| The graduate program of the Department of
Communication Disorders is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation
(CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The Department of Communication
Disorders offers an M.S. degree. CD majors at the graduate level follow
a prescribed program leading to eligibility for national certification
in Speech-Language Pathology by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
(ASHA). Students wishing to be eligible
for West Virginia certification as public school speech-language pathologists
must also meet the requirements for such certification.
Although our graduate program
is rigorous, we admit students who are capable of meeting the high standards
of the program. For the past five years, of the students who began the
graduate program, 95% completed the program successfully.
Our graduates are readily
employable upon graduation. Most have a choice of jobs in the field, whether
they choose to work in West Virginia or in another state. For the past three
years, we have had a 100% employment rate in the field for our graduates.
Our graduates do well on the
NESPA, the national examination required for certification in the field. For
the past four years, from May 2004 through July 2008, our 98 graduates took
the exam and all 98 passed the exam. We are proud of the
100% passing rate that our graduates have achieved.
Program Requirements
A minimum of 33 graduate credit hours of
academic coursework (without the thesis) or 30 hours (with the thesis) in
addition to a minimum of 8 graded academic hours plus 6 CR/NC hours of
clinical practicum (excluding CD 672/673) necessary to complete certification
requirements is required for graduation. The Speech-Language Pathology
specialty area of the ETS Praxis Series (NESPA) serves as the comprehensive
examination which is required for all students. A score of 620 or better
is considered passing. In addition to the comprehensive examination, a
candidate who writes a thesis will be required to pass an oral examination on
the thesis.
Students who apply for clinical practicum
assignments are expected to fulfill the responsibilities of these assignments
for the full semester. Students who fail to do so may not be assured of
future assignments. Students should consult the department chair, their
Communication Disorders academic advisor, and the clinic handbook regarding
all academic and clinical requirements and standards specific to this program. |
