Post Baccalaureate Program - Undergraduate Degree not in SPA

CONTACT INFORMATION

Sloane Burgess, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Post-Baccalaureate Student Advisor
330-672-2672
sburges8@kent.edu

Students wishing to enter the master's degree program in speech-language pathology who hold a baccalaureate degree in another major must first take a series of undergraduate basic courses in speech, language, and hearing.

These courses are listed in the sequence in which they are offered; it is not possible to begin this sequence in the spring. Any student who wants to attend part-time should consult with Dr. Sloane Burgess. 

I. Required undergraduate courses in Speech Pathology and Audiology

Fall (12 semester hours)

• SPA 34102: Applied Phonetics (3)
• SPA 33101: Hearing and Speech Science (3)
• SPA 34104: Speech and Language Acquisition (3)
• SPA 44111: Neural Processes (3)

Spring (14 semester hours)

• SPA 34103: Anatomy and Physiology of Speech (3)
• SPA 43402: Audiometry (3)
• SPA 43403: Clinical Preparation-Audiology (2)
• SPA 34106: Articulatory and Phonological Disorders (3)
• SPA 34107: Language Disorders in Children and Adolescents (3)

Students begin by applying to the general admission office of the university to obtain post-baccalaureate (post-undergraduate, not seeking a degree) status in order to take these undergraduate courses.

Students then apply to the College of Education, Health, and Human Services for admission into the master's program after completion of the Fall semester. For specific deadline content, please review the Masters and Ph.D. application procedures.  

The remaining undergraduate courses are subsequently taken along with graduate level courses. It is important to note that enrolling for the post-baccalaureate courses does not guarantee acceptance into the master's program.

II. Required courses for ASHA certification

ASHA requires students to have courses in the following areas. These courses are not required for the master's degree itself, but are required to meet certification standards.

These can be undergraduate courses:

• biological science
• physical science (either chemistry or physics)
• statistics
• behavioral or social sciences (2 courses)

III. Clinical Preparation

Before students can begin accruing clinical clock hours in the master's program, they must have obtained and documented a minimum of 25 hours of clinical observation of services within the scope of practice for speech-language pathologists and by or under the supervision of a licensed and certified practitioner in the appropriate practice area. Although some of these hours may be required as part of undergraduate speech and hearing courses, students are responsible for obtaining the remaining hours on their own during the post-baccalaureate program. Procedures for obtaining these hours are posted on the website and in the clinic reception area.