Current Students

The 2021-2023 cohort

Welcome to the master’s degree program in speech-language pathology administered by the Graduate School at the University of Arkansas. Our program is home for graduate and international students and our graduates are recruited for professional practice all over the world. We encourage you to learn more about the graduate school and your home away from home in Fayetteville as you complete your degree.

Should students need support to gain access to the academic or clinical education provided in our program, they are encouraged to set up a meeting with the Center for Educational Access to determine reasonable accommodations while enrolled in our program. Additionally, our campus hosts several resources and academic support services to support students on their higher education journey.

Academics

The Master of Science degree program prepares students for professional practice in the field of speech-language pathology and requires a minimum of five academic semesters to complete, including continuous enrollment in one summer during the sequence of studies. If undergraduate deficiencies are assessed at the time of admission, additional time may be required to finish the M.S. degree.

The graduate course sequence (PDF) or Program of Study can be used as a checklist. To learn more about the courses offered, please view the Catalog of Studies course descriptions and degree overview.

Thesis and non-thesis options are available. Students completing a thesis option forgo the required 9 hours of electives and instead enroll in Master's Thesis coursework. Students choosing the thesis option are allowed to enroll in elective courses if desired, however, elective coursework is completed in addition to the requirements of the thesis option. All candidates for the M.S. degree are required to pass a written comprehensive examination. To practice as a licensed speech-language pathologist, students must also pass the Praxis exam. Students are responsible for reviewing and understanding the Graduate Student Academic Handbook (PDF).

Clinical Education

Clinical education for our graduate program is an innovative and collaborative effort with multiple community partners to ensure that graduates of our program have a wide variety of clinical experience across the lifespan. At the undergraduate level, students have opportunities to participate in community screening programs and potential provide intervention for patients seen at the U of A Speech and Hearing Clinic.

During the first year of the graduate program, students are placed in educational and private practice clinical settings. During the second year of the graduate program, students transition to complete advanced clinical experiences at a variety of clinical settings including medical and developmental centers. Students gain clinical experience in a wide range of settings including hospitals (acute and rehabilitation centers), skilled nursing facilities, home-based services, schools and private practices.

The Communication Sciences and Disorders program faculty and staff are grateful for our community partners who share their patients, resources and knowledge with our students in an effort to train future generations of speech-language pathologists to provide excellent care.

Links to read more about our clinical education process and sites are below.

Student Concerns

This section outlines the steps of the procedure used for addressing concerns while enrolled as a graduate student in the communication sciences and disorders program. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for resolving their concerns without additional faculty, staff, and peers becoming involved. If you have any questions about the procedure outlined below, please don't hesitate to discuss them with the program director.

Concerns Specific to a Course or Professor

  1. First, contact your professor and try to resolve the concern(s).
  2. If you believe that the concern(s) have not been adequately addressed, make an appointment to seek advice from your faculty mentor (assigned at the Welcome Wave).
  3. If you believe that the concern(s) have not been adequately addressed, make an appointment to seek advice from your program director.

Concerns Specific to the Program of Study or Other Academic Areas

  1. First, contact your faculty mentor and try to resolve the concern(s).
  2. If you believe that the concern(s) have not been adequately addressed, make an appointment to seek advice from the program director.
  3. A follow-up appointment may be required with your graduate advising committee.

Concerns Specific to Clinic Placement, Clinical Educator/Supervisor or Other Clinical Areas

  1. First, contact your clinical educator/supervisor and try to resolve the concern(s).
  2. If you believe that the concern(s) have not been adequately addressed, make an appointment to seek advice from the clinical education coordinator.
  3. After seeking advice from the clinical education coordinator, if you believe that the concern(s) have not been adequately addressed, make an appointment to seek advice from your faculty mentor or program director.

If a student has followed the procedure outlined above without resolution of their concerns, they may make an appointment with department head. After talking with the Department Head, if concerns continue, the student can make an appointment with the associate dean of academic and student affairs. The student also has the option to file a grievance with the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance.

If a student has exhausted the steps outlined above without resolution of their concerns, they may utilize the academic grievance procedures for graduate students and graduate assistants outlined in the Objectives and Regulations section of the Graduate Catalog.

Procedures for submitting complaints against the accredited graduate education program in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Arkansas or the Council on Academic Accreditation are available online from the Council on Academic Accreditation for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.

Student Forms and Handbooks

Current Students Forms and Information

Associations