Speech-Language Pathology

Clinical Education Requirements

A student must meet specific requirements of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences for the clinical practicum portion of the training program.

  • Be a graduate student in good standing or a senior who has been officially accepted and admitted to participate in SLP clinical practicum for the specified semester
  • Meet the GPA requirements within the department during each semester of clinical practicum
  • Be enrolled in the appropriate clinical course(s) for the specified credit hours (COMD 6100, 4100, 6200, 6300)

Prior to beginning clinical practicum, students must supply documentation of the following:

  • Current passed background check (contact the Teacher Education Office in the College of Education and Human Services)
  • Complete and updated immunizations (T-dap, TB, Varicella, Hepatitis B, MMR)
  • Current personal health insurance coverage
  • Current CPR certification
  • Verification of completion of 25 hours of guided observation by an ASHA-CCC SLP or Audiologist

The student should have successfully completed or be concurrently enrolled in the coursework that provides the knowledge and skills required for the client or practicum site in which the student is engaged. On the rare occasion when a student has a client or site in advance of the relevant coursework, appropriate support will be provided, which may require additional preparation on the part of the student. 

Off-campus practicum must be completed at sites and with supervisors who have been pre-approved by the externship coordinator in speech-language pathology. Students enrolled in the department may not complete independently-arranged clinical practica or any clinical contact  hours and then submit them to the department for later approval. Students must complete clinical practicum for the length of time and work hours established by the clinical coordinator and practicum supervisor.

Comprehensive Exam (SLP)

The comprehensive examination is the capstone experience for SLP graduate students following the Plan C program option. The comprehensive examination occurs during the final semester of the graduate program. To take the exam, students must have completed their academic coursework and met all KASA academic competencies.  

Registration

The examination is taken as a 1-credit SHS 6930 course on a Pass/Fail basis. The time and place of the comprehensive examination will be determined by the chair of the comprehensive exam committee. Appropriate accommodations will be made for students with documented disabilities.

Purpose

The examination is designed to reveal the candidate’s knowledge of communication and swallowing development and disorders as well as assessment, identification, diagnosis, intervention and follow-up services for individuals with communication and swallowing disorders. Students will be evaluated on their comprehension, integration, and application of knowledge from across the graduate curriculum.

Procedure and Content

The 2-hour closed book proctored online examination will consist of multiple choice type questions on topics that have been addressed in the graduate academic coursework. There will be sets of questions tied to clinical cases and individual questions on discrete ideas. Questions tap knowledge in varied ways, including recall, analysis, synthesis, and apply. Examination questions are designed by faculty who teach the SLP curriculum. The questions address important big and small ideas from classes that students in their final semester should have acquired and need only strategic review to bring back to mind.

Requirements

Students must earn an 80% or better in order to pass the examination. Students who fail to pass may take a second version of the test once. Those students will meet with two committee members to review their strengths, weaknesses, and how to do better the next time. If they have particular areas of weakness, they may also meet with the relevant course instructor(s) for further preparation guidance. The second opportunity to take the exam will occur by mid-March, in a time window set by the area committee members. Failure to pass this second exam will result in a Fail for SHS 6930.

A Fail on SHS 6930 counts toward the limit of two unsatisfactory final course grades (< B-) across their program of study. Students for whom this is the only unsatisfactory final course grade may re-take the Comprehensive Examination course once. The student will register in a new section of SHS 6930, either in that semester or a subsequent semester, as determined by the comprehensive examination committee.

Students enrolled in a Plan B thesis project route should determine from their primary mentor before the end of the semester prior to the exam that that they have made sufficient progress to continue. If not, they should switch to Plan C and enroll in SHS 6930. If the switch to Plan C is made too late to prepare for and take the exam on the designated date, graduation may be delayed.

Plan A (Thesis) or Plan B (Project) Policy and Procedures

The thesis or project is the capstone experience for students following the Plan A or B program options. It follows an individualized schedule over the course of the student’s graduate program.

A graduate thesis project is a major endeavor for a master’s student in speech-language pathology. It allows students to gain deep knowledge of a particular topic, learn about the research process, develop professional writing skills, and work closely with a research professor. This is a valuable opportunity for learning and growth that provides a foundation for later doctoral study and stronger skills in evidence-based clinical practice. However, students should be aware that the thesis or project is additional to an already demanding master’s program. The thesis route should be chosen only after serious reflection about personal capacity and interest, and after consultation with potential major professors and the graduate program advisor.

Speech-language pathology graduate students follow the Plan B requirements with projects that are more flexible and smaller in scope, but similar in quality to a Plan A thesis. In this division, Plan B projects are typically referred to as theses. The Plan B changes the student’s degree from a Master of Arts to a Master of Science.

Students in the MS in Communication Sciences non-clinical degree must complete a Plan A thesis.

To begin a Plan A/B thesis project, the student should first identify a major professor, and with that professor, determine a topic and a plan. The student should notify the SLP graduate advisor and review the appropriate forms for the Plan A or B option at the School of Graduate Studies forms website. The graduate advisor will guide students through the particular forms and steps needed.

The student’s supervisory committee is chosen by the student in consultation with the student’s major professor. The supervisory committee consists of three USU faculty members. The student’s major professor is Chair of the committee. This person must be Graduate Faculty (usually PhD) in the Division of Speech-Language Pathology. There is one internal member and one external member. The internal member may be regular Graduate Faculty or may be clinical faculty with particular expertise. The external member is Graduate Faculty (usually PhD) from another division of Speech and Hearing Sciences or from another USU department. The external member has two roles: (a) to hold an outsider view of the fairness and rigor of the process; and (b) to contribute particular expertise to the project. The committee can be larger than three with additional members contributing particular expertise. However, this is generally not done because a large committee can make the process more complicated.

The quality of the product, which should represent the student’s own best work, is the responsibility of the student. Monitoring the quality of the thesis or Plan B paper and mentoring the student in writing the report are responsibilities of the major professor, with the assistance of the supervisory committee. Editing by anyone other than the major professor and the supervisory committee should be limited to mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Drafts of sections should be submitted periodically to the major professor for critique.

he thesis is defended with a short oral presentation followed by a committee oral examination. Following the examination, the committee determines Pass, Pass with Revisions, or Fail. The committee then completes a Thesis Rating Rubric.

After the thesis project is defended and final revisions are completed, Plan A and Plan B final reports are submitted to the library to be archived on Digital Commons. There are specific formatting requirements for the Plan A thesis. The Plan B paper should adhere to whatever format the student’s major professor considers appropriate. Learn more about formatting the Plan B.

The following is a list of the major steps for carrying out a thesis project, all conducted under the guidance of the thesis chair/mentor:

  1. Develop the thesis project and timeline
  2. Form the thesis committee and notify the graduate advisor
  3. Write the thesis project proposal (rationale with literature review, research questions, method)
  4. Set the Proposal meeting date with committee and notify the graduate advisor
  5. Submit the proposal to the thesis committee at least 2 weeks in advance of the meeting
  6. Carry out the thesis project and write up the full report
  7. Enroll in at least 1 of the required thesis credits in the semester of the Defense
  8. Set the Defense date with the committee and notify the graduate advisor
  9. Submit thesis project report to committee at least 2 weeks in advance of the defense
  10. The graduate advisor notifies the SLP division of the Defense: date, project title, student and Chair names
  11. Defense: 15-20 min oral presentation, audience questions, audience leaves, committee examination
  12. The Chair notifies the graduate advisor of the Defense outcome 
  13. Make required revisions under conditions determined by committee
  14. Share final report with committee members in addition to submitting to library.
  15. The committee completes the Thesis Rating Rubric.
  16. Thesis Chair sends completed Rubric to student and SLP Division Chair.