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Programs of Study, 1997-1999
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
SPEECH AND HEARING SCIENCE
Head of the Department: Peter J. Alfonso
Correspondence and Information: Head, Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 901 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820; (217) 333-2230.
E-mail address: shs@uiuc.edu.
URL: http://www.als.uiuc.edu/spshs
GRADUATE FACULTY
Professors: P. J. Alfonso, R. C. Bilger, D. P. Kuehn, E. Yairi
Associate Professors: R. D. Chambers, J. G. Erickson, C. J. Johnson, C. R. Lansing, M. A. O'Neill, A. L. Perlman, A. Proctor
Assistant Professor: R. V. Watkins
Emeritus Professors: F. Johnson, E. Paden, J. J. O'Neill, W. R. Zemlin, R. K. Simpson
ADMISSION
In addition to the Graduate College requirements, the general (aptitude) portion of the Graduate Record Examination in required for all curricula. For international students, a minimum score of 550 on the TOEFL is required. Desired background should include 16 hours of undergraduate credit in the following areas or their equivalent: speech pathology, audiology, phonetics, anatomy and physiology of the vocal mechanism, hearing science, speech science, and voice science. Spring entry is possible for students who will not do clinical practicum. Students whose program will involve clinical practicum may enter only in the fall.
GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS
The department offers courses leading to the master of arts and doctor of philosophy degrees, with specialization in audiology, speech-language pathology in medical settings, speech-language pathology in school settings, speech-language pathology with infant-toddler emphasis, and speech or hearing science.
MASTER OF ARTS
In pursuing a master of arts degree, students may concentrate in one of five areas: audiology, speech-language pathology in medical settings, speech-language pathology in school settings, speech-language pathology with infant-toddler emphasis, and speech or hearing science. This degree may be taken as either a terminal degree or as preparation for further graduate study.
For students seeking a terminal degree, the master of arts program may be designed with or without clinical practicum experience. Programs with clinical experience ensure clinical competence in audiology or speech-language pathology necessary for employment in a private practice, clinic, hospital, residential center, school system, or industry. Successful completion of this program ensures that the student has met the academic and clinical requirements for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certification and can choose to pursue Type 10 state teacher certification. The clinical program is accredited by the Educational Standards Board (ESB) of ASHA. Programs without clinical experience may prepare the student for employment in industry or for a doctoral program.
For a student seeking a nonterminal degree, the master of arts program enables the student to undertake fundamental course work that will be an integral part of an overall doctoral program.
The student's program for the master of arts degree will be determined on an individual basis, taking into consideration the Graduate College and departmental requirements. It will be composed of 10 to 16 units from the five specialized areas and related areas. All master of arts candidates are required to take a departmental core consisting of research methodology (SPSHS 399), multicultural issues (SPSHS 471 or SPSHS 477), and research seminar (SPSHS 496). In addition, all students in the clinical program are required to take a core in their respective content area: audiology (SPSHS 440) or speech-language pathology (SPSHS 400 or 401, SPSHS 420, and SPSHS 472). A master's thesis should be part of the predoctoral student's plan of study. A study seeking a master of arts as a terminal degree is encouraged to do a thesis as educational enrichment.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Admission to the doctoral program requires completion of a master's degree, or the equivalent, in speech and hearing science or a related area. The program may be planned with specialization in many areas of audiology, speech-language pathology, and speech or hearing science. The minimum academic course requirements for this degree are eight units beyond the master's degree and a thesis. If there are deficiencies in the student's background, additional courses will be required; courses taken for this purpose usually are not counted toward the minimum requirement. In addition, a doctoral candidate who did not write a thesis as part of the master's program will be required to complete the equivalent of a master's thesis; these two units will not count toward the minimum academic requirement of eight units. Individual programs of study will be tailored to the student's special needs and are planned by the student and the adviser.
For the student who enters with no deficiencies, the first year or two of the doctoral program is typically devoted to course work in the area of concentration selected by the student and terminates when the preliminary examination is passed. Subsequent time is devoted to research on a special topic and culminates with writing a thesis and passing an oral examination in its defense.
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