The Master of Science in Speech, Language and Auditory Pathology degree program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The Distance Education program of study has the very same degree requirements as the campus program. Candidates must complete a minimum of 54 hours of graduate credit and pass a final, comprehensive examination. Forty-two of 54 credits are devoted to academic course work, a minimum of 12 credits are clincial courses. Students have the option of completing an additional 6 credit hours to qualify for the North Carolina DPI 60 hour advanced license. Generally, the program of study will take approximately three years to complete (including the summer terms between each academic year). See the 'Program of Study' link for the sequence of courses to be taken. See the 'General Information' link for the format of our program delivery.

In addition to the academic course work, the candidate must obtain a minimum of 25 observation hours and 375 supervised clinical hours in the diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders. These hours are required to meet certification and licensure requirements as set forth by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the North Carolina Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. The accumulation of supervised clinical hours will begin during the first summer after admission. An on-campus, 10 week summer residency is required for all students, unless appropriate sites and supervisiors can be found near the student's place of residence. The 10 week residency is offered in order for the department to be able to adequately determine the clinical competencies of the student. This residency occurs during the summer session between the first and second year. In some situations, a second summer residency may be required. Clinical hours following the summer residency will occur during the remaining semesters of the student's program of study. It will be the responsiblility of the candidate, in conjunction with the Coordinator of External Clinical Education, to secure at least two (2) internship sites in their geographic area with ASHA certified and state licensed (where applicable) supervisors. The department will provide the guidelines for securing clinical sites. In order to meet the clinical hour requirements, it may be necessary for the student to enroll in internship courses beyond the three year projection. There is no guarantee that your clinical internships will be located in your immediate geographic area.

Sites must have ASHA ceritified surpervisors and state licensed (where applicable) supervisors. Supervisors must hold a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech Language Pathology.

Sites must provide supervision at the level specified by the CAA of ASHA and the ECU Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Sites must be willing to enter into a legal agreement with ECU/CSDI for the training of students.

A variety of sites is required for each student so that the breadth and depth of clinical experiences are acquired to meet the required competencies.