academic Advisor at the beginning of the second fall semester. Students will be asked to pair up with a partner (in the case of an uneven number of second-year graduate students, three students will form a team). A list will be provided to all second-year graduate students of program faculty who may serve as faculty mentors and their areas of clinical and research expertise. Teams will be asked to choose the top three clinical areas in which they’d like to conduct a retrospective study. Teams will be distributed according to their preferences and the faculty member’s availability (teams conducting the capstone must be distributed as evenly as possible across all faculty who may serve as mentors). Once all student teams have submitted their preferences, the Graduate Program Coordinator and Academic Advisor will meet with faculty members to distribute the teams according to preferred area of research and faculty availability. Student teams will be notified once assignments have been made. Upon notification of who their faculty mentor will be, student teams must meet with their faculty mentor as soon as possible to decide the topic of their research and how it is to be conducted. Timelines for successful completion of the capstone will be decided between the student team and its faculty mentor. With the exception of providing guidance and direction by the faculty mentor, the capstone is intended to be an independent research project. The culmination of the capstone will be either a poster or platform presentation in front of an audience at an annual Communication Sciences and Disorders Research Day event either in late March or early April of the final semester of study. If the student team chooses to disseminate the results of their study via a poster, an appropriate, professional poster must be created and displayed in its assigned location. If the student team chooses to disseminate their results via a platform presentation, appropriate PowerPoint slides must be created to organize and present the capstone research. Passing the capstone project requires an average score of 80% on a rubric designed specifically for the capstone and completed by three (3) faculty members assigned to evaluate the defense. An average score below 80% will necessitate the completion of a Student Assistance Plan in collaboration with the capstone mentor that must be successfully completed by the end of April immediately prior to graduation.
Completion of Clinical Practicum Hours
All students must enroll in Clinical Practicum each semester during the first full year of graduate study (Fall= COMD 6301; Spring= COMD 6302; Summer I= COMD 6303; Summer II= COMD 6304). A minimum of one (1) semester of Audiology Practicum (COMD 6180) and a minimum of two (2) semesters of Advanced Clinical Practicum (COMD 6395, COMD 6396) are also required. In accordance with ASHA requirements, students must earn a minimum of 400 clock hours of supervised clinical practicum prior to graduating with the master’s degree. Of these 400 clock hours, at least 375 clock hours of supervised clinical practice and 25 clock hours of clinical observation must be completed and documented in conjunction with these clinical practicum courses. Of the 375 click hours of clinical practice, at least 325 must be obtained at the graduate level. A maximum of 75 clock hours of clinical experience may be obtained through supervised simulation technology. These clock hour requirements are subject to change depending on possible future changes in the ASHA’s certification requirements.
Program Requirements
Non-Thesis Option:
Required Courses - 58 Hours
| COMD 6180 | Graduate Practicum: Audiology | 1 |
| COMD 6301 | Clinical Practicum I: Speech Pathology | 3 |
| COMD 6302 | Clinical Practicum II: Speech Pathology | 3 |
| COMD 6303 | Clinical Practicum III: Speech Pathology | 3 |
| COMD 6304 | Clinical Practicum IV: Speech Pathology | 3 |
| COMD 6310 | Research in Communication Disorders | 3 |
| COMD 6325 | Childhood Language Disorders and Clinical Intervention | 3 |
| COMD 6330 | Fluency Disorders | 3 |
| COMD 6335 | Language Disorders in Adults | 3 |
| COMD 6340 | Phonological Assessment and Intervention | 3 |
| COMD 6345 | Voice Disorders | 3 |
| COMD 6355 | Normal and Abnormal Language Development of Culturally Diverse Populations | 3 |
| COMD 6360 | Neuromotor Speech Disorders | 3 |
| COMD 6365 | Language Assessment of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations | 3 |
| COMD 6370 | Seminar in Speech-Language Pathology | 3 |
| COMD 6385 | Dysphagia | 3 |
| COMD 6390 | Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Disorders | 3 |
| COMD 6395 | Advanced Clinical Practicum I | 3 |
| COMD 6396 | Advanced Clinical Practicum II | 3 |
| COMD 6397 | Augmentative and Alternative Communication | 3 |
Capstone Requirement
Completion of Summative Assessment
Completion of ASHA Clinical Practicum Hours
Thesis Option:
Required Courses - 64 Hours
| COMD 6180 | Graduate Practicum: Audiology | 1 |
| COMD 6301 | Clinical Practicum I: Speech Pathology | 3 |
| COMD 6302 | Clinical Practicum II: Speech Pathology | 3 |
| COMD 6303 | Clinical Practicum III: Speech Pathology | 3 |
| COMD 6304 | Clinical Practicum IV: Speech Pathology | 3 |
| COMD 6310 | Research in Communication Disorders | 3 |
| COMD 6325 | Childhood Language Disorders and Clinical Intervention | 3 |
| COMD 6330 | Fluency Disorders | 3 |
| COMD 6335 | Language Disorders in Adults | 3 |
| COMD 6340 | Phonological Assessment and Intervention | 3 |
| COMD 6345 | Voice Disorders | 3 |
| COMD 6355 | Normal and Abnormal Language Development of Culturally Diverse Populations | 3 |
| COMD 6360 | Neuromotor Speech Disorders | 3 |
| COMD 6365 | Language Assessment of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations | 3 |
| COMD 6370 | Seminar in Speech-Language Pathology | 3 |
| COMD 6385 | Dysphagia | 3 |
| COMD 6390 | Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Disorders | 3 |
| COMD 6395 | Advanced Clinical Practicum I | 3 |
| COMD 6396 | Advanced Clinical Practicum II | 3 |
| COMD 6397 | Augmentative and Alternative Communication | 3 |
| COMD 7300 | Thesis I | 3 |
| COMD 7301 | Thesis II | 3 |
Capstone Requirement
Completion of Summative Assessment
Completion of ASHA Clinical Practicum Hours
Total Credit Hours: 58