Master of Arts (M.A.) in Communication Disorders
(Speech-Language Pathology Concentration)
The curriculum for the master's degree in communication disorders with a concentration in speech-language pathology is fully accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) Council on Academic Accreditation and is designed to provide the academic and clinical preparation necessary for the provision of scientific, competent, and professional services by speech-language pathologists. The curriculum allows the student to meet the academic and clinical requirements for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP). In addition, students enrolled in the master's program in speech and language pathology should be eligible to apply to the Massachusetts Board of Education for licensure as a teacher of the speech, language, and hearing-impaired upon completion of their degree program. [Note: To be eligible to participate in an off-campus practicum in a public school in Massachusetts (a requirement for teacher licensure), students who have not already done so will be required to take and achieve a passing score on the Communication and Literacy Skills Test of the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) early in their master's program.]
All students must complete the required courses listed below. Students may be waived from one or more of the required courses only if comparable course work has been completed at another institution or previously at this institution. Under no circumstance, however, will a student be permitted to graduate with less than 30 graduate degree credits, as required by the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and/or the necessary distribution of academic course work and clinical practicum experiences to be eligible for certification in speech-language pathology. While all clinical practica must be taken for credit, no more than six credits of clinical practicum may be applied to the minimum 30 credits of graduate course work required for the awarding of the master's degree.
Required Courses for Speech-Language Pathology Majors
| COMM-DIS 520 | Counseling in Communication Disorders |
| COMM-DIS 530 | Neurological Bases of Speech, Language and Hearing |
| COMM-DIS 580 | Cognitive Bases of Language |
| COMM-DIS 610 | Phonological Disorders |
| COMM-DIS 611 | Fluency Disorders |
| COMM-DIS 612 | Voice Disorders |
| COMM-DIS 613 | Language Disorders in Adults I |
| COMM-DIS 614 | Language Disorders in Adults II |
COMM-DIS 624 |
Motor Speech Disorders |
| COMM-DIS 630 | Graduate Research in Communication Disorders |
| COMM-DIS 631 | Language Disorders in Children I |
| COMM-DIS 632 | Language Disorders in Children II |
| COMM-DIS 640 | Advanced Diagnostic Audiology |
| COMM-DIS 641 | Advanced Hearing Rehabilitation |
| COMM-DIS 691A | Dysphagia |
In addition to the academic courses listed above, students must complete a minimum of 375 hours of supervised clinical experience with individuals representing a variety of communication pathologies and ages. Clinical experience is gained initially in the Center for Language, Speech and Hearing and then subsequently in at least two additional off-campus cooperating programs (e.g., hospitals, schools, clinics, private practice offices, community centers). At least 325 of the required 375 hours must be obtained at the graduate level and the student must have achieved the appropriate distribution of clinical hours to be eligible for certification in speech-language pathology. Clinical hours obtained as an undergraduate at another program may be credited toward the 375 hour minimum if appropriate documentation of the supervised experience is provided. In addition to the direct service requirements, all students are required to complete at least 25 hours of observation of evaluation and management of patients with communication disorders by a professional or professionals holding the appropriate ASHA certification or by preprofessional students who are providing clinical services under the supervision of a professional or professionals holding the appropriate certification.
The M.A. program typically requires two years of full-time study for those who have an undergraduate background in communication disorders and sciences. Students without the necessary undergraduate background (see the list of prerequisite courses) will be required to make up any deficiencies from the department's undergraduate course offerings and, consequently, may take more than the average amount of time to complete their degrees.
Undergraduate Prerequisites
| COMM-DIS 211 | Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanisms |
| COMM-DIS 310 | Phonetic Processing |
| COMM-DIS 311 | Introduction to Hearing Science |
| COMM-DIS 312 | Introduction to Speech Science |
| COMM-DIS 313 | Introduction to Audiology |
| COMM-DIS 315 | Speech and Language Disorders |
| COMM-DIS 401 | Speech and Language Development |
| COMM-DIS 416 | Clinical Procedures |
Students with a baccalaureate degree in a field other than communication disorders and sciences will be required to complete the eight prerequisite courses listed above, or their equivalents, prior to enrollment in graduate course work.
