The graduate program provides students with the necessary coursework and clinical practicum experience to attain a master of arts in speech-language pathology that is applicable toward the Certification of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP) by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and state licensure in the area of speech-language pathology. In addition to successful completion of the master’s degree requirements, the certification and licensure processes include successful completion of the national specialty examination in speech-language pathology and a clinical fellowship (professional experience year).

The graduate program in speech-language pathology is accredited by the Council of Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA). The speech-language pathology program is dedicated to the development of competent and caring entry-level speech-language pathologists. The program is committed to providing a broad foundation of normal bases of speech, language, and hearing and specialized coursework in the assessment and remediation of speech and language disorders. The program provides coursework and practicum experiences with a diverse population to ensure that students demonstrate knowledge and skill competencies to provide services to children and adults with communication disorders.

Undergraduate students with a degree in speech-language pathology will be considered for entry into the graduate program. Students without adequate undergraduate preparation in speech-language pathology will need to complete a series of leveling courses in the major as an undergraduate with degree (UWD). The UWD program is available at the University of Toledo.

The deadline for completed applications for enrollment in the graduate Speech-Language Pathology program is December 15 of every academic year. Applications received after December 15 may not receive full consideration.

Applications should be made directly to the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application System (http://www.capcsd.org/csdcas-student-page/); additionally, a supplemental application should be completed through The University of Toledo College of Graduate Studies.

NOTE: It is the responsibility of the student to monitor his or her application status to insure that all required materials are posted by CSDCAS before the deadline date of December 15. Students may work with the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application System to insure that all materials are posted before the deadline, or notify the speech-language pathology program in the event that materials are lost. Similarly, students must monitor the supplemental application status to insure that all materials are posted before the deadline date of December 15. Failure to do so may result in an incomplete application that is not reviewed.

Acceptance into the ASHA accredited speech-language pathology graduate program is highly competitive. Consequently, many factors are taken into consideration when selecting an applicant for acceptance into the program. These factors include, but are not limited to:

• undergraduate preparation in the field;
• cumulative grade point average (highest consideration for >3.5);
• grade point in the major (highest consideration for  >3.5);
• potential to successfully complete the graduate program;
• quality of references (require 3);
• personal essay (statement of purpose);
• oral and written language skills;
• interview (by invitation); and                                
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Highest consideration will be given to those with a score above the 40th percentile on the Verbal and the Quantitative sections and a GRE writing score  > 4.0. A writing score below 3.5 is not acceptable, and applications with a GRE writing score of 3.0 or below will not be given regular admission. Students are encouraged to retake the GRE to improve their scores if they fall below the required scores.

Each student, while enrolled in the didactic and clinical portions of the speech-language pathology curriculum, is required to complete various immunizations, titers, tests, and a physical examination each year as specified in the Student Health Form Packet in the Speech-Language Pathology Program Student Handbook. Required immunizations include Positive MMR titers, Positive Varicella titer, Positive Heb B titer, Hep B Vaccination Series, Current Tdap, 2-step Initial TB test, and 1-step Annual TB test. All speech-language students are required to complete both an Ohio BCI check and an FBI criminal background check prior to participating in any clinical experiences. Students are prohibited from engaging in laboratory activities or attending clinical facilities if this information is not on file for the current year. For details, see: http://www.utoledo.edu/hhs/speech/formsandhandbook.html

It should also be noted that some clinical education sites have additional health requirements (flu shots, drug screens, etc.). All expenses incurred in obtaining a physical, necessary laboratory tests, immunizations and additional health requirements are the responsibility of the student. 

Essential Functions

The University of Toledo admits and matriculates qualified speech-language pathology students in accordance with the UT Policy of Nondiscrimination on the Basis of a Disability – The Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, The State of Ohio Revised Code, and other applicable statutes and regulations relating to equality of opportunity. 

The Essential Functions provide information to allow a candidate to make an informed decision for application and are a guide to accommodation of students with disabilities. Academic adjustments can be made for disabilities in some instances, but a student must be able to perform the essential functions of a speech-language pathologist independently either with or without reasonable accommodation. 

Many physical, behavioral and social, and cognitive and intellectual abilities are necessary for satisfactory mastery of the academic and clinical curriculum and professional responsibilities in the field of speech-language pathology. Essential physical abilities include, but are not limited to, the ability to visually and auditorily monitor patient responses and materials and to make judgments about patient health based on these perceptions. Examples of behavioral and social attributes include maintaining emotional and mental health necessary to use one’s intellectual abilities, to promptly complete responsibilities, and to develop appropriate relationships with faculty, supervisors, staff, peers, clients, parents or caregivers, and other professionals. Essential cognitive and intellectual abilities include, among others, demonstrating the mental capacity to learn and assimilate professional information, including the ability to comprehend oral and written professional literature and reports; ability to write discipline-specific papers and clinical reports in Standard American English; ability to speak Standard American English intelligibly and to discriminate correct production of and model Standard American English phonemes, vocabulary, grammatical forms, and prosodic patterns.

We urge applicants to ask questions about the program's technical standards for clarification and to determine whether they can meet the requirements with or without reasonable accommodations. Such questions may be directed to the Program Director or the Academic Enrichment Center on campus.

Students are divided into two cohort groups/tracks (Gold and Blue). While all students will graduate having the same didactic and clinical requirements, the two cohorts will go through a different sequence of courses. In addition to the academic requirements of the degree, students must enroll in graduate credits to complete multiple clinical experiences including on-campus clinical practica as well as a minimum of internships to meet clinical requirements for certification. Students may choose between a thesis and a comprehensive examination.

The following programs of study assume no deficiencies in normal bases of speech/language/audiology requirements exist.

Plan of Study