Mar 18, 2024  
2015-2016 Graduate Bulletin 
    
2015-2016 Graduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Department of Communication Science and Disorders


Linda C. Murdock, Chair and Graduate Program Director
George C. Wallace Speech and Language Center, (205) 665-6720
e-mail: murdocklc@montevallo.edu

Claire Edwards, Graduate Program Coordinator
George C. Wallace Speech and Language Center, (205) 665-6720
e-mail: edwardsc@montevallo.edu

The graduate program of study  is available primarily for applicants with undergraduate degrees in Communication Science and Disorders (CSD) or related fields. The degree requires 5 semesters (2 years) and includes academic coursework as well as clinical practicum requirements. The Master of Science (M.S.) in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program at the University of Montevallo is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.

All applicants must have coursework equivalents in biology and physical science (chemistry or physics), statistics, and speech science. The science courses must have a lab component and be 4 credit hours. Any of these additionally listed courses not obtained at the undergraduate level must be completed in addition to the graduate curriculum while at UM.

Admissions Categories

Applicants with a degree in CSD are considered traditional applicants. Please see the Admission Requirements section below. A limited number of applicants without undergraduate degrees in CSD will be considered for nontraditional admission. Applicants in this category hold undergraduate degrees in other disciplines and either (A) have some CSD coursework, or (B) have no CSD coursework.

A. Applicants with undergraduate degrees in other disciplines who have coursework in CSD may apply to the traditional 2-year M.S. Speech-Language Pathology program under the following conditions:

  1. Applicants must apply and meet the same requirements as the CSD-background applicants.
  2. Applicants must complete 25 hours of clinical observation prior to entry into the M.S. program at UM.
  3. Applicants must provide evidence that they have successfully completed or are currently enrolled in the following coursework in CSD by the application deadline (January 20 of the application year)

    CSD 253 Phonetics
    CSD 291 Normal Language Development
    CSD 380 Anatomy & Physiology of Speech
    CSD 393 Language Disorders
    CSD 394 Articulation and Phonological Disorders (Speech Sound Disorders)
    CSD 411 Audiology
    CSD 471 Aural Rehabilitation
    CSD 473 Medical SLP or CSD 101 Intro. to Communication Disorders
    CSD 475 Speech Science
    CSD 495 Voice & Fluency Disorders

B. Applicants with degrees in other disciplines with no coursework in CSD may apply to the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology program through the 3-year non-background program under the following conditions:

  1. Applicants must apply and meet the same requirements as the CSD-background applicants.
  2. If a non-background student is accepted and enrolls, the student is considered a graduate student and is thus subject to all rules and regulations of the graduate school while taking the 2 semesters of undergraduate pre-requisite courses.
  3. The undergraduate pre-requisite coursework for non-background students is as follows:

    CSD 253 Phonetics
    CSD 291 Normal Language Development
    CSD 380 Anatomy & Physiology of Speech
    CSD 393 Language Disorders
    CSD 394 Articulation and Phonological Disorders (Speech Sound Disorders)
    CSD 411 Audiology
    CSD 471 Aural Rehabilitation
    CSD 473 Medical SLP
    CSD 475 Speech Science
    CSD 495 Voice & Fluency Disorders
    Psych 300 Descriptive Statistics

Applicants in both non-CSD categories may be asked to provide additional information to be considered for admission.

The CSD graduate program provides all academic and practicum requirements leading to the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and state licensure by the Alabama Board of Examiners in Speech Pathology and Audiology (ABESPA). Students who wish to apply for a Class A teacher certification to work in the public schools would seek certification through the public school system at the time of employment.

 

Admission Requirements

Applicants for admission to the CSD graduate program in SLP must meet all admission requirements described in the Admissions Policies and Procedures section of this Bulletin for general unconditional admission to graduate school. Over above these requirements, Applicants to the MS SLP program are required to have a minimum 3.0 GPA both overall and on the last 60 hours completed. Applicants who do not meet this standard will not be considered. The admission test required by the CSD Department is the Graduate Records Examination (GRE). Students must have a competitive GRE score to be considered for entrance into the program. The CSD graduate program does not offer conditional admission to students. The CSD Department admits new full-time graduate students only in the Fall semester and limits enrollment to up to 25 new students each year. Applicants are reviewed according to several parameters that include GPA, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and successful completion of a personal interview with members of the CSD faculty. Visit the UM Graduate Admissions and Records webpage for admission materials, including the application and the recommendation form. Applicants will be notified by the CSD Department after the January 20 application deadline regarding scheduling an interview if deemed warranted.

English Proficiency for Non-Native Speakers

Prospective candidates to the Master’s program in Speech-Language Pathology must meet the graduate school requirement of a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based TOEFL or a score of at least 213 on the Internet-based TOEFL. Students must obtain a score of 27 or better on the iBT speaking subtest of the TOEFL, or a 50 or better on the Test of Spoken English. For more information on the TOEFL, visit www.toefl.org.

On the IELTS, the University requires a minimum overall score of 8.0, with a minimum score of 7.0 on any individual section on the academic module. Score reports should be sent to:

Graduate Admissions and Records
Station 6350
University of Montevallo
Montevallo, AL 35115, U.S.A.

To complete arrangements for the TOEFL, students should write to:

Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6155
Princeton, NJ 08540-6155, U.S.A.

All application information, including two copies of transcripts for all undergraduate work attempted, should be sent to Graduate Admissions and Records, where it is processed and then forwarded to the CSD Department. Completed applications should be received in Graduate Admissions and Records by January 20 (or the following Monday by 5 p.m. if this date falls on a weekend) to meet the deadline for Fall-term admission consideration. Review of applicants will begin February 1 and will continue until the cohort is filled. Initial acceptance letters will be mailed by early April. Students who are approved will have approximately two weeks in which to notify the Department by letter of their acceptance of a position in the graduate program. If students fail to accept, those open positions will be offered to other applicants, moving down the ranking of admission scores.

CSD Department Policies and Procedures

  1. All academic and practicum requirements of graduate students meet ASHA Certification standards. The SLP graduate program involves five semesters of full-time work, including a summer term that includes courses in both Summer I and Summer II. The typical graduation date would be May of the second year.

  2. Each graduate student is assigned to a faculty academic adviser who will guide the student through his/her entire academic and clinical program. However, fulfillment of all requirements for the graduate degree, the ASHA CCC, the state license, and teacher certification is the responsibility of the student.

  3. Graduate SLP students will complete a minimum of 400 clock hours of clinical practicum (375 in direct clinical contact; 25 in observation), of which a minimum of 325 clock hours will be at the graduate level. Students may bring clinical practicum hours from their undergraduate program if they were properly supervised and meet all other ASHA Certification standards. Students transferring more than 75 graduate clock hours from another CAA-accredited institution must complete at least 325 graduate clock hours at Montevallo.

  4. The CSD Department has arrangements with a number of off-campus clinical facilities (e.g., hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, public schools, etc.) where students may obtain properly supervised clinical practicum hours. During the first Fall semester, SLP graduate students obtain practicum experience primarily within the Speech and Language Center, and will begin to obtain practicum experiences off campus as they are ready. During the fall term of the second year, graduate students are assigned part-time to approved off-campus sites. During the Spring term of the second year, graduate students are assigned to approved full-time off-campus externships. Students work in both a pediatric and an adult medical setting for their externships. Because there are no academic courses during the externship, students may arrange an externship outside the local area with approval of the clinic director. If going outside the local area to facilities with no previous contracts with the University, the signed contracts must be returned to the department by October 1 prior to the spring externship. Out-of-state placements will require State Authorization.

 

Courses in Communication Science and Disorders

Programs

    Master of Science