Speech-Language Pathology, MS

Chairperson: Emily Patterson, Au.D., CCC-A
Program Director: Maura Moyle, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathology website

Degree Offered

Master of Science

Program Description

The master’s education program in speech-language pathology at Marquette University is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850, (800) 498-2071 or (301) 296-5700. The program is directed at preparing students for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP). For students interested in licensure as a public school speech-language clinician, the program meets the requirements of the Department of Public Instruction of the state of Wisconsin (DPI-Wis.) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for licensure as a speech-language pathologist.

The graduate curriculum in speech-language pathology offers advanced course work in the prevention, identification, evaluation and treatment of speech, language and hearing disorders in both children and adults, meeting both the academic and clinical requirements of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the licensure requirements of the state of Wisconsin.

The master of science program in speech-language pathology typically takes two years (four terms and one summer session) to complete; however, the time required to complete degree and certification/licensure requirements may be shorter or longer depending on the student’s academic/clinical background, needs and special interests.

students with communicative disorders and other disabilities

The Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Marquette University is dedicated to graduating students with optimum preparation for successful careers in the profession of communication disorders. Since voice, fluency, articulation, language, hearing or other impairments/disabilities may interfere with a clinician’s ability to effectively treat persons with communication impairments, we encourage students in our program with such impairments to seek treatment if appropriate. Please see CAPCSD's document describing core functions needed for graduation and successful entry into clinical practice.

english proficiency

Our department supports the position of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in encouraging persons of diverse backgrounds to enter the field of communication disorders. All students in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology must provide evidence of adequate written and verbal communication skills in General American English necessary to meet academic and clinical requirements. Non-native speakers of English work closely with their advisers throughout the course of their study toward establishing this proficiency prior to enrollment in clinical practicums. Students who speak with accents and/or dialects may seek assistance in improving these skills at the recommendation of department instructional staff.

Specialization

Bilingual English-Spanish (BIES)

A bilingual English-Spanish specialization (BIES) is offered through the master’s degree program. This program prepares speech-language pathologists who are proficient in Spanish to evaluate and treat communication disorders in individuals who speak Spanish or are bilingual (Spanish-English). Candidates for the BIES must be accepted to the master of science program in speech-language pathology. Candidates also must meet language proficiency requirements established by the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

Graduate-level academic course work for the BIES may fulfill elective requirements for the master of science degree in speech-language pathology. Clinical practicum hours through the BIES program will apply toward a master of science degree, ASHA certification and DPI licensure requirements. All course work is based on guidelines suggested by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for speech-language pathologists providing bilingual assessment and intervention.

Speech-Language Pathology Master of Science

Students seeking the master of science degree in speech-language pathology (SPLA) must have completed the following undergraduate prerequisite courses, or their equivalents, per approval from the director of graduate studies prior to full admission into the graduate program: anatomy and physiology of the speech mechanism, phonetics and phonology, child language development, child language disorders, speech science, introduction to audiology, and intervention methods in speech-language pathology.

Students are admitted to the program in Plan B, but may transfer to Plan A with approval from the Graduate School and the SPLA director of graduate studies.

Thesis Program (Plan A)

Students must complete a minimum 46 credit hours (at least 40 credit hours of course work plus six credit hours of thesis work), take the Praxis examination, receive a satisfactory grade in a capstone course and submit an approved thesis.

Non-Thesis Program (Plan B)

Students must complete a minimum of 46 credit hours of course work, take the Praxis examination and receive a satisfactory grade in a capstone course.

Required Course Work

For both Plan A and Plan B, a minimum of 46 credit hours must be completed. A maximum of 12 credit hours of graduate-level course work completed prior to admission into the graduate program may be transferred and applied toward the minimum 46 credit hour degree requirement. Transfer courses must be completed with a grade of B or above and approved by the director of graduate studies in accordance with the Graduate School Transfer of Credit policy. At least one-half of the completed course work must be in 6000-level courses.

Advised by the director of graduate studies, admitted students create a program plan of study that fulfills the requirements for both the master of science degree in speech-language pathology and the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) awarded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Students interested in working as a school-based speech-language pathologist in either Wisconsin or Illinois require a program plan of study that satisfies the requirements for each state as outlined by the Department of Public Instruction of the State of Wisconsin (WI-DPI) or Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Required Course Work and Clinical Hours

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
33 credits of course work selected from the following (per the plan of study approved by the Director of Graduate Studies)		33
SPPA Course Options:
SPPA 5160	Neurological Bases of Human Communication Processes and Related Functions ¹
SPPA 5230	Stuttering and Other Fluency Disorders ¹
SPPA 5520	Hearing Disorders ¹
SPPA 5530	Audiological Rehabilitation
SPPA 5610	Multicultural Issues for Speech-Language Pathologists
SPPA 5720	Diagnostic Methods in Speech-Language Pathology ¹
SPPA 5750	Introduction to Pediatric Feeding
SPPA 6210	Child Language Intervention Issues ¹
SPPA 6220	Child Speech Sound Intervention
SPPA 6320	Adult Language Disorders ¹
SPPA 6330	Sensorimotor Speech Disorders ¹
SPPA 6340	Cognitive Disorders
SPPA 6410	Voice Disorders ¹
SPPA 6420	Swallowing Disorders ¹
SPPA 6430	Craniofacial Disorders
SPPA 6620	Speech and Language Assessment in Bilingual Populations (Available as an elective to students not enrolled in the BIES specialization)
SPPA 6630	Speech and Language Intervention in Bilingual Populations (Available as an elective to students not enrolled in the BIES specialization)
SPPA 6640	Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) ¹
SPPA 6650	Intervention Issues with the Birth-to-Three Child
SPPA 6750	Clinical Research Methodology ¹
SPPA 6760	Professional Affairs in Speech Pathology
SPPA 6931	Topics in Speech-Language Pathology
SPPA 6961	Speech-Language Pathology Workshop
SPPA 6995	Independent Study in Speech Pathology and Audiology
SPPA 6999	Master's Thesis (6 credits required for Plan A Thesis Option)
Non-SPPA Course Options (other graduate level courses as approved by the Director of Graduate Studies)
COMM 6002	Communication Research in Action
HEAL 5901	Interdisciplinary Palliative Care
HEAL 6102	Curriculum Design and Implementation
HEAL 6007	Ethics Policy and Advocacy in Health Care Organizations
HEAL 6836	Marketing and Economics in Health Care
HEAL 6837	Workforce Solutions: Culture, People and Processes
HEAL 6840	The Environment of Health Care Delivery
HEAL 8010	Health Equity and Disparity
PSYC 5820	Concepts and Principles of Behavior
SPAN 5120	Spanish Phonetics
THEO 5450	Medical Ethics

Required course content that may be satisfied through undergraduate or graduate course work per the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies. When undergraduate course work is approved, students select other graduate course(s) to meet the required 33 credits in this section.

Additional Required Course Work and Clinical Hours

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Interprofessional Course Requirements
IPED 9705	Interprofessional Education Communication	0
IPED 9710	Interprofessional Education Values and Ethics	0
IPED 9715	Interprofessional Education Teams and Teamwork	0
IPED 9720	Interprofessional Education Roles and Responsibilities	0
Clinical Courses and Clock Hour Requirements
Students must earn 400 clinical clock hours overall: 375 direct patient contact hours in either evaluation or therapy (325 of these must be earned at the graduate level) and a minimum of 25 observation hours. Total hours should represent all areas in teh scope of professional practice, be across the lifespan, and include diverse client populations. A total of 13 graduate-level credits hours, listed below, are needed to satisfy this requirement:
SPPA 6735	Procedures in Medical Settings	1.5
SPPA 6736	Procedures in School Settings	1.5
SPPA 6790	Clinical Grand Rounds in Speech-Language Pathology	1
SPPA 6965	Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology: Campus Clinic (multiple completions)	2
SPPA 6966	Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology: Diagnostic Methods	1
SPPA 6967	Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology: School Setting	3
SPPA 6968	Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology: Medical Setting	3
Total Credit Hours:		13

PRAXIS Examination and Capstone Course Work

The Praxis Series Specialty Area Test in Speech-Language Pathology administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), along with the graduate course SPPA 6790 Clinical Grand Rounds in Speech-Language Pathology, comprise the required examination and capstone course work for students in the speech-language pathology program. Students must take the Praxis examination no later than two (2) months prior to graduation. Results of the examination must be received in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology prior to the date for submission to the Graduate School as specified in the Academic Calendar. In addition, a grade of Satisfactory in SPPA 6790 Clinical Grand Rounds in Speech-Language Pathology must be obtained.

Bilingual English-Spanish (BIES) Specialization Requirements

The BIES specialization program requires students to be enrolled in the master of science degree program in speech-language pathology. A Spanish major is not required for admission to the BIES specialization program but non-native Spanish speaking applicants are required to demonstrate oral proficiency via a passing score on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) oral proficiency test. Applicants are advised to submit oral proficiency test results with the application to the master of science program. Testing information can be found on the Speech Pathology and Audiology Department's BIES specialization website, or by contacting the department directly.

Graduate-level academic course work for the BIES may fulfill elective requirements for the master’s degree in speech-language pathology.

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Required course work:
SPAN 4120/5120	Spanish Phonetics	3
SPPA 4610/5610	Multicultural Issues for Speech-Language Pathologists	3
Students are required to complete or have previously completed (1) a three-credit course in Spanish phonetics and (2) a three-credit course in multicultural issues relevant to clinical practice, as listed above. These courses may be taken at either the graduate or undergraduate level. Only if taken at the graduate-level, however, can these courses fulfill electives for the graduate plan of study. Courses taken elsewhere must be approved by the program director.
SPPA 6620	Speech and Language Assessment in Bilingual Populations	3
SPPA 6630	Speech and Language Intervention in Bilingual Populations	3
Required practicum courses: A minimum of 50 clinical practicum hours with individuals who speak Spanish or who are bilingual (Spanish-English) speakers must be obtained under the supervision of a bilingual speech-language pathologist through the following courses.
SPPA 6965	Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology: Campus Clinic	1
SPPA 6966	Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology: Diagnostic Methods	1-2
SPPA 6967	Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology: School Setting	3

University Policies

Graduate School Policies

SPPA 5160 Neurological Bases of Human Communication Processes and Related Functions (3 credits)

Study of the structural, functional and organizational frameworks of the central and peripheral nervous systems as they relate to human communication processes and related functions.

Prerequisite: Enrolled in the SPLA program.

Level of Study: Graduate

Last four terms offered: 2024 Fall Term, 2023 Fall Term, 2022 Fall Term, 2021 Fall Term