The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders offers a program of graduate study which prepares students for careers as speech-language pathologists in public schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and university training programs. The program typically takes 2 calendar years to complete. Students usually prepare for service delivery in both school and healthcare clinical settings to maximize career flexibility. Occasionally, students may choose to focus career preparation on just one type of setting.
Departmental laboratory and instructional facilities include a speech and language clinic, a hearing evaluation center, an instructional communication sciences laboratory, and faculty research laboratories. Research and instructional laboratories contain state-of-the-art technology, a variety of acoustic and physiological measurement systems including a swallow station, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. Students typically participate in at least three semesters of on-campus clinic. Student participation in a research experience is required.
Following a minimum of two successful practicum experiences in the on-campus clinics, students are eligible for off-campus externships in medical, rehabilitation, school, and birth-to-three sites. A successful practicum experience is one in which a student earns a grade of B or better. Students placed in these facilities are required to pass a criminal background check prior to the externship placement, in accordance with Wisconsin State Statutes, Chapters 48 and 50.
The master’s degree program in speech-language pathology (M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20850-3289, 301-296-5700.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has also approved the undergraduate/graduate program in communication sciences and disorders. Students in the graduate program are advised individually to select academic coursework and clinical practica so that they may fulfill the standards of the credentials of their choice, including the state professional license issued by the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing (DRL), a state public schools license issued by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and the national professional Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC) issued by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
Admission Requirements
Application Deadlines
If at any time you are unsure about a published date or deadline, call the Registrar's Office at (414) 229-3800 or submit a contact form online.
Admission
An applicant must meet Graduate School requirements plus these departmental requirements to be considered for admission to the program:
- Undergraduate major in communication sciences and disorders.
- A cumulative overall grade point average of 3.0 or better (scale of 4.0).
- Minimum grade point average of 3.0 or better in the undergraduate major courses.
- Submission of three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with applicant’s academic qualifications and achievements.
- Submission of Graduate Record Examination scores.
- Students must apply to the program using the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS).
See the CSD FAQ Website for more information.
Applicants may be admitted with specific program-defined course deficiencies provided that the deficiencies amount to no more than two courses. The student is expected to satisfy deficiency requirements within three enrolled semesters. The deficiencies are monitored by the Graduate School and the individual graduate program unit. No course credits earned in making up deficiencies may be counted as program credits required for the degree.
Students preparing for professional certification in speech-language pathology must also have transcript credit (which could include coursework, advanced placement, CLEP, or examination of equivalency) for each of the following areas: biological sciences, physical sciences, social/behavioral sciences, and mathematics.
Credits and Courses
Minimum degree requirement is 49 credits, although total degree credits are typically around 53.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Curriculum | ||
| Select 33 credits from the following: | 33 | |
| Advanced Procedures in Audiology | ||
| Research Design and Methods in Communication Sciences and Disorders | ||
| Clinical Phonology and Articulation | ||
| Voice Disorders | ||
| Speech Fluency and Stuttering | ||
| Language Assessment and Intervention: Birth to 5 years | ||
or COMSDIS 660 | School-Age Language | |
| Evaluation and Management of Swallowing Disorders | ||
| Motor Speech Disorders | ||
| Acquired Neurogenic Communication Disorders in Adults | ||
| Assessment and Intervention in Augmentative and Alternative Communication | ||
| The Clinical Process | ||
| Speech/Language Services in Educational and Medical Environments | ||
| Professional Portfolio Development I | ||
| Professional Portfolio Development II | ||
| Research and Thesis | ||
or COMSDIS 791 | Research Experience in Communication Sciences and Disorders | |
| Electives | ||
| Select 2 credits of electives (see below) | 2 | |
| Total Credits | 35 | |
The remaining credits will be taken in required clinical practica, including:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Practica | ||
| COMSDIS 720 | Advanced Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology: | 1-3 |
| COMSDIS 771 | Clinical Practice in Audiologic (Re)Habilitation: | 2-3 |
| COMSDIS 726 | Speech-Language Pathology Externship in Medical Environments | 4 |
| COMSDIS 727 | Speech-Language Pathology Externship in Educational Environments | 4 |
Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| COMSDIS 579 | Special Topics in Communication Sciences and Disorders: | 1-3 |
| COMSDIS 620 | Craniofacial Disorders | 2 |
| COMSDIS 630 | Communication Disorders in Multicultural Populations | 2 |
| COMSDIS 640 | Clinical and Research Instrumentation in Communication Sciences & Disorders | 2 |
| COMSDIS 661 | The Role of the Speech-language Pathologist in Literacy | 2 |
| COMSDIS 688 | Evaluation and Diagnosis in Speech-Language Pathology | 2 |
| COMSDIS 706 | Language Assessment and Intervention: Birth to 5 years 1 | 2 |
| or COMSDIS 660 | School-Age Language | |
| COMSDIS 713 | Degenerative Cognitive Communication Disorders in Older Adults | 2 |
| COMSDIS 717 | Special Populations in Communication Disorders | 2 |
| COMSDIS 790 | Research and Thesis (credits beyond 1) | 1-6 |
| COMSDIS 799 | Independent Studies | 1-3 |
| COMSDIS 802 | Seminar in Applied Phonology: | 1 |
| COMSDIS 804 | Seminar in Stuttering and Fluency: | 1 |
| 1 | Whichever was not taken to fulfill a core requirement. |
The student, in consultation with the major advisor, plans the appropriate practicum courses for on-campus clinics and off-campus externships to meet ASHA certification, DPI and Wisconsin licensure requirements. Only clinical clock hours for practicum experiences in which the student has earned a grade of B or better will apply toward degree, certification, or licensure requirements.
Students who have fulfilled the program’s student learning outcomes in U/G courses (for example, COMSDIS 670 or COMSDIS 688) will be waived from taking these courses as part of their graduate program. However, students must still take a minimum of 38 graduate credits in academic coursework, and must have a minimum of 49 total graduate credits to complete degree requirements.
Thesis
Optional. A student may earn up to 6 credits for a thesis (COMSDIS 790) if this option is selected. One of these credits will apply toward the core curriculum, two credits may apply toward the elective credit requirement, and the rest may apply toward the total of 49 credits required for the degree.
Research Experience
Students who do not choose the thesis option are required to engage in a one-credit research experience (COMSDIS 791). This experience may involve (but is not limited to) a small-scale original study, a project related to the on-going research of a faculty member, a clinical case study, or a literature review. Students may work individually or in groups. The final product can be either a research paper or a poster of the research findings, presented at a departmental research colloquium.
Program Requirements
Major Professor as Advisor
The student must have a major professor to advise and supervise the graduate studies as specified in Graduate School regulations. Entering students are assigned advisors according to faculty advising loads.
Knowledge and Skills Acquisition (KASA) Assessment
All students will be responsible for completion of the Knowledge and Skills Acquisition (KASA) assessment, which assesses student attainment of learning outcomes in a variety of content areas. Students who are judged by program faculty and staff to be deficient in one or more content areas will be required to take additional coursework or clinical practica until their deficiencies have been satisfied.
Completion of the degree program affords the necessary opportunities to meet licensure and certification requirements. However, it is still the student’s responsibility to ensure that his or her individual course and practicum choices are consistent with the credentials he or she seeks to obtain, and that all competencies and standards have been met.
Time Limit
The student must complete all degree requirements within seven years of initial enrollment.