Master of Arts in Speech and Hearing Sciences

WSU's M.A. program offers unique clinical and research experience, with opportunities to work with well-known scholars on current research. You will gain practical experience in many clinical and educational settings such as (but not limited to) working with:

• Preschool-age children with developmental disabilities.
• School-age children.
• College-age students with learning disabilities.
• Adults with neurological disorders.

Our low student/faculty ratio ensures individual attention, close supervision, and academic innovation.

Overview of Academic Program
Academic course work and clinical practicum offerings prepare students to become professional personnel capable of meeting the diagnostic and therapy needs of individuals of all ages evidencing a wide variety of speech, language, learning, and hearing problems.

Students are prepared as speech-language pathologists to provide direct and consultative services in educational and medical settings. The course of study emphasizes physiological, behavioral, neurological, and psychological dimensions of normal development, fundamental communication processes, and disorders of communication.

By applying science and research to clinical practice, graduate students develop proficiency in reasoning and problem-solving relative to clinical principles and procedures in diagnosis and treatment. The academic teaching and learning philosophy is student-centered, research-based, and writing intensive.

Schedule
Full-time students typically complete the program in approximately 2 years, carrying an average 12-16 credit hours per semester.

Course work is offered on a special "block" schedule that allows students to complete the 3 terms of course work within a 2-semester academic year.

Master's degree candidates are strongly urged to consider summer enrollment when planning graduate programs, to accelerate progress toward completion of the program.

On- and off-campus clinical practicum and internships are available during summer session, as are selected core curriculum and enrichment classes.

Resident/nonresident tuition differential is much smaller during summer session than during the academic year.

Program Accreditation
The graduate program in speech-language pathology is accredited nationally by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and recognized at the state level by the Washington State Board of Education.