Speech-Language Pathology, M.A.

Graduate Program Coordinator: Ashley Gambino (chair)
518-564-2172
Sibley Hall, Room 237

Professors: M. Morgan
Associate Professor:  A. Gambino
Lecturers: E. Cook, V. Delorme, M. Hertel, 
Clinical Directors: R. Flemming, A. Gambino
Adjunct Faculty: 3 teaching 8 supervising (university and hospital)

The Program and Its Options

The program leading to the Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology is designed to serve the educational needs of students seeking a terminal clinical degree as well as those who desire to continue on for an advanced graduate degree. (Visit our website.)

The speech-language pathology program at Plattsburgh motivates students to probe, in depth, all aspects of human communication disorders, to broaden their clinical skills and to engage in research. While each student, through advisement, can augment the curricula to pursue areas of professional interests, there currently are opportunities within the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences to specialize in the following career areas:

• Speech-Language Pathology (Licensure without Teacher Certification) (Curr: 0898)
• Speech-Language Pathology (Licensure and New York State Teacher Certification) (Curr: 0897)

The two-year program is tailored to meet the candidate’s individual needs and professional goals. All programs follow the academic and practicum standards designed by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) leading to ASHA certification, licensure in the State of New York (as well as in most other states), and membership in the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists. The program is registered with the New York State Department of Education for students who desire teacher certification. The exact program of study and the specific time requirements can be determined only after the student and advisor have had an opportunity to determine academic goals.

For students whose academic and/or clinical background is insufficient, a program is available to allow them to make up deficiencies. A two-semester pre-graduate certificate program is available for students with B.A. or B.S. degrees whose academic deficiencies in speech-language pathology are significant. See information on the certificate program in the undergraduate portion of this catalog, or the department’s Web page, or contact the department chairperson for details.

Admission Requirements

Apart from fulfillment of the university’s general admissions criteria and procedures for graduate study, the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has the following stipulations:

1. Applicants with an undergraduate degree pending or completed in Communication Disorders/Sciences must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher (on a 4-point scale) both overall and in the major. Applicants with a non-CSD degree will be considered only if they have an undergraduate GPA minimum of 2.75 and a minimum GPA of 3.25 in CSD courses.
2. At least two of the three letters of recommendation must be from professors who can attest to the applicant’s potential for success in a graduate program and as a professional.
3. Applicants must have coursework in the following areas completed or in progress, preferably from a Communications Sciences/Disorders program:
   1. Normal Speech/Language Development
   2. Phonetics
   3. Speech and/or Hearing Science
   4. Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism
   5. Audiology
      and
      A minimum of two of the following courses completed or in progress:
   6. Physical Science (physics or chemistry recommended)
   7. Statistics
   8. Biological Science
   9. Social/Behavioral Science

Any courses listed above (f-i) which have not been completed before entering the graduate program must be completed before graduation from the graduate program.

4. Applicants must have an undergraduate major in CSD or a minimum of 30 credits in CSD coursework which will be completed before beginning the graduate program to receive the full amount of points used in making admission decisions.
5. If the applicant is an ESL speaker (as per English language testing scores such as the TOEFL), no more than one area percentile can be below the tenth percentile.
6. Selected students are required to participate in a scheduled on-campus interview day.

Any applicant who does not meet these basic requirements (1-6 above) will be denied admission after this initial file review.

The department will review each application individually and will make recommendations for each prospective candidate on the basis of an overall evaluation. Preferences for admission will be given to applicants from pre-professional undergraduate programs in speech-language pathology/communication sciences and disorders.

Students from other undergraduate majors who may want a more comprehensive preparatory program should complete our two-semester certificate program before seeking admission to our graduate program or other graduate programs in speech-language pathology. See information on the certificate program in the undergraduate portion of this catalog, or the department’s Web page, or contact the department chairperson for details.

Admission to the program is granted only for the fall semester. Non-matriculated students and certificate program students are not allowed to take graduate courses in Communication Sciences and Disorders without permission from instructors and the chairperson.

Academic Requirements

Each student must earn a minimum of 61 graduate credits to complete a degree program. Of these credits 41 are academic courses and 20 are clinical practice experience. Students enrolled in Speech-Language Pathology (Licensure and New York State Teacher Certification) (Curr: 0897) must complete an additional 3 credit course (CSD 596).

In addition to the requirement that a graduate student maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average to remain in the program, the department requires that a grade of B or better be earned for each graduate course in the major. Grades below B are not credited toward the degree. If a student receives a clinic grade of C for more than one semester, dismissal from the program may occur. Before beginning an internship students must have successfully completed all appropriate on-campus academic and clinical coursework (except CSD 596 .) The faculty reserves the right to determine a student’s readiness and preparation to undertake an internship. A student may not be permitted to enroll in an internship if the faculty is unable to recommend the student without reservation.

Clinical Requirements

By the end of their graduate program, students must have completed a minimum of 400 clock hours of supervised clinical practicum in accordance with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s standards and New York state licensure requirements. At least 325 of these hours must be obtained at the graduate level. These hours must have been obtained in the Speech and Hearing Center and its affiliate sites with at least 50-100 hours obtained in additional off-campus sites. Students must be prepared to travel to their off-campus practicum sites, as the university cannot provide transportation for students. The practicum schedule does not necessarily correspond with the university’s academic calendar. The off-campus practicum is to be full- or part-time as designated by the host site’s program guidelines. Students must apply for and be pre-approved for the off-campus practicum.

All graduate clinicians are expected to follow the ethical and professional practice guidelines of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. In addition, graduate clinicians must follow behavioral guidelines of SUNY Plattsburgh and the practicum or internship site. Any deviation from the guidelines will result in possible dismissal from an on-campus practicum, an internship site, the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department, and/or SUNY Plattsburgh.

Monitoring Student Progress

Academic and professional development evaluations are made of all students each semester to ensure compliance with program standards including those listed in the department’s Essential Functions document (see departmental Website . If a student’s cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0, the student may be placed on probation, dismissed from the program or prohibited from completing the clinical aspects of the program until the deficiency is made up. In addition, students who exhibit deficits in clinical performance and/or professionalism, regardless of grade point average, will be identified by the faculty and decisions for action will be specified. These decisions will be communicated to the student by either his or her advisor or the assembled faculty.

It is the position of the Communication Sciences and Disorders department that the entire period of a student’s matriculation in a graduate program is a continual professional development experience. Students are expected to behave during this time in a manner which is consistent with the accepted standards of professional and ethical behavior of the department and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Any deviation from these standards will be reviewed by the department for a recommendation of corrective action, including possible dismissal from the program and/or university.

Candidates for the M.A. have the option of completing a thesis. If the student receives approval from the faculty to pursue a thesis, up to three credits for work on the thesis may be added to the credits required for completion of the degree. A formal thesis defense is required and must be completed in the semester that the degree is to be awarded. Candidates selecting the non-thesis option are required to pass a departmental summative assessment project before graduating. Completion of the culminating requirements will be determined by a selected faculty committee.

Students must take the PRAXIS examination in their last semester of study (their second spring semester) and request that their scores be sent to the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at SUNY  Plattsburgh. For the purpose of this requirement, there is no established minimum criterion score; however, the PRAXIS must be eventually passed for students to be certified by the national association and to be able to practice.

Facilities

The departmental clinic is a primary community service resource for an area within a 100-mile radius of Plattsburgh. Faculty and students serve clients in our large on-campus clinic, in an area nursing home, and in the University of Vermont Health Network Champlain Valley Physicians’ Hospital (inpatient and outpatient). The center, department offices, classrooms and voice/speech science laboratory, and audiology suites are all located in Sibley Hall on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus. Our state-of-the-art voice and speech science lab contains a swallowing signals lab, digital stroboscopy with rigid and flexible scopes, Computerized Speech Lab, Nasometer II, Aerophone, Glottal Enterprises equipment, (airflow, EGGII and OroNasalmask), VisiPitch II with ESL software, and five Multi-Speech workstations. Our audiology suite also has state-of-the-art equipment.

Certification/Licensure

To successfully complete the M.A. program as designed, a graduate student must meet the academic and clinical clock hour requirements for the New York State Professional License and for the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The student also may complete the requirements for New York State Education Department Certification for Teacher of Students with Speech-Language Disabilities.