Speech Language Pathology (SPLA)

Graduate Degree Program
College: Behavioral and Social Sciences

Abstract

The M.A. program in Speech-Language Pathology is offered by the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. This program is available to post-baccalaureate students who have completed undergraduate pre-requisites in hearing and speech sciences/communication sciences and disorders. The SPLA program is an academically based, clinically oriented program designed primarily to prepare professional Speech-Language Pathologists. While information pertaining to communication disorders comprises the central focus of the degree, education about the normal processes of communication, as well as about research methods, is considered an integral part of the program.

Students completing the program are eligible to obtain the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology (CCC-A) of the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and licensure in the State of Maryland and other states. The program typically takes 2 years of study (5 semesters, including the intervening summer and winter semesters). Students have the option of pursuing a Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Emphasis track as part of their M.A. degree. Additionally, students can concurrently pursue a post-baccalaureate Bilingual Certificate Program in Speech-Language Pathology.

The department also offers two additional graduate degree programs. At the doctoral level, the Ph.D. in Hearing and Speech Sciences is offered, with concentrations in Hearing, Speech or Language (see HESP program code). Students applying to the Ph.D. program can opt to receive an MA in Speech-Language Pathology en route to the final degree. For this M.A-Ph.D. dual degree route, applicants should use the program code HESP when applying. Students who wish to pursue the MA degree and Ph.D. successively should apply to the MA program using the degree code SPLA. Second, a clinical doctorate in Audiology is offered, leading either to an Au.D. degree or a combined Au.D./Ph.D (see CAUD).

Financial Assistance

A limited number of graduate assistantships and fellowships are available through the Department. Assistantships that carry teaching, research or clinical responsibilities are awarded on a competitive basis. Students may also seek assistantships elsewhere on campus (such as through the Dean’s office or through other departments) or fellowships sponsored by private foundations (e.g., American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation). During most years, a limited number of scholarships are offered by Montgomery County Public Schools, which involve a post-graduation commitment to work for the school system.

Contact

Website: http://www.hesp.umd.edu

Courses: HESP

Relationships:  Clinical Audiology (CAUD)    Hearing and Speech Sciences (HESP)    Second Language Acquisition     SLPH)    Second Language Acquisition (SLMA)    Special Education (EDSP)

General Requirements

• Statement of Purpose
• Transcript(s)
• TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international graduate students)

Program-Specific Requirements

• Letters of Recommendation (3)
• CV/Resume
• Supplemental Application
• Completion of at least 60% of undergraduate pre-requisite courses prior to application. For a list of pre-requisite courses, please visit here.

Admission to the M.A. program is on a very competitive basis. Each year, the Department receives approximately 250-300 applications for 25 anticipated spaces in the M.A. program in Speech-Language Pathology. Successful M.A. applicants typically have earned at least a 3.5 undergraduate GPA (with 3.7-3.8 being the average), and have strong GRE scores and letters of recommendation and a Resume. In addition to the Graduate School requirements, the Department requires applicants to furnish scores on the Graduate Record Examination. Admission to the M.A. and CAUD programs is solely confined to fall matriculation. All students must finish their undergraduate program-specific prerequisite classes before matriculating in the fall. Prospective applicants should note that decisions on admissions are made in early March. Only full-time students are admitted.

For more admissions information or to apply to the program, please visit our Graduate School website.

Application Deadlines

Other Deadlines: Please visit the program website at http://www.hesp.umd.edu

The Department’s facilities include

1) Numerous modern research laboratories equipped to support research in the areas of: acoustic phonetics, psychoacoustics, cochlear implants, infant and adult speech perception, neuropsychology, language disorders, bilingualism, and language development, voice, fluency and electrophysiology.

2) The Hearing and Speech Clinic at UMCP: this clinic serves as the initial practicum site for all students pursuing clinical training. The Clinic includes multiple audiological test suites equipped for diagnostic testing, a complete hearing aid dispensary, a group rehabilitation room, and state-of-the-art equipment for behavioral and electrophysiological diagnostic testing, as well as hearing aid selection and fitting. Ten speech and language diagnostic and therapy rooms are integrated with observation areas; and an on-site language pre-school (LEAP, the Language-Learning Early Advantage Program), also equipped for observation.

All of the clinical and research facilities are potentially available for the conduct of student-directed research projects, or for student participation in faculty-initiated research projects. Additional research and clinical facilities are available in the Washington and Baltimore metropolitan areas. The Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine and the libraries of various medical schools in the Washington-Baltimore area supplement the University’s extensive libraries at College Park.

The Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences participates in the Neuroscience and Cognitive Sciences graduate program (see NACS; https://nacs.umd.edu/), the Comparative and Evolutionary Biology of Hearing Training Grant, and the Maryland Language Science Center (http://languagescience.umd.edu), and has ties to the Center for Advanced Study of Language (CASL); these connections afford students the opportunity to work with faculty in other departments at the University of Maryland, College Park, or at UMB.