Speech-Language Pathology (MS)

Overview

Accreditation

The Master of Science (M.S.) education program in speech-language pathology (residential) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 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.

Mission, Vision, Focus Areas and Strategic Plan

Mission

To provide active, authentic learning opportunities through dedicated faculty, diverse clinical experiences, a rigorous curriculum, and a commitment to antiracism, diversity, equity and inclusion. The program will foster the development of competent, effective professionals prepared to provide culturally responsive, evidence-based, interprofessional services to children and adults with communication needs.

Vision

To be progressive, transformative community educators for excellence in academic and clinical services.

Focus Areas

• Quality program and instruction
• Research
• High-impact community outreach

Strategic Plan

• Click here to review the program's full strategic plan.

About the Program

Combining classroom instruction, research and practical experiences, a full range of courses and practicum opportunities prepare students to work with a variety of individuals with communication needs in various work settings. 

• 100% of our students have achieved a passing score on the PRAXIS examination over the past several years 
• 100% of our graduates are employed within a year of graduation and many are employed before they graduate

Unique opportunities are available for practicum experiences on and off campus. Agreements are in place with nationally and internationally known hospitals, agencies, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and educational facilities. SIUE students have opportunities to work with children and adults who have: 

• Neurological disorders
• Hearing impairments
• Autism
• Speech and language impairments
• Aphasia
• Stuttering
• Voice disorders

Program Format

• Courses and clinical experiences are provided during the day with some evening offerings
• Completed entirely on the Edwardsville campus
• Typically completed in five to six full-time semesters

Why speech-language pathology?

A career as a speech-language pathologist is extremely rewarding, and the need for professionals in this field is expected to increase over the next decade. Opportunities in various work settings are numerous and include: 

• Educational facilities
• Hospitals
• Rehabilitation centers
• Nursing homes
• Home health
• Colleges and universities

Professional Credential Disclosure

This program is intended to prepare students for licensure/certification meeting educational requirements established by regulatory boards in the state of Illinois. Licensure/certification requirements can vary by state. If you intend to practice or teach inside or outside the state of Illinois, please visit our professional licensure webpage.

Fall 2024 Visit Days

Join us for an overview of the program and facilities, the chance to meet faculty, and hear directly from the program director and a current graduate student with time for questions. Visit days will be from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. in Founders Hall room 1208. Metered parking is available in Lot A (see campus parking map).

• August 30
• September 27
• October 25
• November 15

RSVP to sppa-inquiries@siue.edu

If you are interested in more information about our program but are unable to attend a Fall Visit Day, you can view a virtual overview and tour of our program. If you have any remaining questions about our graduate program, contact:

Steffany Chleboun, PhD, CCC-SLP
Professor, Graduate Program Director
schlebo@siue.edu

If you are a leveling student (meaning you are looking to complete the pre-requisite coursework required to apply to the speech-language pathology graduate program), contact:

Hands-on Learning

Speech-Language-Hearing Center

The Speech-Language-Hearing Center, located in Founders Hall, is used as a learning environment for speech-language pathology graduate students. The Center includes nine fully equipped treatment rooms and an observation room, and provides intervention and assessment for children and adults with a wide range of communication needs, including:

• Speech
• Language
• Cognition
• Accent modification
• Transgender voice services 

Sessions are conducted by graduate students and are directly supervised by a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist. Graduate student clinicians receive direct instruction and feedback for each session. Sessions are 30-60 minutes each and are typically conducted twice per week. After an evaluation has been performed, services are provided based on the needs of the client.  

Instructional Materials Center

The Instructional Materials Center is a faculty and student resource center available to the speech-language pathology program. 

Externships

Off-campus practicum experiences are available at numerous sites, including: 

• Major hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Rehabilitation centers
• Agencies
• Pediatric medical and educational facilities

Our students also work in facilities for individuals with: 

• Head injuries
• Hearing impairments
• Cranio-facial anomalies
• Dysphagia
• Dementia
• Stuttering 
• And more

Externship Sites

Medical Facilities

• Alton Memorial Hospital (Alton, Ill.)
• Anderson Hospital (Maryville, Ill.) 
• Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis)
• Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital (St. Louis)
• Center for Voice (St. Louis)
• Christian Hospital Northeast (St. Louis)
• Eden Village (Edwardsville, Ill.)
• Gateway Regional Medical Center (Granite City, Ill.)
• Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital (Columbia, Mo.)
• Memorial Hospital (Springfield, Ill.)
• Missouri Veterans Home (St. Louis)
• Ranken Jordan Children's Rehabilitation Hospital (Maryland Heights, Mo.)
• Rehabilitation of St. Louis (St. Louis)
• St. Claire Hospital (Alton, Ill.)
• St. Elizabeth's Hospital (Belleville, Ill.)
• St. John's Head Injury Resource Center (Chesterfield, Mo.)
• St. Joseph's Institute for the Deaf (Chesterfield, Mo.)
• St. Louis Children's Hospital (St. Louis)
• St. Louis University Medical Center (St. Louis)
• St. Mary's-SSM Rehabilitation Center (Clayton, Mo.)
• VA Medical Center (St. Louis)
• William BeDell Achievement and Resource Center (Alton, Ill.) 

Educational Facilities

• Alton School Districts 
• Belleville School District 118 
• Bethalto School District 8 
• Breese Elementary School District 12 
• Center for Autism 
• Collinsville CSD #10
• Early Childhood Centers
• Edwardsville School District
• Granite City School Districts
• Hazelwood School District
• O'Fallon School District
• Pattonville School District
• Rockwood School District
• Special School District of St. Louis
• St. Charles School District
• St. Louis City School District
• TouchPoint Autism Services 
• Triad School District

Assistantships

A variety of opportunities exist for graduate assistantships. Deadlines for these assistantships vary, and students are strongly encouraged to submit their application for assistantships at the same time they apply to the speech-language pathology program. More information is available on the Department of Applied Health website.

Background Check  and Fingerprinting Requirements

The SIUE graduate program in speech-language pathology includes on-campus and externship clinical experiences. Many of these experiences will require a criminal background check and/or fingerprinting. An externship site may deny a student's participation in the clinical experiences because of a felony or misdemeanor conviction or record of child abuse. Clinical sites may also deny participation in clinical experiences for other reasons, such as failure of a required drug test or inability to produce an appropriate health clearance. As participation in clinical experiences, rotations or fieldwork is a required part of the curriculum and a requirement for graduation, denial of participation by a clinical site may result in delay of graduation or the inability to graduate from the program. For more information about background check and fingerprinting requirements specific to school externship placements, please visit the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior Student Services Office. Information specific to non-school placements are specific to each site and will be provided at the time of clinical assignment.

Following completion of the graduate program in speech-language pathology, you may choose to pursue professional licensure. Please review the licensure requirements specific to the discipline by contacting the specific licensing board or the state to which you may apply for licensure/certification. SIUE provides information specific to the speech-language pathology program meeting the educational requirements as established by the various regulatory boards. It is your responsibility to understand the criteria necessary for licensure and to ensure compliance with those criteria.

If you have questions or concerns about these requirements and your ability to participate in an externship experience or be licensed, please contact Dr. Steffany Chleboun, graduate program director. Your signature on your CSDCAS application shall serve as your acknowledgment that you are aware of the potential impact of a previous felony or misdemeanor conviction, or record of child abuse, that you have conducted due diligence in determining your potential eligibility for licensure, and that you are aware that certain factors may prevent your eligibility for licensure.

Student Outcome Data and Essential Functions

Essential Functions

The accredited program in speech-language pathology at SIUE adheres to the standards set by the American Speech, Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Faculty in the program have a commitment to students to develop skills they will be expected to perform during their educational and professional career as speech-language pathologists, and they are also responsible for the welfare of clients who are evaluated, treated and/or otherwise affected by students enrolled in the program. It is important that persons admitted to, retained in, and graduated from the program possess the intelligence, integrity, compassion, humanitarian concern, and physical and emotional capacity necessary to learn and practice speech-language pathology. 

In order to fulfill these responsibilities, the program has established academic standards and minimum essential requirements as part of the admission and retention policies of the program. Admission and retention decisions are based not only on satisfactory academic achievement but also on non-academic factors that serve to ensure students can meet the essential functions of the clinical program required for graduation. Essential functions, as distinguished from academic standards, refers to basic physical, behavioral, social, cognitive and intellectual abilities that are necessary for satisfactory mastery of the academic and clinical curriculum and the development of professional attributes required of successful speech-language pathologists. Many of the specific skills required of speech-language pathologists will be taught to students during the master's program. However, students need to have the physical, behavioral, social, intellectual and cognitive capabilities to successfully acquire those skills. 

If students become aware that they may need accommodations to successfully complete this program, they are encouraged to contact the speech-language pathology graduate program director. When requested, the University will provide reasonable accommodations to otherwise qualified students with properly documented disabilities who meet the minimum program requirements. In this situation, students should contact the Office of Accessible Campus Community and Equitable Student Support (ACCESS) at 618-650-3726.

The essential functions required by the speech-language pathology graduate program are outlined below. 

Physical Abilities

• Participate in classroom, laboratory, clinical, and other professional responsibilities and activities for up to four hour blocks of time with one short break
• Access transportation to all clinical and academic placements
• Move independently to, from, and within the clinical and academic setting
• Provide for your own personal hygiene
• Manipulate laboratory, evaluation and intervention materials
• Complete all academic and client-related forms and paperwork (e.g., lesson plans, data collection forms, SOAP notes, reports)
• Provide a safe environment for others by responding quickly to emergency situations (e.g., fire, choking, etc.) and applying universal precautions (e.g., standardized approach to infection control) 
• Visually monitor patient responses and materials
• Make accurate judgments about speech and acoustic signals

Behavioral and Social Attributes

• Maintain emotional and mental health necessary to use your intellectual abilities, to promptly complete responsibilities, and to develop appropriate relationships with faculty, supervisors, staff, peers, clients, parents or caregivers, and other professionals
• Maintain composure and emotional stability in demanding situations
• Adapt to an environment that may change rapidly without warning and/or in unpredictable ways
• Communicate effectively in person, by phone, and in written form while considering the communication needs and cultural values of the listener or reader
• Understand and respect faculty and supervisory authority
• Maintain appropriate professional behavior by being punctual, attending regularly, maintaining client confidentiality, and completing all required duties and assignments
• Demonstrate compassion, integrity, interest, and motivation in delivering professional services
• Collaborate with other professionals
• Comply with administrative, ethical, legal, and regulatory policies
• Know how your values, attributes, beliefs, emotions and/or experiences affect your perceptions of and relationships with others
• Be willing and able to examine and change behavior when it interferes with professional relationships

Intellectual and Cognitive Abilities

• Demonstrate the mental capacity to learn and assimilate professional information, including the ability to comprehend oral and written professional literature and reports
• Solve academic and clinical problems through critical analysis
• Seek relevant case information. Synthesize and apply concepts and information from various sources and disciplines
• Write discipline-specific papers and clinical reports in Standard American English
• Speak Standard American English intelligibly
• Discriminate correct production of and model Standard American English phonemes, vocabulary, grammatical forms, and prosodic patterns
• Analyze, synthesize, and interpret ideas and concepts in academic and clinical settings, and express these in an accurate manner in verbal and written form
• Maintain attention and concentration necessary to complete clinical activities for up to four hour blocks of time with one short break
• Organize, schedule, and prioritize activities, and provide documentation in a timely manner
• Assess and effectively communicate all relevant information including significance of nonverbal responses
• Be a responsive, empathetic listener in order to establish rapport with others and promote openness of communication

Student Groups

National Student Speech-Language and Hearing Association (NSSLHA)

The National Student Speech-Language and Hearing Association (NSSLHA) is a national organization for students studying communication sciences and disorders. The SIUE chapter of NSSLHA provides gathering opportunities for pre-professional speech-language pathologists and audiologists. 

Why join the SIUE chapter of NSSLHA? 

• Meet other students in the program
• Gain access to academic resources
• Make professional connections
• Participate and get involved in community outreach programs
• Build your resume
• Membership is only $15 per year

Contact siuensslha@gmail.com for more information. 

Why join national NSSLHA?

• $60 per year
• Full access to ASHA publications and other student resources
• Eligibility for scholarships through the ASHFoundation
• Discounted ASHA Special Interest Group Membership
• Receive a discount when you apply for ASHA certification
• For more information visit nsslha.org

Annual Events

NSSLHA Trivia Night: Each year, faculty, students, family and friends of those in the speech-language pathology and audiology program raise money for the SIUE Speech-Language-Hearing Center. Come bid on baskets and other goodies in the silent auction and challenge faculty members in a game of trivia. The banquet is a fun night to spend with faculty and friends!

Scholarships: The SIUE NSSLHA organization also offers scholarships for speech-language pathology majors or graduate students. The Traci Storey Memorial Scholarship is awarded each spring to help support students pursuing a career as a speech-language pathologist. Talk to an NSSLHA officer or email siuensslha@gmail.com for more information.

National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing (NBASLH) SIUE Chapter

The National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing is the premier professional and scientific association addressing the communication interests and concerns of Black communication science and disorders professionals, students and consumers. The SIUE chapter of NBASLH provides students with opportunities to collaborate, fundraise and network with other Black students who are interested in the study of communication disorders.

Purpose of SIUE NBASLH

• Promote an increase in the number of Black speech, language and hearing professionals
• Provide a safe and supportive environment for Black SPPA students
• Solicit and provide mentoring support of Black students and professionals in communication science disorders
• Explore and disseminate information on communication disorders and differences specific to the Black community

Why join the SIUE chapter of NBASLH?

• Meet other Black students in the program and be part of an active and supportive cohort
• Participate and get involved in community outreach programs
• Build your resume
• Receive a discounted rate to the Annual Convention
• Receive a discounted rate for the NBASLH National Speech-Language Pathology Exam (PRAXIS) Review Course at the Annual Convention
• Get access to the Journal of the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing (JNBASLH) and Resound, NBASLH's national newsletter

Contact Kathryn Brady at kabrady@siue.edu for more information.

Estimated Costs

Tuition: General information about tuition at SIUE can be found using the tuition and fees estimator or on the graduate tuition and fees webpage. When using these resources, please use 60 credit hours in your calculation.

Clinical Program Fees: In addition, speech-language pathology graduate students will be assessed a clinical program fee of $100 per credit hour for all speech-language pathology graduate courses. More information about curriculum requirements for the speech-language pathology graduate program can be found here.

Course Fees: Students currently pay ~$70 per semester for fees associated with clinical experiences and individual classes. Textbook costs are included in student fees. Students in the graduate speech-language pathology program can also expect to incur the following expenses throughout their time in the program:

• CALIPSO web-based application 
  
  • $125, one-time fee
• Content test required for professional educator licensure
  
  • $122, one-time fee (depending on test outcome)
• Clinic T-shirt as part of uniform
  
  • $20, one-time fee
• Parking pass
  
  • $167, annual fee
• Health requirement testing 
  • Varies by provider and placement
• Background check/fingerprinting 
  
  • $45, variable
• PRAXIS
  
  • $146, one-time fee (depending on test outcome)
• Clinic Note (Electronic Medical Records Access) 
  • $165 (distributed across 3 semesters) 

Faculty

View current Department of Applied Health faculty.