Chair: Acting Chair Stephen A. Cavallo (Speech and Theatre Bldg., Room 226)
Graduate Program Director: Joyce F. West (Speech and Theatre Bldg., Room 131)
Department Faculty: Professors: Deena K. Bernstein, Martin R. Gitterman, John L. Locke, Barbara Weinstein; Associate Professors: Stephen A. Cavallo, Mira Goral, Sandra Levey, Joyce F. West; Assistant Professors: Cheryl Smith Gabig, Liat Seiger-Gardner, Jim Tsiamtsiouris; Lecturers: Jacqueline Aquilino-Jirak, Diana Almodovar, Mary Boylan, Lynn Rosenberg, Christine Rota-Donahue. Clinical Director: Carolyn McCarthy
The Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences offers a graduate program leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology. Registration in all courses requires Departmental permission. Upon admission to the program, students must see the Graduate Coordinator, who will assign an area adviser to guide the student's course of study.
The M.A. Program in Speech-Language Pathology, through coursework and clinical practicum, fulfills the requirements for the academic portion of the Certificate of Clinical Competence awarded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Admission Requirements
• A bachelor's degree (or its equivalent) from an accredited college or university.
• Demonstrate the potential to successfully pursue graduate study, that is, have attained a minimum undergraduate grade average of B+ in the field selected for the graduate major and a minimum grade average of B+ in the undergraduate record as a whole.
• Students accepted for matriculation in the M.A. Program in Speech-Language Pathology must have completed the Lehman College undergraduate major in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, or its equivalent at another institution. Students who have completed an undergraduate degree in a different major must complete 27 credits of core prerequisite course work: SPV 221, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 326, 327, 328 or the equivalent, to be eligible for admission into the M.A.
Program in Speech-Language Pathology.
• Two letters of recommendation.
• Potential students must have a personal interview as well as complete a spontaneous writing sample during their department visit. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association requires that students possess skills in oral and written or other forms of communication sufficient for entry into professional practice.
Degree Requirements
To fulfill the requirements for the Certificate of Clinical Competence awarded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, students must complete a curriculum consisting of at least 53 credits with a minimum of 400 hours of clinical practicum. Students will complete 20 hours of Audiology practicum in order to meet current New York State licensing requirements.
Curriculum in Speech-Language Pathology (53 credits)
• Basic Science and Related Courses (9 credits): SPE 705 (3), SPE 700 (3), and SPE 727 (3).
• Professional Courses (42 credits): SPE 701 (1), 718 (3), 719 (4), 721 (3), 722 (3), 723 (3), 725 (3), 726 (3), 728 (3), 729 (2 semesters, 3 credits each), SPE 730 (2 semesters, 2 credits each), and SPE 734 (2 semesters, 1 credit each), SPE 739 (3), and one elective (3).
Professional Coursework:
SPE 700: Introduction to Research Methods (3 credits)
SPE 701: Professional Issues (1 credit)
SPE 705: Speech Science (3 credits)
SPE 717: Advanced Anatomy, Physiology, and Neurology of Speech (3 credits)
SPE 718: Phonology and Articulation (3 credits)
SPE 719: Audiology for the Speech-Language Pathologist (4 credits)
SPE 721: Early Childhood Language Disorders (3 credits)
SPE 722: Language Disorders in School-Age Children and Adolescents (3 credits)
SPE 723: The Nature, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Fluency Disorders (3 credits)
SPE 725: Diagnostic Techniques in Speech-Language Pathology (3 credits)
SPE 726: Aphasia and Related Disorders (3 credits)
SPE 727: Voice Disorders (3 credits)
SPE 729: Clinical Practicum and Seminar in Speech-Language Pathology (3 credits)
SPE 730: Clinical and Classroom Externship in Speech-Language Pathology (2 credits)
SPE 734: Diagnostic Practicum (1 credit)
SPE 739: Dysphagia (3 credits)
One 3-credit elective course:
A minimum of one elective course: SPE 736: Motor Speech Disorders (3 credits), or SPE 748: Augmentative & Alternative Communication (A.A.C.) (3 credits), or SPE 735: Seminar in Speech-Language Pathology (3 credits).
Bilingual Extension
Students who complete the degree requirements for the M.A. in Speech-Language-Pathology and are interested in obtaining a bilingual extension to the teaching certificate should contact the Department of Middle and High School Education.
Department Grade Requirements/Progression Criteria
To avoid academic probation, students must maintain a minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 throughout their program. Students who achieve a G.P.A. of 2.75 or lower in their first 12 credits cannot continue in the program, subject to appeal. A G.P.A. of 3.0 or greater is required for enrollment in SPE 729 clinical practicum (two semesters) and for enrollment in SPE 730 (two semesters).
Practica Prerequisites, Sequence, and Continuation Criteria
There are three prerequisite courses (SPE 718, 721, 726), one pre-requisite/co-requisite course (SPE 725), and a pre-clinic orientation prior to the initial enrollment in SPE 729 Clinical Practicum and Seminar. Upon completion of 12 credits (with a G.P.A. of 3.0 or greater), students must enroll in SPE 729: Clinical Practicum and Seminar.
Prior to the initial enrollment in SPE 729, students are required to present signed and dated documentation of 25 clock hours of observation of clinical practice conducted and/or supervised by an A.S.H.A.- certified speech-language pathologist.
Students are strongly encouraged to complete all four courses (SPE 718; 721; 726; and 725) prior to initial enroll in SPE 729, although SPE 725 may be taken as a corequisite.
Students who plan to enroll in the SPE 729 after-school (3-6 pm) clinics are required to take SPE 722: Language Disorders in School Age Children and Adolescents as a prerequisite or corequisite.
Students enrolling in their first SPE 729 clinical practicum must attend a half-day clinic orientation session scheduled at the beginning of the semester of their first clinical practicum rotation.
Prerequisites for SPE 730: Clinical and Classroom Externship in Speech-Language Pathology include successful completion of two semesters of SPE 729 and one semester of SPE 734 and completion of coursework: SPE 717, 721, 722, 723, 725, 726.
Clinical Training Sequence
1st Semester Clinical Practicum:
2nd Semester Clinical Practicum:
3rd Semester Clinical Practicum:
4th Semester Clinical Practicum:
Practica Grading
No student will advance to a second clinical practicum (SPE 729), to a diagnostic practicum (SPE 734), or to a clinical and classroom externship (SPE 730) unless he/she earns a grade of B or better in the previous clinical practicum experience. If a student receives a practicum grade of B- or lower, he/she must re-enroll in the practicum course and earn a minimum grade of B. The student is permitted to enroll in only one additional graduate course during the semester in which he/she is retaking a practicum course.
*Courses preceded by an asterisk are not expected to be offered in 2009-2011.
SPE 530: Organization of the Speech and Hearing Program in Elementary and Secondary Schools. 3 hours, 3 credits. Problems of organizing and administering a program of rehabilitation in speech and language disabilities in public schools. PREEQ: SPV 326, 327, and 328, and Departmental permission.
*SPE 607: General Descriptive Phonetics. 3 hours, 3 credits. Phonetic and phonemic analysis.
*SPE 620: Speech Pathology. 3 hours, 3 credits. Organic, neurological, and psychological conditions underlying major language and speech disorders. Suggested therapeutic procedures.
SPE 700: Introduction to Research Methods. 3 hours, 3 credits. Critical, historical, and experimental methods used in speech-language-voice and audiology research.
SPE 701: Seminar in Professional Affairs. 1 hour, 1 credit. Professional issues surrounding the practice of speech-language pathology and audiology.
*SPE 702: The Nature of Speech, Language, and Communication Systems. 3 hours, 3 credits.
*SPE 703: Language and Linguistics. 3 hours, 3 credits. Introduction to the scientific study of language with attention to the major component of linguistic theory: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, and sociolinguistics. This course places emphasis on the multicultural and multilinguistic differences in the analysis and application of linguistic theory.
*SPE 704: Psychology of Speech. 3 hours, 3 credits. The acquisition of speech and language; related normal and abnormal adjustive behavior.
SPE 705: Speech Science. 3 hours, 3 credits. An introduction to speech perception and production; includes a review of basic acoustics and resonance models of the supralaryngeal vocal tract; an overview of select anatomical and physiologic principles relating to speech and voice production; and an introduction to acoustic and physiologic measurement of speech and voice. Students will be provided with direct experience in the clinical measurement of speech and voice.
*SPE 706: Experimental Phonetics. 3 hours, 3 credits. Study of the experimental methods and literature used in research in voice and phonetics. PREREQ: SPE 705.
*SPE 707: Studies in the Regional and Social Dialects of American English. 3 hours, 3 credits. An investigation of the origins and current status of the varieties of spoken English in the United States. PREREQ: SPE 607 or Graduate Adviser's permission.
*SPE 708: Comparative Phonetics. 3 hours, 3 credits. The sound systems of selected modern languages compared with those of English. PREREQ: SPE 607 or Graduate Adviser's permission.
*SPE 710: Physiological and Psychological Acoustics. 3 hours, 3 credits. Theoretical concepts and supporting data of processes of hearing.
*SPE 715: Semantics. 3 hours, 3 credits. The study of meaning in communication; the evaluative processes underlying speech and language; the representation of information in languages; speech-language relationships; and a survey of semantic theories.
SPE 717: Advanced Anatomy, Physiology, and Neurology of Speech. 3 hours, 3 credits. An overview of the anatomical, physiological, embryological, and neurological bases of speech production across the lifespan; a detailed study of ventilatory, laryngeal, and supralaryngeal structure and function; discussion of physiologic and acoustic instrumentation for speech and voice measurement.
SPE 718: Phonology and Articulation. 3 hours, 3 credits. The normal aspects of articulation and phonology, the factors associated with articulatory and phonological disorders, and the assessment and treatment of articulation and phonological disorders across the life span.
SPE 719: Audiology for the Speech-Language Pathologist. 5 hours (3, lecture; 2, lab), 4 credits. Audiological assessment and management of children and adults with hearing loss appropriate for the speech-language pathologist. Course content includes hearing screening across the lifespan, aural rehabilitation, FM amplifier and classroom systems, hearing aids, and educational audiology. Students will be given the opportunity to screen for hearing difficulties during the lab experience. PREREQ: Students must have completed a total of 3 credits in Hearing Science and 3 credits in Audiology on the undergraduate level.
SPE 721: Early Childhood Language Disorders. 3 hours, 3 credits. Assessment of, and intervention with, infants, toddlers, and pre-school-aged children with language disorders. Emphasis on multicultural and multilinguistic differences, the role of families and caregivers, interdisciplinary views of children with language and communication challenges, and social-emotional and cognitive development related to early childhood language disorders. Focus on communicative processes, phonology, syntax, semantics, narrative skills, pragmatics, emergent literacy, and the environmental effects on language development. Assessment and intervention for children, including autism spectrum, mental retardation, and specific language impairment. PREREQ: None.
SPE 722: Language Disorders in School-Age Children and Adolescents. 3 hours, 3 credits. Language disorders and the cognitive/linguistic processes involved in learning and in-class performance of listening, speaking, reading, and writing; emphasis on the similarities and differences between spoken and written language and the relationship between oral and written language disorders. PREREQ: SPE 721.
*SPE 722: The Nature of Stuttering. 3 hours, 3 credits. Theories and research findings relating to the onset, development, and maintenance of stuttering. PREREQ: SPE 620 (or equivalent).
SPE 723: The Nature, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Fluency Disorders. 3 hours, 3 credits. Assessment and intervention with toddlers, preschool-aged children, school-aged children, and adults with fluency disorders. Current theories and research related to the onset and development of fluency disorders across the lifespan. Case studies related to the connection between theory and practice. Emphasis is placed on multicultural and multilinguistic differences in assessment and intervention.
*SPE 724: Speech Disorders in Cerebral Palsy. 3 hours, 3 credits. Etiology and impairment of functions as they relate to communication. PREREQ: SPE 620 (or equivalent).
SPE 725: Diagnostic Techniques in Speech-Language Pathology. 3 hours, 3 credits. Theory and practice of tests and testing procedures designed to evaluate articulation, phonology, voice, language, and other communicative disorders in preschool children, school-aged children, adolescents, and adults. Includes assessment procedures to be used with clients from multilingual and multicultural backgrounds. PREREQ: Undergraduate major in speech pathology (or equivalent), or instructor's permission.
SPE 726: Aphasia and Related Disorders. 3 hours, 3 credits. Symptoms, etiology, and management of acquired neurogenic language disorders in children and adults receiving services in educational and healthcare settings. Multicultural issues that may affect diagnosis and treatment are emphasized. Technology used in intervention will be discussed.
SPE 727: Voice Disorders. 3 hours, 3 credits. Etiology, diagnosis, and treatment. PREREQ: SPE 705 AND 717.
SPE 729: Clinical Practicum and Seminar in Speech-Language Pathology. 5 clinical hours, 1 seminar hour, 3 credits.(May be taken up to three times). Supervised clinical practice in the diagnosis and treatment of speech-language disorders: taking of case histories, reviewing medical, clinical, and educational records, developing treatment plans, providing treatment services, preparing clinical documents, and counseling clients regarding their communication disorder. Seminar in theoretical, evidenced-based practices, and issues related to the clinical practice of speech-language pathology. PREREQ: SPE 718, 721, 726. PREREQ/COREQ: SPE 725.
SPE 730: Clinical and Classroom Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology. 4 hours, 2 credits.(May be reelected for credit up to a maximum of 6 credits). Off-campus supervised field placements in clinical and classroom settings. Includes instructional and clinical planning and management, case conferencing, writing and documenting behavioral goals and objectives, and outcome assessments. Students enrolled in classroom practica will be required to obtain the certificates issued in child abuse and child violence by attending the seminars offered by the Division of Education. PREREQ: SPE 717, 721, 723, 725, 726, 729 (4 credits), 734 (2 credits).
*SPE 733: Advanced Diagnostic Techniques in Speech Pathology. 4 hours (2, lecture; 2, lab), 3 credits. In-depth examination of additional tests and test procedures; observation and practice in test administration and evaluation. PREREQ: SPE 725 or permission of the Program Director.
SPE 734: Diagnostic Practicum. 2 hours, 1 credit. (Must be taken a minimum of two times.)Provides students with clinical experiences in evaluating speech and language disorders of children and adults. PREREQ: SPE 725.
SPE 735: Seminar in Speech-Language Pathology. 3 hours, 3 credits. Special topics and issues in speech-language pathology.
SPE 736: Motor Speech Disorders. 3 hours, 3 credits. The effects of neuromotor disorders on the development of oral-motor and respiratory control for speech and feeding in children; the differential diagnosis of the dysarthrias/apraxia in adults; multidisciplinary assessment and treatment; intervention/management strategies, including home, clinical, and school settings. PREREQ: SPE 717 (Advanced Anatomy, Physiology, and Neurology of Speech) or permission of the Program Director.
SPE 739: Dysphagia. 3 hours, 3 credits. Review of normal and disordered swallowing function (dysphagia) in adults and children. Overview of instrumented and clinical procedures for the assessment of swallowing function. Focus on multicultural issues and attitudes toward disability, food, and feeding behaviors and their potential impact on children and adults with dysphagia; therapeutic techniques to improve swallowing function in children and adults; multidisciplinary approaches to the management of swallowing disorders in various clinical settings. PREREQ: SPE 717 (Advanced Anatomy, Physiology, and Neurology of Speech)or permission of the Program Director.
SPE 748: Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). 3 hours, 3 credits. Description of minimally verbal individuals throughout the lifespan; assessment through standardized and naturalistic methods; selection of appropriate modes, symbols, response methods, devices, and intervention strategies for enhancement of communication in minimally verbal individuals.