Academic Programs

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

The following curriculum leads to a Bachelor of Science degree in communicative disorders:

• Required courses in Communicative Disorders (40 credit hours)
• Elective courses in Communicative Disorders (nine credit hours)
• General Education Requirements (40 credit hours)
• Free Electives (31 credit hours)

A total of 120 credits are required for graduation.

With careful early planning, students can use free electives to achieve a double major or to explore special interest areas in depth.

Students should anticipate the necessity for graduate study in speech language pathology or audiology. The typical minimum entry requirement for graduate study is a quality point average of 3.00.

By the time a student graduates from the Department of Communicative Disorders with the B.S. degree, he or she will be able to:

1. Demonstrate basic understanding of human communication processes across the lifespan.
2. Critically examine information from various sources.
3. Identify the nature of a communication problem.
4. Demonstrate appropriate oral and written communication skills.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of the ASHA Code of Ethics.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of the scope of practice for SLPs.
   

Graduate Programs

Graduate Program Admission

Admission into the program that leads to a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology requires a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution* and submission of GRE or MAT scores.

The completed application package must be received by October 15 for spring admission and March 1 for fall admission.

*If a student has received his or her Bachelor's degree in a field other than Communicative Disorders, 22 additional CMD undergraduate credits must be earned before completion of a graduate program.

Required Undergraduate Coursework for Students with Bachelors Degree in Another Field.

Master of Science (M.S.) in Speech-Language Pathology

In pursuing a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology, a student can choose either a Thesis or a Comprehensive Examination option. The Comprehensive Examination option may be in the form of a directed essay or a written comprehensive examination.

The following table illustrates the breakdown of coursework students can expect in the available options:

	Speech-Language Pathology
M.S. Thesis Option (54 credits)	54 credits of graduate coursework in communicative disorders Required courses include CMD 493, 504, 550, 560, 561, 564, 565, 569, 570, 581, 582, 583, 584, 585, 592 Elective courses include CMD 492, 494, 563, 571, 580, 594, 595, 598 6 credits of CMD 599
M.S. Non-Thesis Option (54 credits)	54 credits of graduate coursework in communicative disorders Required courses include CMD 493, 504, 550, 560, 561, 564, 565, 569, 570, 581, 582, 583, 584, 585, 592 Elective courses include CMD 492, 494, 563, 571, 580, 594, 595, 598 Written comprehensive examination or scholarly essay project

 

Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology

• Required courses
• Elective courses

For either the thesis or comprehensive examination program options in speech-language pathology, students must also complete sufficient directed observations and supervised clock hours of practicum to satisfy the requirements of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.

Because program requirements in speech-language pathology include clinical responsibilities, the average length of time to complete the program is two academic years, plus one summer session.

 

Accelerated Bachelor's-Master's Program in Speech-Language Pathology

Sixth-semester students pursuing a B.S. in Communicative Disorders with a minimum of 24 credits of electives remaining may apply for acceptance into an accelerated Master's program in speech-language pathology. Students accepted into this program follow a specified sequence of graduate-level coursework and clinical practicum during their senior year and complete the Master's degree with one additional year and one summer of full-time graduate study. Admission is competitive, requiring excellent overall academic performance, particularly in the major, as well as competitive MAT or GRE scores.

A cumulative quality point average of 3.00 overall and 3.20 in the major is required for admission consideration, with MAT or GRE scores in at least the 50th percentile. Two letters of recommendation (at least one from URI communicative disorders faculty) are also needed.

This accelerated program is not available to non-URI undergraduates or to part-time graduate students.

Students in this program are required to take a minimum of 24 credits at the 500 level in their senior year, and 30 credits at the 500 level in the fifth year. Requirements for the M.S. degree in speech-language pathology are outlined in Graduate Programs.