The School of Hearing, Speech and Language Sciences offers a worldclass,twoyear, M.A. program in speechlanguage pathology. We are a diverse, energetic, dedicated, and productive faculty who work closely with students in a positive and encouraging environment. We offer students access to state of the art facilities and equipment, a variety of clinical experiences, and possibilities for mentored research experiences. Opportunities for financial support are often available throughout the course of the degree program.

Our nationally ranked speech-language pathology master's degree program is considered the entry level degree and is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

M.A. degree study in Hearing, Speech and Language Sciences (HSLS) at Ohio University provides numerous distinctive opportunities, including:

• Academic and clinical experiences leading to professional national certificiation and state licensure.
• Optional teacher licensure.
• Ample and diverse clinical experiences in a variety of settings staffed by our own HSLS clinical supervisors, including:
  • A beautiful, w ell equipped on-campus multidisciplinary clinic located in the same building as academic classrooms, research labs, and offices,
  • Four hospitals,
  • Three local school districts,
  • Two regional clinics located in area health departments,
  • Three facilities for adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities,
  • A home health agency, and
  • A regional Veterans Affairs Health Admdinistration clinic.
• A choice of two tracks, for either a clinical or a clinical research emphasis.
• Engagement with multicultural, multinational and multilingual students and faculty.
• Dedicated personalized clinical supervision from seasoned clinicians.
• A nationwide network of over 250 clinical externship sites.
• Classes offered in "smart classrooms equipped with the most advanced teaching and learning technology.
• Participation in a university and local community that offers a safe and pictureseque environment.
  

• In-patient service delivery
• Out-patient service delivery
• Long-term care
• School-based services
• Team-based practices
• Dysphagia
• Aphasaia
• Dementia
• Traumatic brain injury
• Cognitive re-training
• Voice
• Early intervention
• Parent education
• Aural rehabilitation in cochlear implanted children
• Infant/toddler communication development
• Infant/toddler feeding
• Auditory processing disorders
• Adolescent language
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Specific language impairment
• Speech perception
• Videostroboscopic examiniation of voice
• Ethincs of clinical practice
• Clinical business management
• School-age speech and language development
• Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices

• Involvement in research projects funded by prestigious agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
• Enriching collaborative experiences in medicine, psychology, neuroscience, cognition, psycholinguistics, linguistics, health sciences, physical therapy, education, engineering, biological sciences, statistics, and more.
• Linked M.A.-Ph.D. program for select students.
• Access to clinical populations to support cutting-edge research programs.
• Participation in Ohio University's NanoBio Technology Initiative, Appalachian Rural Health Institute and Diabetes Research Initiative, providing rich additional interdisciplinary research and student funding possibilities.
• Participation in the Institute for the Empirical Study of Language, facilitating research collaboration across many disciplines.
• Grant funding opportunities for student research and travel to proffessional conferences.

Students typically complete the program in two years. It includes a planned sequence of core courses, practicum courses, elective opportunities, ongoing clinical experiences, and a choice between one or two externships near the end of the program. Students satisfy all ASHA academic and clinical requirements for certification, including the National Teacher's Examination (Praxis) as part of the degree program.

Track A: Students who choose Track A may be interested in ongoing research opportunities with faculty, leading to a thesis, or may prefer additional coursework providing certificates in areas such as gerontology or teaching English as a second language.

Track B: Students who choose Track B complete two externships and may be preferred by students desiring a greater variety of clinical experiences. For example, a student may choose to extern in both medical and school settings or perhaps obtain different experiences in separate medical settings, such as adult and pediatric. Externships are available throughout the U.S. and Canada through contractual agreements with certified professionals in those sites.

Admissions are based on the following:

• A bachelor's degree in communication disorders or satisfactory completion of core undergraduate classes including:
  • Introduction to Communication Disorders
  • Phonetics
  • Speech/Hearing Science
  • Language Development
  • Anatomy/Physiology of Speech/Hearing
  • Basic Audiology
• Satisfactory Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores
• Application Form (available from the School) in duplicate
• All college transcripts--minimum overall grade-point average (g.p.a.) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Three letters of recommendation
• Brief essay on future career aspirations
• Supplemental Information Form (Click here for form)
• Additional requirements for international students with English as a second language: (1) Record of TOEFL Scores and (2) an informal tape-recorded speech sample.

All materials must be submitted by February 1. For more information and to apply to this program, go to "Application Information and Materials"

Students are required to complete graduate coursework and clinical practicum, including 11 core courses and approved elective courses. Detailed information on all required courses and policies can be obtained from the Graduate Handbook.

• Introduction to Research Methods
• Neuroscience of Communication
• Developmental and Disordered Phonology
• Advanced Diagnostic Procedures in Speech and Language Disorders
• Experimental Phonetics
• Augmentative Communication
• Dysphagia
• Disorders of Phonation
• Disorders of Fluency
• Adult Neurogenic Language Disorders
• Neuromotor Disorders of Speech

A wide variety of optional courses within the field of speech and language sciences/disorders and related areas include:

• Language Disorders in Children
• Communication Disorders in Infants and Young Children
• Language Disorders in School-Age Children
• Orofacial Disorders
• Aural Rehabilitation
• Cochlear Implants
• Advanced Sign Language
• Multicultural Issues in Communicative Disorders
• Administration of Public School Speech/Language Programs
• Audiology Procedures for Speech-Language Pathologists
• Thesis option
• Seminars, Directed Studies, and Workshops, such as recent ones on Autism and Closed Head Injuries
• Outside Electives in many related fields, such as Psychology, Special Education, Linguistics, Health Sciences, and Counseling

Students will choose 6-7 quarters of clinical practicum and 1-2 clinical externships

Students in the master's program are further required to:

• Successfully complete clinical hours in accordance with ASHA standards
• Pass the National Teacher's Examination in Speech Language Pathology
• Earn a minimum 3.0 GPA in academic and clinical work
  

 

Jeff DiGiovanni, Ph.D.
Coordinator of Professional Programs
School of Hearing, Speech and Language Sciences
Grover Center W218
Athens, OH 45701
740.593.1407