Graduate Communication Sciences & Disorders

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Faculty

Margaret L. Johnson, Chair, Professor
Carol L. Koch, Professor; Director, Speech Language Pathology
Karen L. Thatcher, Associate Professor
Aaron L. Johnson, Assistant Professor; Director of Clinical Education, Audiology
Steven Moates, Assistant Professor; Director of Clinical Education, Speech Language Pathology
Travis M. Moore, Assistant Professor
Laura S. Promer, Assistant Professor; Undergraduate Clinical Coordinator
Hollea Ryan, Assistant Professor; Director, Audiology
Kelly F. Jackson, Instructor, Lab Coordinator

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSDS) in the School of Health Professions is to prepare highly qualified speech-language pathologists and audiologists through faith-based academic coursework and clinical placements designed to foster lifelong learning, attainment of personal career goals and high moral and ethical competency so that practitioners will be of service to others in their community and throughout the world.

Vision for the CSDS Department

Learning through commitment
Preparing professionals for service
Distinctive education for the 21st century clinician
Helping and serving others through educational experiences
Creating leaders as speech-language pathologists and audiologists

CSDS Code of Values and Philosophy

Faith - we live our faith by our words and actions
Excellence - we strive for excellence in our academic programming and in our students’ learning outcomes
Integrity - we embrace persons who hold themselves to a higher standard
Learning - we provide a platform for becoming lifelong learners
Teamwork - we believe that together we are stronger
Service - we believe in serving others as our gifts and talents allow

“Don’t be jealous or proud; be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. Care about them as much as you care about yourselves and think the same way that Jesus thought.” - Philippians 2: 3-5

Graduate Programs and Requirements

Degree
Master of Science (M.S.)
Speech Language Pathology (M.S.)

Non-Background M.S. in Speech Language Pathology (Bridge Program) (M.S.)

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSDS) offers the master of science degree (M.S.) in speech language pathology (SLPA) and a non-background master of science in speech language pathology. The master of science degree is designed to help students become a highly qualified speech-language pathologist with the skills, compassion, and motivation to make a difference in their community. Faith-based academic coursework and clinical placements are designed to help students reach their career goals, while emphasizing life-long learning, high moral, and ethical competencies. As students graduate, they will be prepared to impact people’s lives in truly meaningful ways.

Admission Requirements

Two options of admission status are designated:

Possess a CSD/SLP baccalaureate degree.
Conditional admission: A completed bachelor’s degree is required prior to enrollment, as evidenced by a final official college/university transcript. Applicants may receive conditional acceptance with a letter from the registrar stating they have completed the requirements for the degree. The “conditional” status is removed once an official transcript is received.

Prerequisite courses:
Biological science (4 credits)
Physical science (must be chemistry or physics) (4 credits)
Statistics (math, psychology, health sciences accepted) (3 credits)
Social/Behavioral Science (i.e., sociology, psychology, anthropology) (3 credits)
Possess a baccalaureate degree or higher in a related field such as education, health sciences, psychology, or family sciences.

Prerequisite courses for Non-Background Bridge Program:
Biological science (4 credits)
Physical science (must be chemistry or physics) (4 credits)
Statistics (math, psychology, health sciences accepted) (3 credits)
Social/Behavioral Science (i.e., sociology, psychology, anthropology) (3 credits)
CSDS 211 Clinical Phonetics (4)
CSDS 212 Anatomy & Physiology of the Speech & Hearing Mechanism (4)
CSDS 213 Development of Language in Children (4)
CSDS 312 Principles of Audiology (3)
CSDS 314 Rehabilitation Audiology (3)
CSDS 414 Clinical Methods in Communication Sciences and Disorders (4)

Transcripts will be reviewed for prerequisite courses and an individualized plan of study will be created for each student.

Additional requirements:

Obtain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale and a minimum of 3.25 on a 4.00 scale in the last 60 hours. Undergraduate CSD or major area-no grade in a “major” area less than a C.
Submit GRE scores earned within the past five years (GRE minimum scores: Verbal: 160; Quantitative: 140; Analytical Writing: 4.0; CSDCAS Code: 6967.)
Submit three letters of reference submitted through the application system. The three required references should be from a) current or previous professor, b) work supervisor, c) professional colleague.
International applicants or American citizens who learned English as a second language must score at least 550 (paper), 213 (computer) or 80 (internet) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
Attend an on-campus interview.
Exceptions to any admission requirements will be handled on an individual basis.
If accepted, a non-refundable fee of $500 is required to secure admission into the program. This fee is applied to the first semester’s tuition.
The application may be found at https://portal.csdcas.org/.

Transfer Credit

At this time, students may not transfer in any credit to count towards the speech language pathology program.

Progression Policies

In order to progress in the graduate program in speech language pathology, the student must:

Have completed health and immunization forms on file in the CSDS department.
Submit proof of health insurance while enrolled at Samford.
Submit negative results on drug screen and background check.
Have achieved a passing grade of greater than or equal to 80% HIPAA, OSHA, and Bloodborne Pathogens Quizzes located on Moodle.
Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above on all coursework.
Make a grade of B or better in each required or prescribed course in the SLPA curriculum. Note: A grade of C+ or lower constitutes failure in any required or prescribed course in the SLPA curriculum.
A student will be allowed to take a failed SLPA course one additional time, but must make a B or above for a passing grade.
Failure in a course may cause an interruption in the students’ matriculation in terms of scheduling courses.
A student who fails (C+ or lower) two SLPA courses will be terminated from the department.
A student may not enroll in any SLPA course more than twice.
A student who fails to successfully complete a required SLPA course within one calendar year of academic probation notification will be dismissed from the program.
Students must be aware that matters of plagiarism, unethical, unprofessional, or unsafe conduct may result in immediate dismissal from the MS-SLPA program.

Students may not receive any grades lower than B for MS-SLPA courses. Courses with grades lower than B may be re-taken one time. When a course is retaken, both grades remain on the transcript and both are used in calculating the student’s grade point average (GPA). Students must maintain a GPA of 3.00 or higher and may not re-take more than two courses during their MS-SLPA studies. Students whose GPA falls below 3.00 will be placed on academic probation and will not be able to take more than three courses. Students who remain on academic probation for more than two semesters and students who receive a grade lower than B in more than two courses will be terminated from the MS-SLPA program. Students retain the right to appeal termination decisions via the grievance procedure outlined in the MS-SLPA Academic and Clinical Student Handbook.

Programs

Master

Speech Language Pathology (M.S.)

Courses

Speech Language Pathology