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 bachelor's degree in another major must first take a series of undergraduate courses in speech, language, and hearing (post-baccalaureate courses).

Please contact Dr. Sloane Burgess to develop a semester-by-semester plan to complete the required coursework. 

Courses required for the post-baccalaureate program

In order to enroll in required post-baccalaureate courses, students apply to Kent State as a Post-Undergraduate Non-Degree student (more information here post-undergraduate, not seeking a degree ). It is important to note that enrolling for the post-baccalaureate courses does not guarantee acceptance into the master's program. 

Students are eligible to apply for admissions to the Master's Degree program in Speech Pathology after successful completion of a minimum of 9 credit hours of post-baccalaureate coursework.  To learn more about application procedures and timelines, please review the Masters and Ph.D. application procedures.  

Required courses for ASHA certification

In addition to the courses listed above, the credentialing organization of Speech-Language Pathologists, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (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 courses are typically taken at the undergraduate level and prior to beginning the graduate program.  They can be completed at Kent State University but do not have to be completed here. 

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

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.