Successful completion of this degree prepares students to meet the requirements for the State of Ohio Licensure in Speech-Language Pathology and the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Students in the MA-SLP program may choose a thesis or topic specialization (non-thesis) option for the Master’s program of study, with the choice between these options made by the end of Year 1. This degree usually entails two full academic years and two summers.

Thesis option. The option requires that the student conduct original research under the guidance of a Master’s committee (an advisor and, minimally, one other graduate faculty member from the Department). This option requires a prospectus meeting prior to data collection, carrying out of the research itself, preparation of the thesis document, and a thesis defense.

Topic specialization option. This non-thesis option requires that the student complete all required coursework and 8 elective credits that form the specialization. In addition, students pursuing this option must pass the NTE Praxis examination and successfully complete a poster presentation related to their topic specialization in Spring of Year 2.