Speech Communication Disorders

Our M.Ed. degree is a clinical degree.  Our objective is to produce clinicians who are fully prepared for an entry-level position, and for a career as a Speech-Language Pathologist.  We have a long, successful record of doing just that. 

Every class and every clinical assignment is aimed at producing clinicians who are prepared for (1) the entire Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology, and (2) the entire continuum of care from acute care, NICU, and early intervention to rehabilitation and school-based clinical practice.  Our courses and clinical practica emphasize hands-on learning and making clinical decisions through evidenced-based practice.  We are in the business of creating professionals for the modern workplace. 

We have a thesis option for those who are thinking about the possibility of pursuing a Ph.D. sometime down the road.  We enthusiastically embrace students who want to do a master's thesis, but only after we have thoroughly discussed the realities of timing and the possibility of adding another semester of grad school.

Track I

Classes

The Track I curriculum is designed for (1) individuals with an undergraduate degree in communication disorders, and (2) individuals with an undergraduate degree in something other than communication disorders who have successfully completed all of the ASHA pre-professional courses at another CAA accredited program.  The Track I curriculum is completed in five consecutive semesters (summers included). 

First year Track I students and second-year Track II students combine to form a cohort and take most classes together.  At the outset, the course load is heavy.  As you progress through the curriculum, the proportion of your time working with clients increases and the proportion of class time begins to diminish.  With time, the initial pattern gradually reverses until you are spending more time in clinical assignments than in class.

The figure below displays the default sequence of Track I courses.

Clinic

Students in our Track I curriculum begin seeing clients right away in our clinic.  First clinical assignments always occur in our clinic.  Twenty-five hours of clinical observation is the first order of business for Track I Associate Clinicians who have yet to acquire them.  Most Associate Clinicians are assigned one or two treatment clients and an occasional assessment at first.  Under the supervision and guidance of our Clinical Instructors, Associate Clinicians are responsible for all clinical documents and billing.  Individual caseloads increase as an Associate Clinician becomes more capable.  By the time Summer Semester arrives, caseloads are substantial.  Associate Clinicians carry individual treatment clients, participate in our SPLISH and SPLASH summer camps (children on the autism spectrum and children presenting with phonological/articulation and language disorders), and conduct evaluations. 

Involvement in our clinic diminishes as students move on to their school and medical externships.  These are about half-time clinical assignments at one of our affiliating sites.  Each is a semester-long assignment.  The final semester is dedicated to a full-time clinical internship (40+ hours per week for 16 weeks).  These occur in Virginia and across the United States.  In essence, our new graduates are very familiar with the work-a-day life and responsibilities of an SLP.

At the conclusion of the internship semester, students return to Charlottesville for the comprehensive exam.  This is an oral presentation of a real life case study (sort of Grand Rounds presentation of a client seen at the internship site).  Students practice these presentations in several classes throughout their studies. 

Track I Curriculum

Track II

Classes

The Track II curriculum is designed for individuals with an undergraduate degree in something other than communication disorders   In the first year, Track II students take (1) pre-professional courses (e.g., Speech & Hearing Science, Clinical Phonetics) with upper-class undergraduate students, and (2) some professional courses (e.g., Articulation and Phonology) with first-year Track I students.  In the second year of Track II studies, students are paired with the cohort of incoming first-year Track I students.

Importantly, the Track II curriculum is integrated in every aspect of our Program operations from the very start.  It follows that Track II students are involved in every aspect of our Program.  We commit about half of the seats in an incoming class to Track II students. 

Some applicants have completed 1 or some of the ASHA pre-professional courses at another university, perhaps online.  In that case we adapt accordingly and so the curriculum for some students is somewhere between Track I and Track I.  That’s not uncommon for us.

The course load in the first year is heavy.  There is a lot to learn before you start seeing clients!  As you progress through the curriculum, the proportion of your time working with clients increases and the proportion of class time begins to diminish.  With time, the initial pattern gradually reverses until you are spending more time in clinical assignments than in class.

The figure below displays the default sequence of Track II courses.

Clinic

Track II students enter our clinic right away.  Associate Clinicians observe several clinician-client pairs throughout their first Fall and Spring semesters.  Eventually, each Associate Clinician spends a semester observing clients who will become their clients in the next semester.  Track II students become responsible for client care in their first Summer semester: one or two treatment clients and an occasional assessment.  As an Associate Clinician becomes more capable, additional clients are added to the caseload.  Typically Associate Clinicians carry individual treatment clients, participate in our SPLISH and SPLASH summer camps (children on the autism spectrum and children presenting with phonological/articulation and language disorders), and conduct evaluations. 

In the second fall semester, caseloads are substantial.  Under the supervision and guidance of our Clinical Instructors, Associate Clinicians are responsible for all clinical documents and billing. 

Involvement in our clinic diminishes as students move on to their school and medical externships.  These are about half-time clinical assignments at one of our affiliating sites.  Each is a semester-long assignment.  The final semester is dedicated to a full-time clinical internship (40+ hours per week for 16 weeks).  These occur in Virginia and across the United States.  In essence, our new graduates are very familiar with the work-a-day life and responsibilities of an SLP.

At the conclusion of the internship semester, students return to Charlottesville for the comprehensive exam.  This is an oral presentation of a real life case study (sort of Grand Rounds presentation of a client seen at the internship site).  Students practice these presentations in several classes throughout their studies.

Track II Curriculum

Applicants must submit an online application including the following items:

• 2 letters of recommendation with at least 1 from a faculty member. Letters should be solicited through the online application system. If that is not possible, paper letters can be mailed to the address on the Curry Admissions page.
• unofficial transcripts
• unofficial GRE scores
• a goal statement (1-2 pages)

Applicants may submit unofficial test scores and transcripts with their application. However, official test scores (taken with 5 years) and official transcripts showing degree conferral are required prior to matriculation.