Program Objectives
The academic courses and clinical opportunities prepare students to address speech, language, and swallowing disorders across the lifespan in both medical and educational environments. Emphasis is placed on evidence-based practice with sensitivity to cultural and linguistic needs of patients. This program is designed to meet all academic and practicum requirements for clinical certification from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Students planning to practice in the United States must pass all Knowledge and Skills (KASA) competencies in order to obtain certification as an SLP through ASHA.
Accreditation
The Master of Science (MS) program in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700. (Latest accreditation period: June 1, 2022 - May 31, 2030)
Admissions
The UTHSC Program utilizes the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service https://www.capcsd.org/. Prospective applicants may apply by accessing the Speech-Language Pathology Applicant website at https://csdcas.liaisoncas.com. Please note that beginning in 2025, students will start the program in mid-June (Summer session).
Requirements for Admission
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university
- A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the Bachelor’s Degree
- A complete and verified application in CSDCAS
- Casper open response situational judgement test score
- GRE scores will be considered if submitted, but they are optional.
- Foreign applicants whose native language is not English must submit results of TOEFL with a minimum score of 550.
Transfer of Credit
Up to the 30 of the 75 total academic semester hours required for the Master’s degree may be transferred from undergraduate degrees from UT or another institution on the basis of knowledge and skills gained and with the recommendation of the academic advisor and approval of the chair / program director.
A maximum of 15 semester hours of graduate-level academic work and 5 semester hours of clinical practicum taken at the graduate level required for the Master’s degree may be transferred from work completed at an ASHA CAA accredited institution. Such work must have been taken for graduate credit and passed with a grade of B or better and be part of an otherwise satisfactory graduate program. Official transcripts must be received by the Chair of the Department directly from the appropriate institutions before any transfer of credit will be approved. All transfer hours must be approved by the Department and then entered into the transcript by the Registrar’s office.
Health Requirements
Speech-Language Pathology students are required to show proof of current health insurance prior to enrollment. Students are required to be immunized against the Hepatitis B virus and to have an annual skin test for Tuberculosis. Information about meeting these requirements is presented via email prior to the first day of class and, again, during orientation. Some clinical education sites require affiliating Speech-Language Pathology students to have additional vaccinations, drug or health screenings, and background checks. Students are responsible for these costs.
Criminal Background Check
A criminal background check is required after acceptance and prior to enrollment. Upon receipt of an adverse criminal background check, an explanation by the student will be required and a decision will be made by the Chair and Dean as to whether the incident(s) would be a problem for the student when seeking internship placements or licensure to practice. Admission may be denied in some cases. Students should be aware that additional criminal background checks along with drug screens and fingerprinting may be required by clinical sites, certification committees, and state licensure boards. Students are responsible for these costs.
Clinical Externships and State Authorization
Full-time clinical externship sites are located in the Knoxville area, throughout Tennessee, and throughout the United States. Due to the limited number of clinical externship sites in Knoxville and other urban areas in Tennessee, students should anticipate the financial impact of traveling and living out of town for their clinical externship education experiences. As described in more detail in the UTHSC distance education portion of the bulletin, state authorization is mandated for any clinical experiences in a facility outside of the state of Tennessee. UTHSC is responsible for securing the necessary authorizations for any out of state experiences to be completed. Students are to work closely with their respective Directors of Clinical Education to ensure the necessary authorizations are in place prior to finalizing any out-of-state education experiences.
Curriculum Summary
The MS in Speech Pathology program typically requires at least six semesters of study for full-time students with undergraduate preparation in the discipline and eight semesters of study for full-time students who hold bachelor’s degrees in other areas. For this reason, most applicants with an undergraduate background in speech pathology will begin the program in year two. Students with a Bachelor’s degree in an area other than communication disorders are eligible to apply for the program, but their program will be extended an additional 2 semesters (fall and spring) of undergraduate coursework prior to graduate level courses. Part-time students are generally not accepted into the MS-SLP program. In order to earn a MS-SLP, satisfactory completion of a minimum of 75 hours in academic coursework, a minimum of 16 hours in clinical practicum, and 4 hours of Clinical Education Series are required. (Up to 30 hours of requirements may be waived on the basis of knowledge and skills gained at the undergraduate level or prior to enrollment.)
The following courses are required:
The MS-SLP curriculum also offers the opportunity to complete a thesis in lieu of certain elective courses.
In general, courses are offered one time per calendar year. Professional series in SLP (ASP 590), clinical practicum experiences (e.g., ASP 533 - Advanced Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology , ASP 537 - Advanced Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology: Off-Campus School Sites , and ASP 538 - Advanced Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology: Off-Campus II Medical Sites , and directed research or independent study courses (e.g., ASP 500 - Thesis , ASP 593 - Independent Study ) are offered every term.
