Speech-Language Pathology (M.S.)
Pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
The Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) graduate program at Marymount University is a fully online, 46-credit, five-semester program designed to meet the growing demand for speech-language pathologists (SLPs). The program has submitted the Candidacy Application which is the first step to Accreditation to the Council of Academic Accreditation with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The program is also pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
This innovative program will provide students with the knowledge and skills to become effective practitioners while addressing regional and national shortages in both healthcare and educational settings. Upon graduation, students will be eligible for licensure and national certification in speech-language pathology.
The Speech-Language Pathology program is rooted in social justice, inclusion, antiracism, decolonization, and anti-ableism. The program curriculum is evidence-based and focuses on comprehensive clinical education, offering students a combination of theoretical knowledge, clinical practice, and real-world application. Graduates will be well-equipped to meet the needs of diverse populations and contribute to the profession’s growth.
Mission: To provide exceptional speech-language pathology education with a global perspective that fosters human connection, cultural humility, and a deep sense of community. We nurture intellectual curiosity and prepare students to be of service to others by developing empathetic, skilled professionals dedicated to the fundamental right to communicate
Vision: To be a national leader in speech-language pathology education through cultivating practitioners who foster connection, build community, and uphold the human right to communicate. Our graduates will advance the field through compassionate care, lifelong learning, and a commitment to uplift global perspectives and enact cultural humility in evolving contexts
Program Inclusion Statement: The Marymount Speech-Language Pathology program is committed to fostering a learning environment rooted in social justice, inclusion, antiracism, decolonization, and anti-ableist principles. We recognize the profound impact of systemic inequities in education and healthcare that impact individuals with communication and swallowing disorders, and we strive to engage these principles through our academic curriculum, clinical practice, and connections to our communities.
Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a developed sense equitable and socially just professional practice (such as accountability, integrity, effective communication skills, clinical reasoning, and professional duty).
- Apply culturally responsive, inclusive and collaborative assessment and intervention with use of humanistic practices along with evidence-based practice.
- Engage in humanistic approaches that center connection and community in identification, prevention, evaluation and intervention of communication, speech, language, stuttering, voice and swallowing disorders with global populations.
- Develop life-long learning about cultural humility and cultural responsivity in speech-language pathology using an anti-racist, anti-ableist intersectional lens.
Admission Requirements and Eligibility: Graduate admissions are rolling with acceptance occurring for both fall and spring semesters. While Marymount University recommends the following prerequisites be completed prior to applying to the program, required courses may be completed after acceptance but concurrent to or prior to initiating the graduate program. A graduate program of study will be developed for individual students after admission to the graduate program.
General Education Requirements:
- Biological Science (including anatomy, biology, cell and molecular biology, computational biology, ecology and evolution, environmental biology, forensic biology, genetics, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biosciences, natural science, neurobiology, neurology, physiology, and zoology)
- Physical Sciences (including chemistry or physics)
- Statistics (a standalone statistic course is required)
- Social sciences and behavioral sciences (including anthropology, ethnic and cultural studies, Archaeology Area studies, Economics, Gender and sexuality studies, Geography organizational studies, Political science, Psychology, Psychobiology, Criminology and cognitive science
Additionally, the following foundational knowledge in Speech-Language Pathology must be covered in standalone or combined courses, if it is not completed at the time of admission, options will be provided to the applicant for completing these courses prior to starting graduate coursework.
Speech-Language Pathology Prerequisite Requirements:
- Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech Mechanism
- Speech and Hearing Sciences
- Audiology
- Phonetics
- Development across the lifespan
It is recommended that applicants have a 3.0 grade point average across major coursework (speech-language pathology-related courses) and a cumulative GPA of 2.75. Applicants will be required to submit two letters of recommendation (one is recommended to be from a professor), a resume, and an essay response to a specific prompt provided at the time of application.
Central Application System for Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSDCAS) will be used to submit applications.
Special consideration is given to current Marymount students and applicants who are committed to and fulfill the mission of the graduate program. Applicants are selected based on their experiences, potential to contribute to the profession and their community and commitment to the mission and vision of the program.
Marymount University’s Speech-Language Pathology program will continually review applications as they are received. Students will be notified within three months of applying.
After applicants are notified and accepted a graduate plan of study will be developed. This plan will include prerequisite courses and timing. Students are also required to complete an intake survey so that faculty can learn more about students.
Program of Study: The Speech-Language Pathology program has both academic and clinical coursework. Students will engage in explicit learning of professional practice standards in five core courses that consist of 14 credits. Students will engage in the academic coursework to develop the knowledge in the areas of expressive/receptive language, cognition, social language, swallowing, hearing, voice, stuttering and communication modalities across early childhood, school age through young adults and in adulthood (16 credits). Concurrently with academic courses students will have service learning (6 credits) and clinical simulation (4 credits) experiences where they will begin to accrue clinical clock hours and develop skills. The capstone experience will include successful completion of two internships (6 credits).
Minimum Grade Requirements: Students in the Speech-Language Pathology (MS) program must earn a minimum grade of a B in all courses in the program to earn credit. All graduate students in the College of Health and Education must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of a 3.0.
Graduation Requirements: Graduate requirements for the Speech-Language Pathology program include completing all courses with a grade of B or above, earning at least 400 clinical clock hours (including 25 observation hours) and meeting the rating of “Professional Practice Ready” on their internship clinical ratings. Students must meet the Marymount University Community Standards throughout their program.
Degree Requirements - Speech-Language Pathology (M.S.)
46 credits
Core Courses - Professional Practice Standards
| SLP 510 | Foundations of Speech-Language Pathology: Historical and Socio-Political Contexts | 3 |
| SLP 515 | Counseling and Therapeutic Relationships in Speech-Language Pathology | 3 |
| SLP 520 | Advocacy, Research and Evidence-Based Practice in Speech-Language Pathology | 3 |
| SLP 525 | Professional Duty in Interprofessional Educational and Medical Settings | 3 |
| SLP 676 | Professional Preparation in Speech-Language Pathology | 2 |
Content Area Courses - Developmental
| SLP 610 | Communication and Swallowing in Early Childhood | 4 |
| SLP 620 | Communication and Swallowing in School-Age Children and Adolescents | 4 |
| SLP 630 | Communication and Swallowing in Adults with Acquired or Degenerative Impairments | 4 |
| SLP 640 | Stuttering and Voice across the Lifespan | 2 |
| SLP 642 | Advanced Learning: Special Topics in Speech-Language Pathology | 2 |
Clinical Courses - Simulation
| SLP 611 | Simulated Cases in Early Childhood | 1 |
| SLP 621 | Simulated Cases in School-Age Children and Adolescents | 1 |
| SLP 631 | Simulated Cases in Adults with Acquired and Degenerative Impairments | 1 |
| SLP 641 | Simulated Cases in Stuttering and Voice | 1 |
Clinical Courses - Service Learning and Internships
| SLP 612 | Service Learning with Early Childhood | 2 |
| SLP 622 | Service Learning with School-Age Children and Adolescents | 2 |
| SLP 632 | Service Learning in Adults with Acquired or Degenerative Impairments | 2 |
| SLP 675 | Capstone: Internship in Speech-Language Pathology | 6 |