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, child speech sound 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 the State of Wisconsin require a program plan of study that includes requirements put forth by the Department of Public Instruction of the State of Wisconsin (WI-DPI).

Required Course Work and Clinical Hours

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.