Program Overview:
The field of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) is academically and personally challenging. It offers qualified persons the satisfaction of knowing that they have facilitated the growth of individuals who are working toward the fulfillment of their human potential and communicative competence. The College of Saint Rose is dedicated to the development of future speech-language pathologists who have the broad-based scientific and humanistic knowledge, professional expertise, clinical insight, and interactive competence needed to face the challenges of the field and to handle with sensitivity and compassion the difficulties experienced by exceptional individuals. Students in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program are encouraged to develop broad personal, academic and cultural interests consistent with the Conceptual Framework of the School of Education.
The program in Communication Sciences and Disorders requires a minimum of 56 credits and 400 clock hours of approved, supervised clinical experience. Of the 400 hours, 325 must be at the graduate level. A minimum of 50 hours must be accrued in each of three different types of clinical settings. Prerequisite course work is required of students without an undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and may be required of others, before they can begin graduate courses. A minimum grade of B in all of these CSD prerequisite courses is required to remain in the program.
Objectives
The graduate program, leading to the Master of Science in Education degree, is designed to satisfy the academic and clinical requirements for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) and New York State licensure. Completion of the graduate program also satisfies the educational requirements for New York State teacher certification (Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities). The program is accredited through July 31, 2017 by the Council on Academic Accreditation of ASHA and is approved for both New York State licensure and New York State teacher certification.
Mission Statement
The faculty and staff of the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department are dedicated to the preparation of professionals for the field of speech-language pathology, with regard to scholarship and research skills, ethical and effective clinical practices, and effective interpersonal and advocacy behavior. The department faculty strives to foster the development of students’ values related to integrity and ethical behavior, academic excellence across scientific and humanistic content areas, lifelong learning and pursuit of knowledge, collegiality and community service, and sensitivity to the issues of cultural diversity. This preparation will allow the student to hold paramount the well-being of clients and their families/caregivers. It will also facilitate the successful attainment of clinical, supervisory, or academic positions, as well as active participation in leadership roles within local, state or national associations. In order to provide excellence in student preparation and continued support and advancement in the profession at large, this faculty is committed to ongoing development of instructional methodology and assessment procedures, current clinical updating, and the establishment and maintenance of research and scholarly activities.
Clinical Philosophy
The Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at The College of Saint Rose embraces a philosophy of clinical service delivery that is consistent with the ethical standards, scope of practice, and current standards of practice of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. It is our goal to serve individuals with communication disorders in the most effective and humane manner possible and to ensure that our students commit themselves to this fundamental clinical value. Achieving this goal requires acquisition of the scientific knowledge base in addition to a number of technical and interpersonal clinical skills and competencies, and their flexible application to meet varied clinical needs.
Program Contacts:
Dr. James Feeney
Communication Sciences & Disorders Department Chair
Email: feeneyj@strose.edu
Program Webpage:
Communication Sciences and Disorders M.S.E.D.
Program Requirements:
Total Program Requirements: 56 Credits
Required Courses (40 Credits)
Statistics (three credits) is a prerequisite or co-requisite to CSD 593.
Elective Courses (6 Credits)
Students who have taken graduate courses in other institutions may transfer the courses into their program as described in this Catalog of Graduate Studies and with faculty approval. Students may also take a maximum of one elective course outside the major during their program of study. A non-CSD elective must be approved by the faculty before a student registers for the course.
Comprehensive Exam or Thesis Option (0-6 Credits)
Clinical Requirements (minimum of 10 credits)
A minimum of ten credits in clinical practicum are required. Students who have obtained undergraduate clinical clock hours may bring 25 hours of observation and 50 hours of supervised clinical practicum into their graduate program of study. Students must continue to register for credit and apply for a placement until ASHA’s 400-clock hours requirement is correctly distributed and met. Practicum experiences require students to travel, necessitating a vehicle.
Required Practicum Experiences (10 Credits)
CSD 589 will be offered every semester. Students must complete an application and provide their top three choices for this clinic.
CSD 580 is a pre-requisite. Students will be assigned to a clinic based on the number of students needed for each Specialty Clinic, including but not limited to, Fluency Weekend Workshop for Individuals Who Stutter (only offered in the spring), Accent Modification, Transgender Voice Modification, and Cognitive Wellness.
CSD 583, CSD 587: In order to be eligible for teacher certification as a Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities, students must show evidence of course work or complete courses in education, as well as courses in liberal arts and sciences. Students who have not completed a public school practicum in communication sciences and disorders at the undergraduate level must enroll in CSD 587, instead of CSD 583. SED 450 (Organization of a Speech, Language, and Hearing Program in Elementary and Secondary Schools) or the equivalent, is also required, as well as workshops (or courses) in substance abuse, child abuse, AIDS/communicable diseases, violence prevention, and the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA).
Additional Clinical Practicum Experiences
Students who need additional clinical clock hours beyond their required practicum courses can enroll in CSD 584 (over 30 clinical clock hours) or CSD 588 (20-30 clinical clock hours).
The above-noted requirements are usually completed at the undergraduate level.
ASHA’s Science and Mathematics Requirements
ASHA requires that students have course work in the following four areas: biological science, physical science, math, and social/behavioral science. These requirements are usually completed at the undergraduate level. If they are completed at the graduate level, they will be in addition to the 56 credits required to complete the program.
Other General Requirements
Students are required to attend departmental Graduate Program Meetings, which are held on the third Thursday of each semester. Notices of these meetings, as well as other important program documents, are posted on Blackboard, the College’s web-based course management program. Through program meetings, students become familiar with the requirements of the department, New York State teacher certification, New York State licensure and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certification. Students are strongly encouraged to attend the annual mini-convention, which is sponsored by The College of Saint Rose chapter of the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA).
Final Evaluation
Final evaluation of graduate students in Communication Sciences and Disorders will be based upon satisfactory completion of all academic and clinical requirements. In addition, students must successfully complete either a final comprehensive exam (during their final semester of study or after completing all course work and practice) or a master’s thesis. The thesis option satisfies six credits of elective course work and requires department permission. The description of the combined B.S./M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders can be found in the Catalog of Undergraduate Studies.
Total Credit Hours: 56
Internship/Field Experience/Service:
Required Practicum Experiences (10 Credits)
CSD 580: (Prerequisite: Fingerprinting)
CSD 587: (Prerequisites: SED 450, drug and child abuse courses, DASA)
CSD 586: (Prerequisite: CSD 533)
Culminating Academic Experiences:
Comprehensive Exam or Thesis Option (0-6 Credits)
Professional Accreditation:
The College of Saint Rose, sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet, Albany Province, is chartered by the Board of Regents of New York State. All of its degrees and programs are registered and its professional programs are fully approved by the Board of Regents through the New York State Education Department.
The College of Saint Rose is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (267-284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
The specialized accrediting agencies noted below are recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation: The Communication Sciences and Disorders Program at the master’s level is accredited by The Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology; Programs offered by The College of Saint Rose for the preparation of all school professionals, leading to initial and advanced certifications, are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
Admissions and Financial Aid Information:
General Admission Information
Eligibility for admission to The College of Saint Rose graduate programs is typically based upon the following minimum requirements:
- Submission of a completed application and a Statement of Purpose of approximately 300 words detailing the applicant’s goals for graduate study.
- Evidence of the possession of a U.S. baccalaureate degree or equivalent from an accredited institution through submission of official transcripts from all post-secondary education.
- Academic and professional qualifications for graduate study, as indicated by two letters of recommendation. The Communication Sciences & Disorders program requires three letters of recommendation.
- A grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), overall and in the undergraduate major.
- Other admission criteria specified by academic programs such as submission of resumes, writing samples, portfolios, test scores, and participation in interviews or admissions workshops.
Applicants to The College of Saint Rose are responsible for completing their applications by submitting all required components. Prospective students may wish to visit our website at www.strose.edu/gradapply for online application.
See Graduate Admissions section for more information.
Financial Aid
The College of Saint Rose has long been committed to the premise that a quality education should be within the reach of qualified students. To this end, the College serves its student body through a comprehensive program of federal, state, and institutional financial aid. While the basic responsibility for financing education lies with the students and their families, scholarships, loans, and/or assistantships can supplement insufficient family resources. The amount of aid available through the College is limited and is awarded on the basis of academic merit. All financial assistance from the College is subject to adjustment if the recipients are later granted aid from other sources. Financial aid awards are contingent upon students’ maintaining good academic standing and satisfactory academic progress.
See Financial Aid section for more information.
Additional Communication Sciences and Disorders Admission Information:
- Standard Graduate Admissions office requirements for graduate study. (Visit the new CSD admissions portal at https://portal.csdcas.org/)
- Two official copies of a breakdown of clinical hours if the applicant completed supervised observation or clinical clock hours in an undergraduate program in Communication Sciences and Disorders. (Students who obtained their undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at The College of Saint Rose are not required to provide these copies.)
- Scores on the Graduate Record Exam (quantitative and verbal).
- Applicants who successfully complete the initial application process will also be required to successfully complete an on-campus or web-based interview prior to acceptance into the graduate program.
- Applicants who have not completed an undergraduate Communication Sciences and Disorders degree should expect to take undergraduate prerequisites for ASHA and teacher certification, depending upon prior relevant course work. This may also apply to students who do have an undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders but who lack foundation coursework. Careful transcript review will be completed in order to determine an applicant’s need for prerequisite courses. Careful completion of the Content Area Review Form is required as part of the application process and will be used to determine an applicant’s need for prerequisite courses. In addition, for New York State Teacher Certification, transcripts will be reviewed for the necessary Liberal Arts and Science Requirements, and deficiencies will be communicated to the applicant.
- Although the following are not required for admission to the program, once accepted, students will be required to sign the Essential Functions Document (which can be found at http://www.strose.edu/graduateadmissions/graduateforms). The document states that students with a communication disorder that may negatively impact their ability to communicate effectively or provide speech and/or language models will be required to remediate the identified area prior to participating in their first (undergraduate or graduate) clinical experience.
In addition, students who speak English with accents and nonstandard dialects will be required to achieve a minimum overall score of 90-100 on the TOEFL with a minimum score of 26-28 on the speaking section of the TOEFL prior to beginning their first (undergraduate or graduate) clinical experience.
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