Communication Sciences & Disorders: Program Structure

• 54 credit hours including:
  • Fourteen three-credit academic courses
  • Three one-credit seminars
  • A master's thesis option
  • Five one-credit clinical placements
  • Four one-credit clinical methods courses
  • Comprehensive examination in communication disorders
  • Successful completion of appropriate coursework and clinical practica to meet the current requirements of ASHA for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology
• Full-time enrollment
• Fall admission

Accreditation

• Accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
• Approved by the Massachusetts Department of Education for the preparation of Teachers of Students with Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders (all levels, pre-K through 12)
• Approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to offer Provisional Certification with Advanced Standing to students completing our early intervention curriculum

For Students without a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders

We encourage students without an undergraduate background in communication disorders to apply for admission into the Communication Sciences & Disorders program. Each year, about half of our incoming class is composed of students whose backgrounds are in other areas.

Prior to enrolling at Emerson, you will need to fulfill six prerequisite courses:

• Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism
• Introductory Audiology
• Language Acquisition
• Phonetics
• Speech Science
• An introductory survey course

These courses may be taken at another institution, at Emerson during the academic year prior to your enrollment, or at Emerson during the summer before you enroll.  Should you choose to fulfill these requirements at Emerson during the summer, you will only need to take five classes, as Phonetics and Speech Science are combined into one class called Articulatory & Acoustic Bases of Speech.  You would take three classes during the first summer session and two during the second summer session.

Educator Preparation and Licensure

Students in Emerson's Communication Sciences & Disorders program can earn a Massachusetts Educator License as a Specialist Teacher in Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders (all levels).

Early Intervention

The Communication Sciences & Disorders department offers a Provisional Certification as an Early Intervention Specialist, a required credential for all clinicians practicing within early intervention programs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, for graduate students interested in working with young children and their families.

ASHA Certification

To be ASHA certified, you must also complete one college level course in each of the following.  This is in addition to the master's degree requirements.  You may have fulfilled these as an undergraduate.

• Math
• Physical science
• Biological science
• Social or behavioral science