North Carolina Central University

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Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Academics

General Requirements

The academic and clinical components of our master’s program address the following requirements:

  • The minimum requirements for NC Central’s School of Graduate Studies Master of Science degree
  • The Department of Communication and Sciences Disorder’s academic and clinical requirements
  • The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certification requirements for speech-language pathology
  • North Carolina’s state licensure requirements for speech-language pathology
  • North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction requirements to practice in public schools
note:

The Department of Communication and Sciences Disorders has not made a determination that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements to practice in any other state. Prospective and current students who are not North Carolina residents should use the following link for information regarding state licensure specific to individual states throughout the United States: http://www.asha.org/advocacy/state/.

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders requires prerequisite courses in the following areas to address ASHA certification standards IV-B and IV-C for speech-language pathology; the corresponding NCCU course numbers are provided, and these courses are offered online:

  • Anatomy and Physiology (EDSH 5710)
  • Aural Rehabilitation (EDSH 5752)
  • Introduction to Audiology (EDSH 5751)
  • Phonetics (EDSH 5730)
  • Scientific Bases of Speech or a similar class that combines speech and hearing science (EDSH 5725)
  • Speech and Language Development (EDSH 5700)
  • At least 25 clinical observation hours of ASHA-certified speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with valid supporting documentation across a variety of settings (EDU 4810)

ASHA certification standards also require three-credit-hour coursework in the following basic sciences:

  • Biological sciences (courses should emphasize a content area related to human or animal sciences, e.g., biology, human anatomy and physiology, genetics, neuroanatomy or neurophysiology)
  • Physical sciences (chemistry or physics only)
  • Social sciences (e.g., psychology, sociology, anthropology or public health)
  • Statistics (at least a grade of B or grade 3.0)

With the exception of Aural Rehabilitation, each prerequisite course and a minimum of 25 guided observation hours must be completed before a student can enroll in a clinical practicum. Students who have not completed all of the prerequisite courses can be admitted to the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Two-Year Track Course Sequence

A student admitted unconditionally to the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders who has completed all prerequisite courses (including introductory science courses) is expected to graduate in five to six semesters (including summer) of full-time study and clinical practicum. Students are expected to earn at least 60 graduate credit hours to complete the program.

Two-year students have an undergraduate degree in communication disorders or an undergraduate degree in a related field but have completed all of the prerequisite coursework in communication disorders.

Three-Year Track Course Sequence

Students who have not completed all of the prerequisite courses can be admitted to the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. These individuals have an undergraduate degree in a related field but need to complete the required prerequisite courses before beginning graduate coursework and clinical practicum. A student admitted unconditionally for the three-year sequence is expected to graduate in seven to eight semesters (including summer) of full-time study and clinical practicum.

Areas of Focus

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders offers graduate students the opportunity to enhance their professional competencies by specializing in areas of service. Faculty members coordinate these areas of specialization and determine the eligibility criteria and application process. Upon selection, students participate in distinct educational, professional development or practicum experiences in speech-language pathology to foster their knowledge and skills in a specific area. These areas may require students to complete courses and practicum experiences in addition to the expectations in the typical course sequence. Areas of specialization include:

  • Transgender voice modification
  • The bilingual specialization provides a combination of specialized coursework and practicum training to address the needs of bilingual or multilingual children and adults with communication disorders.
  • A Collaborative Approach to Training Special Educators and Speech-Language Pathologists (CATSS) is a federally funded personnel development grant from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), US Department of Education, designed to improve the outcomes for children with disabilities such as significant emotional disabilities, communication impairments or autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose is to train graduate scholars in special education (SPED) and speech-language pathology (SLP) to provide evidence-based practices to school-age children with high-intensity needs through an interdisciplinary curriculum.