College: Communication & Information
Degree: MS
Limited Access: Yes
Contact: Jennifer Kekelis
Address:
201 W. Bloxham,
Warren Building
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1200
Phone: (850) 644-2253
Email: jennifer.kekelis@cci.fsu.edu
NEW for the Fall 2021 Admissions CycleFSU is waiving the GRE requirement for most programs. This includes the Master’s in Communication Science & Disorders program. Students may submit scores with their application but it is not required. There will be no penalty for not submitting scores and no extra credit will be given should scores be submitted.
The goal of this graduate program is to address the critical shortage of speech-language pathologists by allowing students to gain hands-on knowledge and experience at clinical sites in their community in Florida. Classes are offered fully online and students participate in practicum experiences at schools, hospitals, private practices, and other clinical sites in and around their community.
"I am interested in work with individuals with aphasia to help them regain some of their language skills that had been affected by a stroke."
Assistant Professor, School of Communication Science & Disorders
A master’s degree is the minimum educational level for entrance into the profession, and graduate-level training is required for professional specialization and fulfillment of requirements for national certification, state licensure, and state teacher certification.
Professionals in the field work in many settings such as schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing care facilities, industry, government health facilities, research laboratories, and private practice. Although regulations differ, most states require licensure for all employment settings except in the public schools or federal agencies. In addition to practicing directly with persons having disorders, professionals may pursue research, teach, or enter into administration of programs and agencies in the field.
We offer an ASHA-certified part-time master’s degree program online for students seeking speech-language pathology certification. Participants must reside in Florida to complete the program from beginning to end due to the location of their practicum placements. On-site practicum work within the student’s local community is required in conjunction with academic coursework.
The online program begins in fall and takes three years (9 semesters) to complete. The eligibility requirements for the master’s program, including completion of all prerequisites, must be met by the time the program begins.
Students in this program must commit to 12+ hours/week on site for all practicum experiences in semesters 3-8 in addition to taking the academic courses.
We use a hybrid approach in securing clinical placements . Students work with the clinical placement team to find and secure clinical placements for semesters 3 through 9. In general, students use our clinical contract and compliance database (EXXAT) to search for sites of interest .
When sites of interest are not found in Exxat , students are able to request a new contract and the clinical placement team oversees the completion of this process. (Registration for access to EXXAT occurs shortly after orientation for new students.)
This program is designed with the working student in mind. SLPA and Bachelor-level SLP students are able to earn clock hours at their place of employment no more than 3 semesters and receive pay as long as they receive the appropriate supervision from a qualifying SLP as outlined by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Additionally, students are allowed to opt out of one semester of part-time practicum during their time in the program.
The final semester of this program is reserved for a full-time, 8-week internship. Full-time is defined as at least 32 hours/week on site following the same schedule as your SLP supervisor (including following the holidays observed by your internship site vs FSU’s calendar). Students cannot opt out of this experience. The site type (private practice vs medical) determines the level of support the clinical placement team provides. See above.
Please know there are many factors that impact the availability of clinical placement opportunities throughout Florida. Counties with limited placement sites and available supervisors vary from term to term and are unpredictable more than 2 semesters out. If your area is limited in the clinical opportunities needed to earn the experiences and clock hours required for graduation, you may, though rare, need to extend your time in our program beyond the standard three years.
