Communication Sciences and Disorders, MS

The Pace University Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) is a full-time, 5-semester program (2 years plus one summer). Sixty-credits of academic and clinical coursework and 400 hours of clinical practicum are required to graduate from the program. Twenty-five of these clinical practicum hours are observational and 50 hours can be obtained at the undergraduate level. Students have access to Pace and CSD facilities, which include an on-site Speech, Language, and Hearing Center with an, audiology test suite and speech lab with state-of-the-art equipment. The clinical practicum experience includes three semesters in-house and two semesters at an external placement.

The Communication Sciences and Disorders, MS program at Pace will prepare graduates to sit for the Speech-Language Pathology PRAXIS examination.

Criteria for Program Progression

The CSD is designed to prepare the graduate candidate for a successful and fulfilling experience and career in speech-language pathology. To ensure competency at the completion of the program, the following criteria must be satisfied:

• Completion of 60 credits of academic and clinical coursework.
• Completion of 400 hours of clinical practicum; 25 of these hours are observational and 50 hours can be obtained at the undergraduate level, if applicable. Clinical practicum hours are obtained in-house at the Pace University Speech, Language, and Hearing Center and/or through teletherapy during the first three semesters and at external placements/sites during the final two semesters.
• All graduate candidates are required to meet with their academic advisor every semester to ensure requirements in the graduate program are progressing appropriately. Documentation of advisement is maintained.
• Second-degree graduate candidates who are taking CSD undergraduate coursework on a non-matriculated basis to satisfy graduate program admissions may avail themselves of CSD faculty advisement on an individual basis.
• Students must earn at least a 3.0 grade point average (GPA). Students are advised, monitored, and supported every semester by the CSD faculty to progress to this goal.
• Should a student earn less than a 3.0 in any CSD course, the student will be placed on academic probation.  In addition, a remediation plan will be instituted for a student who earns a B- (2.7) or less in the course; the student must demonstrate that the standards are met. Again, students are advised, monitored, and supported every semester by the CSD faculty to complete the remediation and be removed from academic probation.
• Students who receive more than one grade below a B in the same or different semesters will be dismissed from the program.
• Students must meet performance indicators for clinical practicum on-campus at the Pace University Speech, Language, and Hearing Center and external placements.
• All students must comply with the procedures and policies of the Pace University Speech, Language, and Hearing Center described in the CSD Academic and Clinical Graduate Student Handbook.
  • All students must adhere to the procedures and requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 described in the Handbook.
• Students must complete mandatory workshops as designated by the program, the frequency, topics and schedule to be determined.
• Students must complete all necessary trainings as mandated by the program, University, state and/or accrediting agencies.
• Students will complete a first-year comprehensive assessment and must pass a second-year comprehensive examination.
• Finally, students must meet the Essential Functions (found in the CSD Academic and Clinical Graduate Student Handbook) in five areas to satisfy graduate and professional requirements as measured by state and national credentialing agencies. These five areas are: communication, motor, intellectual-cognitive, sensory observational, and behavioral-social. Many of these skills can be learned and developed during the course of the program through coursework and clinical experience. Failure to meet or maintain the Essential Functions, which also includes conduct expected by the ASHA Code of Ethics, may result in action against the student, including, but not limited to dismissal from the program.

To graduate, students must successfully satisfy all academic (60 credits) and clinical (400 total hours), and mandatory workshops as determined by the CSD program to graduate. Additionally, students must pass a comprehensive examination in the spring semester of their second year. To ensure all academic requirements and credits are met, as well as Essential Functions, CSD academic advisors will review students’ transcripts at the end of each semester and at the beginning of their last semester. The director of the Speech, Language, and Hearing Center, clinical externship manager, and supervisors will monitor and ensure that students receive the required total hours to meet compliance. 

Graduates from the MS program will be eligible for American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certification as well as other relevant local and state credentials upon graduation. Passing the Praxis examination is a required component for obtaining certification to practice speech-language pathology by ASHA and most states.

The typical program of study is delineated in the table below:

Note: Upon successful completion of the courses outlined and passing of the comprehensive exam, students will have completed the requirements for their degree.