Communication Disorders, MS
Through this nationally ranked program, you'll gain the knowledge and skills needed to make a difference in the lives of individuals who have developmental disabilities and those who have acquired neurogenic disorders, hearing loss, and feeding and swallowing difficulties.
Quick facts
Locations
Credits
Additional facts
STEM-OPT extension eligible: No
International students (F1), this program is not eligible for the STEM-OPT extension.
Accreditation and professional licensure
This program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of...
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Degree description
The Master of Science program in communication disorders prepares you to become a certified speech-language pathologist. You can complete this full-time residential program in 20 months.
In the first year of the program, you'll take a series of courses to develop knowledge of and skills in assessment and intervention approaches for communication disorders across the lifespan. You'll also gain hands-on experience providing services to actual clients in on-campus clinics, guided by clinical faculty educators.
In the second year, you'll take required and elective courses to further develop your knowledge in selected topic areas and to acquire additional clinical skills in supervised external placements in the community.
This program offers you research and clinical opportunities in many diverse settings, including:
- early intervention programs and private practice clinics
- inpatient and outpatient medical sites
- public schools
A part-time employment program is available for speech-language pathology assistants in public schools. If seeking specialized training, you can pursue a certificate in multilingual and multicultural services along with this program. If you are interested in research, you have the opportunity to work in labs and complete a master's thesis.
You may have the option of completing some second-year courses via ASU Sync, with program approval. ASU Sync enables you to attend live classes remotely via Zoom, and classes are designed to foster your active collaboration and discussion in real time with faculty and peers.
If you have F-1 or J-1 immigration status, you should verify that you meet the minimum in-person credit hour and total credit hour enrollment requirements before requesting permission to enroll in courses via ASU Sync.
If you seek to use GI Bill® benefits for this ASU Sync program, you should contact the Pat Tillman Veterans Center regarding certain limitations.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. See the official U.S. government website for more information about education benefits offered by VA at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/.
This program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. https://www.asha.org/ Refer to the college webpage for additional accreditation information.
Curriculum
This graduate degree includes courses focused on a specialized topic, so you can advance your skills for further professional opportunities. Explore all courses below.
60 credit hours and a thesis, or
60 credit hours and a written comprehensive exam
Required Core (34 credit hours) Electives (0 or 6 credit hours) Other Requirements (20 credit hours) Culminating Experience (0 or 6 credit hours) Additional Curriculum Information All students must take the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Praxis national exam and have their scores reported to the program.
SHS 538 Clinical Methods and Simulation in Speech-Language Pathology (4)
SHS 539 Professional Issues in Speech-Language Pathology (2)
SHS 567 Neural Bases of Communication Disorders (2)
SHS 570 Communication Disorders and Multicultural Populations (2) or SHS 597 Bilingual Speech-Language Pathology (2)
SHS 571 Augmentative Communication and Language Programming (2)
SHS 572 Language Assessment and Intervention in Infants and Toddlers (2)
SHS 573 Language Assessment and Intervention with School-Age Populations (2)
SHS 574 Management of Feeding and Swallowing Disorders (2)
SHS 575 Aphasia and Related Neurogenic Language Disorders (2)
SHS 577 Current Assessment, Intervention and Research in Autism (2)
SHS 578 Fluency Disorders (2)
SHS 579 Voice and Resonance Disorders (2)
SHS 581 Traumatic Brain Injury and Cognitive Linguistic Disorders (2)
SHS 582 Differential Diagnosis of Communication Disorders (2)
SHS 585 Articulation and Phonology: Assessment and Intervention (2)
SHS 587 Language Assessment and Intervention with Preschool Populations (2)
SHS 500 Research Methods (1)
SHS 580 Clinical Practicum (9)
SHS 584 Clinical Internship (10)
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Praxis national exam in speech language pathology (0)
written comprehensive exam (0) or
SHS 599 Thesis (6)
SHS 538 and SHS 539 should each be taken twice across consecutive fall and spring semesters. Students should repeat SHS 580 and SHS 584 until they have completed nine credits of SHS 580 and 10 credits of SHS 584. Students who choose the written comprehensive examination as their culminating experience must take six credit hours of electives. Students should see their academic unit for a list of approved elective courses.
What you'll learn
The following learning outcomes highlight some of the knowledge and skills you'll develop to support your future success.
- Evaluate evidence-based resources using scientific foundation principles to justify an approach to service provision as a speech-language pathologist.
- Generate recommendations for clients by synthesizing in-depth knowledge of communication and swallowing processes including etiologies, characteristics, anatomical, physiological, acoustic, psychological, developmental, linguistic and cultural correlates.
- Formulate prevention, assessment and treatment options for clients with communication and swallowing disorders.
- Demonstrate skill-based competency in evaluating and treating people across the lifespan who have communication, speech, language, literacy, cognition and swallowing difficulties.
- Effectively function in their role as a speech-language pathologist including active utilization of interprofessional collaboration, interpersonal skills, counseling skills, supervision and advocation for individuals who need services as well as the ability to act in accordance with the ethical, legal and philosophical principles of the speech-language pathology profession and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Evaluate evidence-based resources using scientific foundation principles to justify an approach to service provision as a speech-language pathologist.Admission requirements
Here are the admission and application details
All students are required to meet general university admission requirements.
U.S. applicants (opens in new window) | International applicants (opens in new window) | English proficiency (opens in new window)
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the College of Health Solutions. Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's degree in speech and hearing science or a related field from a regionally accredited institution and completed prerequisite coursework in speech and hearing. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program. All applicants must submit: Additional Application Information All applicants must complete competencies in the following areas before matriculation (ASU-related coursework is included in parentheses): Applicants who have earned a bachelor's degree in an area other than speech and hearing sciences must complete additional competencies in speech and hearing sciences before admission. Competencies include the following (ASU-related coursework is included in parentheses): Applicants who are in the process of completing prerequisite coursework are encouraged to submit their application after final grades for relevant fall term courses have been posted to their transcript and before the priority deadline. The admission committee begins reviewing complete applications after the priority deadline. Applications are considered complete when all materials, including letters of reference, have been received. Contact information for three references is required. References are contacted via email to submit a letter of recommendation and respond to a series of questions about the applicant. It is recommended that the applicant submit two references from faculty in speech and hearing or a related field; the third may be professional. Casper is an online, open-response situational judgment test that helps the program learn more about how applicants think through real-world scenarios. Applicants can complete Casper from anywhere with a reliable internet connection. The test typically takes 65-85 minutes to complete. Casper is not required for admission to the MS in Communication Disorders program. For more information, applicants should view CASPER information for the Communication Disorders MS program. The CASPER exam is not required for admission. An interview may be required in person or via teleconference.
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.
Application deadlines
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | In Person | 01/15 | Priority* |
*A priority deadline means that applications submitted and completed before the priority deadline will receive priority consideration. Applications submitted after the priority deadlines will be reviewed in the order in which they were completed and on a space-available basis. An application is complete after all materials are received by Admission Services.
Paying for college
Use our calculator to estimate your full-time or part-time tuition fees for this program prior to any financial aid. Keep in mind that most of our students receive financial aid, which can reduce out-of-pocket costs.
Get an estimateCareer opportunities
Speech-language pathologists evaluate speech, language, cognitive, hearing, feeding and swallowing functions, integrating medical history and background information to diagnose disorders and plan treatment. Graduates have many opportunities to work with culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
Speech-language pathologists are in high demand. Employment rates are extremely high across all settings, including:
- all school levels, including elementary, middle and high school
- early intervention settings, including home health
- inpatient and acute care hospitals
- neonatal intensive care units
- outpatient rehabilitation
- pediatric outpatient centers
- private practice
Contact information
Use the contact information below to get in touch if you're a current student or have general questions.
Prospective students should fill out the Request for Information form.
School of Clinical Health Sciences
|
HLTHN 401AA
CHSGrad@asu.edu
602-496-3300
Frequently asked questions about degree programs
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) provides a reduced tuition rate to non-resident graduate students who qualify. Visit the WRGP/WICHE webpage for more information: https://graduate.asu.edu/wiche.
