speech clinician demonstrating throat technique to 5-year-old girl

Speech & Hearing Science

Promote effective communication, a human right, through research and clinical practice. Prepare for a career that improves lives.

Master of Arts in Speech & Hearing Science: Clinical

Students in the clinical MA program learn about speech-language pathology in medical and educational settings, as well as speech, language, and hearing science.

This degree may be taken as either a terminal degree or as preparation for further graduate study, including a doctoral degree. For students seeking a terminal degree, the Master of Arts program may be designed with or without clinical practicum experience.

The clinical program ensures clinical competence in speech-language pathology necessary for employment in healthcare and educational settings, private practice, or industry. Successful completion of this program allows students to meet the academic and clinical requirements for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certification and to pursue the Illinois state certification required for speech-language pathology in the public schools. The program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. The clinical MA program requires a minimum of 60 graduate hours.

Federal Disclosure for SHS MA (Clinical) Programs

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has determined the curricula in our Master of Arts (Clinical) and Master of Arts (Clinical) + Educator License Programs meet the educational requirements for licensure or certification in the state of Illinois. If you are planning to pursue professional licensure or certification in a state other than Illinois, we strongly recommend that you contact the appropriate licensing entity in that state to seek the most up-to-date information and guidance regarding state licensure or certification requirements before beginning an academic program.  

To locate your program by college, please visit https://provost.web.illinois.edu/student-consumer-information/professional-licensure-public-disclosures/. There, you can access information about your state's requirements, resources, and contact details. To determine your location, please review the University’s professional licensure location policy. Please be aware that there may be licensure or certification requirements in addition to an academic program’s curriculum.

Note: This disclosure is being made in compliance with federal regulation 34 CFR §668.43(link opens in new window) and the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreements Manual(link opens in new window).

Curriculum

Degree Requirements

For more information about degree requirements contact the program director or refer to the university catalog.

Code Course
SHS 410
SHS 410 Stuttering: Theory & Practice

Hours: 2

SHS 430
SHS 430 Development & Disorders of Phonology & Articulation

Hours: 3

SHS 431
SHS 431 Lang Disorders Preschool Children

Hours: 3

SHS 470
SHS 470 Neural Bases Spch Lang

Hours: 3

SHS 511
SHS 511 Assessment & Management of Voice Disorders

Hours: 3

SHS 513
SHS 513 Assessment & Management of Dysphagia

Hours: 6

SHS 514
SHS 514 Motor Speech Disorders

Hours: 3

SHS 533
SHS 533 Approaches to Language Diagnostics & Clinical Reasoning

Hours: 4

SHS 534
SHS 534 Aphasia and Related Disorders

Hours: 3

SHS 535
SHS 535 Cognitive Communication Disorders

Hours: 3

SHS 570
SHS 570 Evidence-Based Practice in Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology

Hours: 2

SHS 571
SHS 571 Culturally Responsive Practices in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Hours: 2

SHS 572
SHS 572 Counseling in Comm Disorders

Hours: 2

SHS 574
SHS 574 Communication in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Hours: 2

SHS 575
SHS 575 School Methods in Speech-Language Pathology

Hours: 2

SHS 576
SHS 576 School Intrnshp Spch-Lang Path
SHS 578
SHS 578 Medical Methods in Speech-Language Pathology

Hours: 2

SHS 579
SHS 579 Professional/Ethical/Legal Issues AuD/SLP

Hours: 3

SHS 591
SHS 591 Clinical Case Project in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Hours: 0

SHS 592
SHS 592 Prosem in Speech & Hearing Science

Hours: 0-1

SHS 599
SHS 599 Thesis Research (optional)

Hours: 8-12

Required Clinical Practica

Hours: 8-12

Total Hours: 60

Other Requirements

Number of semesters: 6

Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: 20 Credit Hours

Minimum GPA: 3.0

Course Sequence Example for Clinical MA Program

General Course Sequence for Students Entering with a BA/BS in Speech & Hearing Science/ Communication Sciences and Disorders

 
Fall I
SHS 430 Development & Disorders of Phonology & Articulation   3
SHS 431 Language Disorders in Preschool Children 3
SHS 470 Neural Bases Spch Lang (pre-req for Dysphagia) 3
SHS 473 Augmentative & Alternative Communication 3
SHS 477 Beginning Clinical Practicum 1
SHS 570 Evidence-Based Practice in Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology  2
SHS 592 Prosem Spch & Hear Sci 0
 
Spring I
SHS 477 Beginning Clinical Practicum 2
SHS 511 Assessment & Management of Voice Disorders 3
SHS 532 Language Disorders & Literacy in School-Age Children & Youth 3
SHS 533 Approaches to Language Diagnostics & Clinical Reasoning 4
SHS 534 Aphasia & Related Disorders 3
SHS 592 Prosem Spch & Hear Sci 0
 
Summer I
SHS 410 Stuttering: Theory & Practice 2
SHS 571 Culturally Responsive Practices in Communication Sciences & Disorders   2
SHS 577 Advanced Clinical Practicum 1-2
SHS 579 Professional/Ethical/Legal Issues in AuD & SLP 3
 
Fall II
SHS 513 Assessment & Management of Dysphagia 3
SHS 514 Motor Speech Disorders 3
SHS 535 Cognitive Communication Disorders 3
SHS 572 Counseling in Comm Disorders 2
SHS 577 Advanced Clinical Practicum 2
SHS 591 Clinical Case Project in Communication Sciences & Disorders 0
 
Spring II
SHS 574 Communication in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders 2
SHS 575 School Methods in Speech-Language Pathology 2
SHS 576 School Intrnshp Spch-Lang Path 4
SHS 577 Advanced Clinical Practicum 2
SHS 578 Medical Methods in Speech-Language Pathology 2
SHS 591 Clinical Case Project in Communication Sciences & Disorders 0
 
Summer II
577 M Hospital Placement 4

Additional Information

Financial support through the Department, typically research or teaching assistantships, is available for a limited number of students. Assistantships are awarded first to doctoral students and are based on merit and the strategic goals of the Department. For more information on financial aid, need-based financial support may be applied for through the University Financial Aid Office.

CAA Accreditation/Student Achievement Data can be found here.

Clinical MA Program Admissions Information

Tuition Information

For information on tuition and fee rates, visit the Office of the Registrar’s webpage.

Prerequisite Courses

To satisfy the requirements of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for clinical certification, every student must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of biological sciences, physical sciences, statistics, and the social/behavioral sciences (ASHA Standard IV-A) 2020 Speech Language Pathology Certification Standards.
 
Students must also demonstrate knowledge of basic human communication, including their biological, neurological, acoustic, psychological, developmental, and linguistic and cultural bases (ASHA Standard IV-B). Typically, most of these requirements have been met at the undergraduate level.
 
All students seeking clinical certification must also complete the following University of Illinois undergraduate courses or their equivalents. For students entering with a Bachelor's Degree in Speech and Hearing Science or Communication Sciences and Disorders, the program typically involves two academic years and two summers.

  •     SHS 200 Phonetics
  •     SHS 240 Hearing Science
  •     SHS 300 Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech Mechanism
  •     SHS 301 Speech Science
  •     SHS 320 Development of Spoken Language
  •     SHS 450 Audiology
  •     SHS 451 Aural Rehabilitation (may be taken at the graduate level for graduate credit)

Accreditation

The Master of Arts (M.A.) education program in speech-language pathology {residential} at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.

A complaint about any accredited program or program in candidacy status may be submitted by any student, instructional staff member, speech-language pathologist, audiologist, and/or member of the public. Criteria for complaints and submission requirements can be found in section XIII of the Accreditation Handbook.

The Audiology and Speech-language Pathology Certification Standards, and the Standards for Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology may be obtained by contacting the CAA office at:


CAA Office at ASHA,
2200 Research Boulevard
Rockville, Maryland 20850

Call ASHA’s Action Center at 1-800-498-2071

Access files at ASHA’s Web site at
http://asha.org/Certification/ and http://asha.org/academic/accreditation

COMMENTS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO:

Chair, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA)
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
2200 Research Boulevard #310
Rockville, MD 20850

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