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2009-2010 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Communication Sciences and Disorders (M.S.)
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 Return to: Family Studies and Human Services
The Family Studies and Human Services department offers a Master of Science degree in Family Studies and Human Services with a specialization Communication Sciences and Disorders. Communication Sciences and Disorders is an area of professional specialization that developed out of concern for people with speech, language, and hearing disorders. The program in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) has been an established presence at Kansas State University for more than 45 years. The goal of the CSD program is to educate clinicians who are competent to help children and adults with difficulties in any aspect of oral and written communication or swallowing. It is part of the School of Family Studies and Human Services, a multidisciplinary department in which sociologists and psychologists, speech-language pathologists and audiologists, economists, gerontologists, social workers, and marriage and family therapists address the broad social issues affecting the development of individuals and families.
The Master’s degree offered in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Kansas State University is focused on speech-language pathology. It is a full-time, two-year program, starting either in the summer/fall or spring semesters. The majority (about 90%) of CSD undergraduate majors complete the program in 6 semesters (includes 2 summers). The exceptions typically relate to students who have deficiencies in their undergraduate curriculum from another program. The objectives of this professional education program are to:
1. Prepare speech-language pathologists to fill diverse roles in the broad area of speech-language pathology and in a variety of professional environments;
2. Provide the student with knowledge about the changing role of the speech-language pathologists within our society;
3. Facilitate an interdisciplinary view of disorders of human communication;
4. Provide speech-language pathologists with the coursework and practicum experiences needed to meet national standards for clinical knowledge and skills and to earn the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) awarded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Kansas State University is fully accredited by the North Central Accrediting Association. In addition, the Master’s-level program in Speech-Language Pathology at Kansas State University is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
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Requirements
For the Master of Science degree, the following requirements must be met:
1. Completion of a minimum of 32 graduate credit hours in academic coursework starting with 2008 spring admits, with additional credits from practica and externships. (See the section on Required Graduate Courses for Speech-Language Pathology.)
2. Completion of two unique externships, typically full-day placements extending throughout the semester at an approved off-campus site.
3. Completion of a minimum of 400 total clinical hours (including 375 direct clinical contact hours).
4. Demonstration of clinical competency as judged by the Program faculty.
Students selecting the non-thesis option must also:
1. Complete three hours of graduate seminar (three of the 32 minimum academic graduate credit hours starting in January 2008).
2. Successfully complete the comprehensive written examination and oral examination if indicated.
Students selecting the thesis option must also:
1. Complete six hours of thesis credit.
2. Design, implement, and produce a written thesis on a research topic in accordance with Family Studies & Human Services guidelines.
3. Successfully defend the thesis in an oral examination.
NOTE: If the student chooses the thesis option, the six thesis hours may be counted toward the minimum number of academic graduate hours.
The graduate curriculum in Communication Sciences and Disorders prepares students with the basic course requirements for certification as a speech-language pathologist by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and also prepares students to pass the national examination in speech-language pathology & audiology (NESPA). The pass rate of KSU graduates (first try) is 100% since 2004. Clinical Hour Requirements
Specific clinical contact hour requirements for the Master’s degree are in accordance with the guidelines for certification as a speech-language pathologist by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). (Some of these requirements may be obtained at the undergraduate level):
1. 25 clock hours of clinical observation (typically completed prior to practicum enrollment).
2. A minimum of 375 hours of practicum, including 325 hours at the graduate level.
3. Assignments are made to provide clinical experiences with individuals across the life span and with as many types of disorders and differences as possible. Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology
All students must complete 25 hours of supervised observation of clinical service for speech, language, swallowing, or hearing impairments. (The requirement of 25 observation hours is typically fulfilled at the undergraduate level.) Following the clinical observation experience and the completion of appropriate coursework, students are assigned clients at the KSU Speech and Hearing Center. Graduate students from other institutions must provide evidence of any clinical contact hours signed by their supervisor(s) at the institution where the hours were obtained. Those supervisors must hold the CCC in the appropriate area.
Students must complete a minimum of 100 clinical clock hours at the KSU Speech and Hearing Center, and the first 25 clock hours of direct clinical experience will always be completed there, even if clinical contact hours were obtained earlier at a different training program. When sufficient clinical experience has been completed and competency levels demonstrated, the student may be assigned to an off-campus practicum site. Students are expected to enroll in at least two credit hours of practicum (FSHS 705 or 706) during each semester or term (summer) of enrollment. Students typically complete a minimum of 4 on-campus semesters of practicum prior to externship placements. Clinical contact hours are counted toward the total number required (375) only if the student earns a practicum grade of A or B. Externship in Speech-Language Pathology
All students are required by the program to complete two externships at off-campus sites and accrue a minimum of 50 clock hours and appropriate clinical competencies at each site. The Clinic Director and program faculty must approve all external placements. For students hoping to obtain certification from any State Department of Education, it is highly recommended that one of the two externships be in a public school setting. Clinical contact hours will be counted toward the total number required (375) only if the student earns a grade of A or B in the externship in which the hours were accrued. During the semesters that students are completing externships, they are expected to enroll for six credit hours (FSHS 847) unless otherwise approved by the faculty.
The Clinic Director of the program has negotiated contracts with several area schools, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers. All externship supervisors are licensed speech-language pathologists with their certificate of clinical competence. At many of the extern sites, former graduates of the program supervise current KSU graduate students. Students should expect to travel or relocate to the communities where the approved off-campus sites are located. Some current and past extern sites include:
-Public Schools of Manhattan, Salina, Topeka, Kansas City and others
-St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center (Topeka)
-Stormont-Vail Hospital (Topeka)
-Geary Community Hospital (Junction City)
-Mercy Regional Health Center (Manhattan)
-Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City
-Saint Luke’s South Hospital (Kansas City)
-Meadowbrook Rehabilitation Hospital (Gardner)
-Children’s Mercy Hospital (Kansas City)
-Kansas Rehabilitation Hospital (Topeka)
-Veterans Administration Hospitals (Kansas City or Topeka)
-Salina Regional Health Center (Salina)
-Newton Medical Center (Newton)
-Central Kansas Speech Services (McPherson)
**Graduate students are expected not to hold daytime jobs during their externships. Graduate students do not hold a GTA during their externship. Master’s Comprehensive Examinations
As they approach completion of the Master’s degree, students are expected to be aware of, and to follow Graduate School deadlines. For example, before taking Master’s Comprehensive Examinations, the student must file a request-for-examination form with the Graduate School. Non-Thesis Option
Graduate students are required to take a two-part written comprehensive exam over a maximum period of 5 working days. The first part of the examination includes a two-hour, multiple-choice test covering all of the major areas of study in speech-language pathology/audiology. Following the completion of the multiple-choice examination, students write responses to applied questions (e.g., case studies) covering courses in the graduate curriculum. This portion of the comprehensive examination is scheduled on the subsequent four days following the multiple-choice test, with one 1-hour test period each day.
For both portions of the test, questions over each major content area will be written and evaluated by a faculty member whose expertise is in that area. Students should plan to routinely meet with appropriate faculty to review their performance in all areas. An oral examination may be scheduled if the student’s performance is not satisfactory. The following grading system is applied to the two components:
Multiple Choice Test
- A student whose total accuracy is 65% or less or a student who misses 50% or more in 4 or more areas will be asked to schedule a follow-up oral examination in most circumstances.
- Students who meet the overall “pass” level but miss 50% or more in a given area must follow-up with the appropriate faculty member to demonstrate their competency in that area.
Applied Examination
- The responses to questions will be graded as pass or fails.
- Any “fails” may be subject to a formal oral examination. Also, any low-pass or marginal areas can be further examined during the oral examination or a follow-up meeting with the appropriate faculty member.
- A student may be asked to complete additional follow-up to demonstrate competency in a specific area even though a passing score is achieved.
If an oral examination is indicated, based on the results of the multiple choice or applied examination, the student and his or her major advisor should schedule it. All members of the student’s committee and other CSD faculty who have areas of concern are invited to attend. A negative vote by two or more of the graduate faculty on the committee is considered a failure. If the candidate fails the examination, he/she may take it again after three months from the date of failure. No third trial will be allowed. Thesis Option
A graduate student choosing the thesis option completes an original research project instead of the written comprehensive examination. The student should declare his or her interest in the thesis option as soon as possible following acceptance into the graduate program. A minimum of three graduate faculty members will comprise the thesis committee (i.e., major professor and at least two other graduate faculty). A minimum of two graduate faculty members from the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program will supervise the research project. One faculty member from the program will serve as thesis advisor and committee chair. One committee member should be selected from another unit in the School of Family Studies and Human Services or another department in the University. The candidate selects all committee members, including the thesis advisor. Committee members will serve at their own discretion and availability.
The student will present the thesis topic to his or her supervisory committee at a pre-proposal meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to present the proposed topic for approval and suggestions prior to writing the proposal. A written prospectus of the thesis project (first three chapters) should be given to committee members at least two weeks prior to the presentation of the proposal. The prospectus should include an introduction, appropriate review of literature, a statement of problems, and the proposed methods (please refer to FSHS guidelines for additional information). The student’s supervisory committee must, as a group, approve the protocol for the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Data collection can not occur until approval is obtained through the Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects.
Following the approval of the prospectus and the completion of the research project, the student must obtain written permission to have the final oral examination. This examination is an oral defense of the original research project. Copies of the thesis should be distributed to each committee member a minimum of two weeks prior to the final oral exam. During that time period, the committee may suggest clarification and/or revisions. A final draft of the thesis should be presented to the committee for examination at the oral exam. The committee may require further revisions at that time. |
Return to: Family Studies and Human Services
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