speech clinician demonstrating throat technique to 5-year-old girl

Speech & Hearing Science

Promote effective communication, a human right, through research and clinical practice. Prepare for a career that improves lives.

Master of Arts in Speech & Hearing Science: Clinical

Students in the clinical MA program learn about speech-language pathology in medical and educational settings, as well as speech, language, and hearing science.

This degree may be taken as either a terminal degree or as preparation for further graduate study, including a doctoral degree. For students seeking a terminal degree, the Master of Arts program may be designed with or without clinical practicum experience.

The clinical program ensures clinical competence in speech-language pathology necessary for employment in healthcare and educational settings, private practice, or industry. Successful completion of this program allows students to meet the academic and clinical requirements for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certification and to pursue the Illinois state certification required for speech-language pathology in the public schools. The program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. The clinical MA program requires a minimum of 60 graduate hours.

Federal Disclosure for MA-SLP Program

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology Program satisfies the educational requirements for licensure or certification in all of the 55 U.S. states and jurisdictions. Please go here to find your state’s requirements, resources and contact information.

You are encouraged to contact the appropriate licensing agency for your location or wherever you desire to be licensed or certified to seek information and additional guidance. Please be aware that there may be licensure or certification requirements in addition to an academic program’s curriculum.

Note: This disclosure is being made in compliance with federal regulation 34 CFR §668.43 and the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreements Manual.

Federal disclosure re: Professional Educator's License

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Master of Arts inSpeech-Language Pathology Program has determined that our curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensure or certification in the state of Illinois. We are unable to determine if the curriculum meets the educational requirements for any of the remaining U.S. states and jurisdictions. Please follow this link to find your state’s requirements, resources and contact information.

You are encouraged to contact the appropriate licensing agency for your location or wherever you desire to be licensed or certified to seek information and additional guidance. Please be aware that there may be licensure or certification requirements in addition to an academic program’s curriculum.

Note: This disclosure is being made in compliance with federal regulation 34 CFR §668.43 and the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreements Manual.

Curriculum

Degree Requirements

For more information about degree requirements contact the program director or refer to the university catalog.

Code Course
SHS 410
SHS 410 Stuttering: Theory & Practice

Hours: 4

SHS 430
SHS 430 Development & Disorders Phonol Artic

Hours: 4

SHS 431
SHS 431 Lang Disorders Preschool Child

Hours: 4

SHS 470
SHS 470 Neural Bases Spch Lang

Hours: 4

SHS 511
SHS 511 Assessment & Management of Voice Disorders

Hours: 4

SHS 513
SHS 513 Assessment & Management of Dysphagia

Hours: 4

SHS 514
SHS 514 Motor Speech Disorders

Hours: 4

SHS 533
SHS 533 Advanced Language Diagnostics

Hours: 2

SHS 534
SHS 534 Aphasia and Related Disorders

Hours: 4

SHS 570
SHS 570 Quant Reasoning Speech & Hearing Science

Hours: 4

SHS 571
SHS 571 Clinical Sociolinguistics

Hours: 4

SHS 579
SHS 579 Professional/Ethical/Legal Issues AuD/SLP

Hours: 3

SHS 592
SHS 592 Prosem in Speech & Hearing Science

Hours: 0-1

SHS 599
SHS 599 Thesis Research (optional)

Hours: 8-12

Elective Hours

Hours: 0-12

Required Clinical Practica

Hours: 8-12

Total Hours: 60

Other Requirements

Number of semesters: 6

Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: 12 Credit Hours

Minimum GPA: 3.0

Course Sequence Example for Clinical MA Program

General Course Sequence for Students Entering with a BA/BS in Speech & Hearing Science/ Communication Sciences and Disorders (Updated: July, 2017)

 
Fall I
SHS 511 Assess/Manage Voice Disorders 4
SHS 431 Preschool Language Disorders 4
SHS 470 Neural Bases (pre-req for Dysphagia) 4
SHS 570 Quantitative Reasoning 2
SHS 477 Beginning Clinical Practicum 1
SHS 592 Proseminar 0
EDPR 203 Clinical Experience Fee 0
 
Spring I
SHS 410 Stuttering 4
SHS 430 Phonology & Articulation 4
SHS 513 Dysphagia 4
SHS 533 Advanced Language Diagnostics 4
SHS 477 Beginning Clinical Practicum 2
SHS 592 Proseminar 0
 
Summer I
SHS 514 Motor Speech Disorders 4
SHS 579 Ethics & Professional Issues 3
SHS 575 Schools Methods 2
SHS 577 Advanced Clinical Practicum 1
 
Fall II
SHS 532 School-age Language Disorders 4
SHS 534 Aphasia and Related Disorders 4
XXX Elective (full time) 2or 4
SHS 577 Advanced Clinical Practicum 2
SHS 592 Proseminar 0
 
Spring II
SHS 571 Clinical Sociolinguistics (1st 8 wks.) 4
SHS Elective (1st 8 weeks) 2
SHS Elective (1st 8 weeks) 2
SHS 592 Proseminar 0
SHS 576 Externship (School/Hospital 2nd 8 weeks) 4
 
Summer II
577e Hospital Placement 4

Additional Information

Financial support through the Department, typically research or teaching assistantships, is available for a limited number of students. Assistantships are awarded first to doctoral students and are based on merit and the strategic goals of the Department. For more information on financial aid, need-based financial support may be applied for through the University Financial Aid Office.

CAA Accreditation/Student Achievement Data can be found here.

To be eligible for the Illinois state professional educator license, students must complete SHS 532, Language Disorders in School-Age Children, and SHS 575, School Speech-Language Clinical Methods. Other electives are identified by the student under the guidance and approval of their academic advisor.

Clinical MA Program Admissions Information

Tuition Information

For information on tuition and fee rates, visit the Office of the Registrar’s webpage.

Prerequisite Courses

To satisfy the requirements of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for clinical certification, every student must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of biological sciences, physical sciences, statistics, and the social/behavioral sciences (ASHA Standard IV-A) 2020 Speech Language Pathology Certification Standards.
 
Students must also demonstrate knowledge of basic human communication, including their biological, neurological, acoustic, psychological, developmental, and linguistic and cultural bases (ASHA Standard IV-B). Typically, most of these requirements have been met at the undergraduate level.
 
All students seeking clinical certification must also complete the following University of Illinois undergraduate courses or their equivalents. For students entering with a Bachelor's Degree in Speech and Hearing Science or Communication Sciences and Disorders, the program typically involves two academic years and two summers.

  •     SHS 200 Phonetics
  •     SHS 240 Hearing Science
  •     SHS 300 Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech Mechanism
  •     SHS 301 Speech Science
  •     SHS 320 Development of Spoken Language
  •     SHS 450 Audiology
  •     SHS 451 Aural Rehabilitation (may be taken at the graduate level for graduate credit)

Accreditation

The Master of Arts (M.A.) education program in speech-language pathology {residential} at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 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, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.

A complaint about any accredited program or program in candidacy status may be submitted by any student, instructional staff member, speech-language pathologist, audiologist, and/or member of the public. Criteria for complaints and submission requirements can be found in section XIII of the Accreditation Handbook.

The Audiology and Speech-language Pathology Certification Standards, and the Standards for Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology may be obtained by contacting the CAA office at:


CAA Office at ASHA,
2200 Research Boulevard
Rockville, Maryland 20850

Call ASHA’s Action Center at 1-800-498-2071

Access files at ASHA’s Web site at
http://asha.org/Certification/ and http://asha.org/academic/accreditation

COMMENTS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO:

Chair, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA)
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
2200 Research Boulevard #310
Rockville, MD 20850

Request More Information