Graduate program
The department offers a program leading to the Master of Arts or Master of Science degrees with specialization in speech-language pathology. The Council for Accreditation of Academic Programs (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association accredits the SPHR graduate program. Graduates of the program meet the requirements for clinical certification of the CAA and are eligible for licensure as speech-language pathologists by the state of Oregon.
The graduate curriculum includes courses aimed at providing students with a solid understanding of the nature of speech, language, communication, and swallowing disorders as well as the prevention, assessment, and treatment of those disorders. A second major component of the program consists of supervised clinical practica in which students work directly with individuals who have communication and swallowing disorders. This type of activity enables students to apply knowledge gained in the classroom and acquire requisite professional skills with clients across the lifespan. Students obtain practical experience through clinics on campus and in a broad range of off-campus community placements, including medical and educational settings and community clinics.
Speech and Hearing Sciences M.A./M.S.
See University master’s degree requirements. Specific departmental requirements are as follows:
Requirements
1. Students must demonstrate the knowledge and skills required for the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the Council for Clinical Certification (CFCC) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
2. Students must complete a minimum of 77 graduate credits: 50 credits of core coursework, 6 credits of elective coursework, 18 credits of practicum, and 3 credits of a culminating experience.
3. Coursework. Students must complete fourteen required core courses and three elective courses. A grade of B- or above must be obtained for each course.
CORE Courses (50 credits):
| SpHr 530 | Clinical Management in Communication Disorders | 4 |
| SpHr 540 | Multicultural Topics in Communication Disorders | 4 |
| SpHr 545 | Pathways to Professional Practice | 2 |
| SpHr 554 | Advanced Speech Sound Disorders: Theories and Application | 4 |
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| SpHr 558 | Symbol Systems in Early Communication | 2 |
| | Or | |
| SpHr 559 | Augmentative and Alternative Communication | 2 |
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| SpHr 560 | Research Methods in Communication Sciences and Disorders | 4 |
| SpHr 562 | Cognitive Rehabilitation | 4 |
| SpHr 563 | Adult Language Disorders | 4 |
| SpHr 565 | Dysphagia | 4 |
| SpHr 566 | Motor Speech Disorders | 4 |
| SpHr 581 | Stuttering | 3 |
| SpHr 582 | Voice Disorders | 3 |
| SpHr 584 | Assessment and Treatment of Language Disorders: Birth to Age Five | 4 |
| SpHr 585 | Assessment and Treatment of Language Disorders in School-aged Children and Adolescents | 4 |
ELECTIVE Courses (choose three; 6 credits):
Additional electives may be offered as SpHr 510 courses.
4. Clinical Practicum. Students must complete a minimum of 400 clock hours of supervised clinical experience in the practice of speech-language pathology to be eligible for professional certification. These include 25 hours of observation. In order to receive credit for clinical hours completed in a clinical practicum experience, the student must obtain a grade of B- or above in the course. Students will have the opportunity to satisfy this requirement by completing 18 required credits of SpHr 509 Practicum, which shall include PSU clinic experiences and two externships.
5. Culminating Experience. Students must complete one of the culminating experiences listed below. The default option in Speech and Hearing Sciences is the comprehensive exam. The decision as to which of these options to pursue is to be made in conjunction with the student’s academic adviser.
a. Comprehensive Examination—The student must pass written comprehensive examinations. These are normally taken in the term preceding graduation, in the student’s second year of graduate study. Specific details of the administration and scoring of the exams will follow current departmental guidelines. Students will register for 3 credits of SpHr 501 Research: Comprehensive Examination during the term in which they write the examination. This is the only graduate course offered on a Pass/No Pass basis.
b. Master’s Project—The student will complete a scholarly project related to his or her academic discipline at the invitation of a faculty member. The student will comply with current departmental guidelines on the selection of the topic and format of the project. The project will be completed under the direction of a faculty member in the department of Speech and Hearing Sciences. Students pursuing this option are required to register for 3 credits of SpHr 506 Special Project with their project director. A letter grade of B- or above is required.
c. Master’s Thesis—Students opting to complete a thesis at the invitation of a faculty member will follow the University guidelines for theses outlined in Thesis. In addition to the written thesis, the student must pass a final oral examination before a committee consisting of at least three faculty members from the department of Speech and Hearing Sciences. Students pursuing this option are required to register for a minimum of 6 to 9 credits of SpHr 503 Thesis. A letter grade of B- or above is required.