Degree Requirements

The MA in Speech-Language Pathology requires a minimum of 40 credit hours of academic courses in Communicative Disorders and Sciences. This does not include your required clinical practicum credits. Actual requirements may exceed that number of hours; however, the MA program is also designed to fulfill the academic and clinical requirements for the ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC/SLP). Thus, requirements will vary with the student’s undergraduate background. 

ASHA also requires students to earn 400 combined clinical therapy and diagnostic hours to graduate. 

• 25 hours are supervised observation hours, typically completed during your undergraduate year
• 375 hours are direct client therapy or diagnostic clinical hours. 
• ASHA allows up to 50 hours of clinical practicum to be counted from an undergraduate clinical experience(s). 
• All hours must be conducted under an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist. 

Students may also take course work and train in school age clinical rotations to earn their New York State Certificate for Teaching Students with Speech-Language Disabilities (TSSLD). This is required to work with children ages 3-21. The New York State certificate for Teachers of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities  may require additional time depending on your course or specific needs. 

Our department strongly encourages all MA students to work towards their TSSLD certificate as it provides more career options across your lifetime.

A general course of study for the entire MA program. It is intended as a guide to help students in planning their course of study each semester.

Students who do not enter the program with a BA/BS in Communication Sciences and Disorders or Speech-Language Pathology will need to complete prerequisite course work in speech and hearing science. See the listed prerequisites on our curriculum plan linked above.

• Students may apply to our graduate MA program and the admissions committee will determine whether a student is considered a regular, partial make up or full make up student. Please note your course may have a different name but may meet the requirements. 

If you are considered a full make up student, then the program will take 2 additional semesters to first complete the prerequisite courses as listed at the top of our curriculum plan.

• Some students choose to complete a Post Bachelorette in CDS/CSD/SLP at another program, this is accepted as your prerequisite year when you apply as long as necessary transcripts are submitted for review.

A minimum 3.0 GPA must be maintained each semester in academic courses in addition to earning a Satisfactory (S) grade review of your clinical competencies in clinical practicum, which is also reported on your grade report. A probation policy, established by the department, will be put into place for students that do not meet this requirement.

The master’s program requires 2 years of full-time study (official leaves of absence excluded). A petition for acceptance of transfer credits for courses taken at another university must be approved by the student’s advisor and by the department chair.  Such transfer credit is generally limited to no more than 3 credit hours. Complete the required form to transfer credits. Forms to request approval of transfer credit may be obtained from the department administrator.

Clinic Practicum requirements are completed in each of your 5 academic semesters. 

• 1, 12-week clinical practicum summer session is mandatory which occurs between a student's 1st and 2nd year of the graduate program. 

Students complete 2-3 semesters of their clinical practicum in our own UB Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Clinic under the direction of our expert NY Licensed and ASHA certified UB Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Faculty.

Our clinic not only provides speech-language and audiological services within our clinic, but also provides expansive services outside the clinic to the local Western New York Community, also under the direction of our UB Clinical Faculty.

During their 2nd Spring semester, MA students will complete 2 full-time 8–9-week externships (Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm). 

• Externships are clinical placements within the WNY community.  
• Children through adults (early intervention, preschool, school age, and medical)
• Placements are throughout the WNY area such as hospitals, outpatient/inpatient rehabilitation centers, school districts, and private clinics. 
• Exceptional Students may be able to obtain a placement in their home town, but must be arranged with the externship coordinator early in the program.