Communicative Disorders

Chair: Jane R. Lieberman, Ph.D.
Graduate Program Coordinators:
Martine Vanryckeghem, Ph.D.
E-mail: martinev@mail.ucf.edu
Linda Louko, Ph.D.
E-mail: llouko@mail.ucf.edu
Research Pavilion Suite 200, (407) 249-4798.
Coordinator, Academic Support: Jane Searles, Ed.S.
E-mail: jsearles@mail.ucf.edu

Professional education is offered in Communicative Disorders leading to the Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology. The program requires the equivalent of two years full-time attendance to complete and is designed to meet the certification requirements of the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAP). The program is accredited by the Educational Standards Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Full-time registration in the program is required every semester including summer.

The faculty is keenly aware of the need for combining theoretical foundations with clinical skills. Supervised student practica are offered in the Communicative Disorders Clinic on campus as well as in external settings. Selected speech/language pathologists in Central Florida make up the clinical faculty, which supplements the clinical expertise of the regular faculty.

All students will enroll in SPA 6505 or 6506, Clinical Practica, or equivalents, each semester in attendance, with the exception of the semester they are enrolled in SPA 6553C, Differential Diagnosis in Speech and Language/Laboratory, and the semester they are completing the thesis/non-thesis option. Students must complete 375 clock hours of practicum experience as outlined by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association before graduation.

To apply for the Consortium Program, the applicant must have worked in the public school system for a one-year period and the school system must be a participating member of the Consortium Group. For more information on the Consortium Program, contact the Communicative Disorders Department.

Application Deadlines

Admission

• A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for the last 60 attempted semester hours of credit earned for the baccalaureate degree, or a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of at least 1000 on the combined verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE. In order to be considered every applicant must submit official GRE scores. These are minimum university requirements and do not guarantee admission to the graduate program.
• Three letters of recommendation, preferably from former instructors.
• A letter of intent, stating background and experience, interest in the field, future goals, the semester in which admission is desired, and specifying consortium or regular program.
• A copy of all official transcripts from previously attended colleges and/or universities.
• A copy of the graduate application and official GRE score report.

The department requires international students and students whose native language is not English to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language. To be considered for admission, a score of 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) is required.

It is important that applicants return these materials in a single packet to the Office of Graduate Studies to facilitate admission decisions. Admission into the graduate program will be determined in fall and spring for all semesters including summer. This program is highly competitive and meeting minimum university standards may not guarantee admission to the program.

Admission to graduate programs is based on minimum State of Florida Board of Regents criteria but may include higher GPA or GRE standards or other factors such as work or internship experience, community service, research interests of prospective student, letters of recommendation, or personal interviews.

Master of Arts in Communicative Disorders

Required Courses—60 Semester Hours
Each semester’s courses are prerequisites for the next semester’s courses.

Term 1
SPA 5404 Language Disorders: Pre-School (3 hours)
SPA 5805 Research in Communicative Disorders (3 hours)
SPA 6410 Language Problems in Adults: Aphasia and Other Symbolic Disorders (3 hours)
SPA 6505 Clinical Practicum in Speech Pathology-Language (3 hours)

Term 2
SPA 5236 Speech Problems in Adults: Motor Speech Disorders (3 hours)
SPA 6204 Advanced Studies in Communicative Disorders: Articulation (3 hours)
SPA 6403 Language Disorders: School Age Language (3 hours)
SPA 6505 Clinical Practicum in Speech Pathology-Language (3 hours)

Term 3
SPA 5225 Fluency Disorders (3 hours)
SPA 6132 Measurements in Speech Science (3 hours)
SPA 6211 Voice Disorders (3 hours)
SPA 6505 Clinical Practicum in Speech Pathology-Language (3 hours)

Term 4
SPA 5327 Aural Habilitation - Rehabilitation (4 hours)
SPA 6407 Seminar in Language (2 hours)
SPA 6553C Differential Diagnosis Speech Language (4 hours)

Term 5
SPA 5600 Administration and Management of Communicative Disorders (3 hours)
SPA 6506 Clinical Practicum in Audiology (3 hours)
SPA 6526 Seminar in Speech Pathology (2 hours)
SPA 6826 Seminar in Research (2 hours)

Two seminars must be included in the Program of Study:
SPA 6407 Seminar in Language (2 hours)
SPA 6526 Seminar in Speech Pathology (2 hours)
SPA 6826 Seminar in Research (2 hours)

Practicum credit toward degree—9 Semester Hours (minimum)
All students must register for three hours each semester in SPA 6505 or SPA 6506 while in attendance, with exceptions as noted in the graduate manual (SPA 6553C, SPA 6918, and SPA 6946).

Thesis and Non-Thesis Options
Each student will complete a thesis or non-thesis option.

Thesis Option—6 Semester Hours
Students selecting the thesis option will complete a thesis in the area of speech/language pathology for six semester hours of credit. An advisory committee of three faculty members, chaired by a departmental faculty member, will be selected to guide the student through the thesis requirements. An oral defense of the thesis is required.

Non-Thesis Option—7 Semester Hours
A student selecting the Clinical Internship option must complete 6 semester hours of Internship (SPA 6946) in Speech-Language Pathology. In addition, a student in the Clinical Internship option must register for one hour of Directed Research (SPA 6918) in the semester in which they do their internship.

Examinations
Students will be required to pass a written comprehensive examination administered by the department before being considered a degree candidate. The comprehensive examination is to be taken after all course work is completed with the exception of SPA 6918 and SPA 6946.

Minimum Hours Required for M.A.—50 Semester Hours

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