ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
The master’s program in Speech-Language Pathology is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the ASHA. The Master of Arts is awarded in Speech-Language Pathology. The academic coursework requirements for the CCC-SLP are found in the Membership and Certification Handbook available from the ASHA or on the website http://www.asha.org .
Applicants for certification must:
have a master’s or doctoral or other recognized post-baccalaureate degree. verification of the graduate degree is required before the Certificate is awarded.
have a minimum of 75 semester credit hours in a course of study pertinent to the fields of speech-language pathology and audiology.
have at least 36 of the 75 semester credit hours earned at the graduate level.
initiate and complete all graduate course work and graduate clinical practicum required in the professional area for which the Certificate is sought at an institution whose program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association(ASHA).
o A list of undergraduate and master’s courses; the University catalog description; and the learner objectives for each course with ASHA standards in bold print offered by the Department of Speech is found as Appendix A.
Within the first quarter of enrollment the graduate student and the Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Speech-Language Pathology will:
meet to plan the student's program.
submit a Plan of Study (see Appendix B) as required by the Graduate School at Louisiana Tech University no later than the end of the first quarter of graduate enrollment.
enter required coursework on the Academic Course Requirements Checksheet (see Appendix C).
file the Academic Course Requirements Checksheet in the student's permanent file in the office of the Department of Speech.
submit a revised Plan of Study (see Appendix B) to the Graduate School during the Quarter in which the student expects to graduate with the Master’s degree.
Graduate Student Status Satisfactory Performance
To demonstrate satisfactory performance, graduate students pursuing the M.A. degree will be expected to:
2. earn no more than two unsatisfactory grades during their entire program [i.e., a grade of C or below in an academic or clinical practicum course or a W (withdraw) from one or more courses].
3. perform academic and clinical duties in accordance with the Louisiana Tech
University Academic Policies and Standards and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) code of ethics.
Consequences of Unsatisfactory Performance
Students enrolled will be placed on academic probation in the Department of Speech under the following circumstance(s):
1. a second grade of C or below earned in any academic course. 2. a first grade of C or below is earned in any practicum course. 3. a W (withdraw) grade from any academic course.
4. a W (withdraw) grade from any practicum course. 5. GPA falls below 3.0.
Once a student is placed on academic probation in the Department of Speech he/she: 1. shall meet with his/her academic advisor to revise the Plan of Study and each quarter thereafter to review progress.
2. shall notify the advisor, in writing, of any changes he/she wishes to make to the Plan of Study (including withdrawal of enrollment from a course). Additionally, the student must appear before the Graduate Student Faculty before any change is made to the Plan of Study.
3. shall earn a B- or better in the academic course in which a grade of C or below was earned the next time that course is offered within the course sequence.
4. shall earn a B- or better in the practicum course the next time the practicum is offered in which the unsatisfactory grade was earned.
5. shall earn a B- or better in the academic or practicum courses in which the Incomplete(s) were obtained by the end of the following academic quarter. 6. will not be permitted to participate in a clinical practicum for which an academic course with an unsatisfactory grade is a prerequisite until the student has retaken the course the next time it is offered and earned a B- or better.
7. will not be permitted to enroll more than twice in the same academic course after an unsatisfactory grade or withdrawal. A student who has earned a grade of “C” in a course, enrolled in the same course and withdrawn will be removed from the program. The student, Graduate Faculty Chair, and Graduate Faculty Committee will be notified in writing of the unsatisfactory performance and recommendation for
removal from the program.
8. In addition, if a student receives an unsatisfactory grade or Incomplete in a practicum, the clinical supervisor and Coordinator of Graduate Program in Speech-Language Pathology will determine whether the student should:
a. Return to the same practicum. b. Be placed in a comparable site.
c. Repeat content coursework before repeating the practicum.
d. Be considered for departmental recommendation for removal from the clinical degree.
e. The student, Graduate Faculty Chair, and Graduate Faculty Committee will be notified in writing of the unsatisfactory performance.
9. Additionally, the student may be required to appear before the University Honor Council/Judical Council.
Removal from the Program
1. Following the second instance of unsatisfactory performance, the Graduate Student Committee will recommend withdrawal of a student from the program for academic or clinical reasons.
2. The Graduate Faculty Committee will recommend withdrawal of a student for professional reasons under the following conditions (a student may be recommended for withdraw upon the occurrence of a single violation under this section):
a. Conduct prohibited as shown in the Louisiana Tech University Student Handbook (http://www.latech.edu/students/judicial-affairs/index.shtml)
b. Periods of absence during a quarter without the endorsement of the student’s graduate committee. If a program of study must be interrupted for one quarter, the student may apply for leave of absence. However, this leave status cannot exceed one quarter, not including summer. This request must be filed and approved no later than the last day of registration in the quarter of anticipated leave.
c. Seriously compromising the relations of the Department with the public. d. Breaches of ethical judgment or professional responsibility.
e. Serious instances of personality or character traits inappropriate for the professional roles for which the student is attempting to prepare.
The student and Graduate Faculty Chair will be notified in writing that the student is being recommended for removal from the program.
A “C” is not regarded as an acceptable graduate school grade. Any course taken for graduate credit in which a final grade of “C” is earned will have to be repeated. This includes courses in the first and second year of study. Every student, regardless of tenure in the graduate program, who makes a “C” in a graduate-level course will be required to appear before the Graduate Faculty Committee during the first week of the subsequent quarter to explain and offer specific reasons for his or her poor academic and/or clinical performance. An additional consequence of a grade of “C” is that clinical practicum can only be done in the Louisiana Tech Speech and Hearing Center in the next quarter of practicum following the one in which the “C” was made. This will hold true regardless of whether the student is in the first or second year of study. A student who is on academic probation (as per the University Graduate School’s definition of academic probation) will not be assigned to any clinical practicum until the probationary status has been removed.
Appealing the Recommendation of Graduate Student Committee
1. Students may appeal the recommendation for removal from the program by notifying the Department Head in writing within two weeks of receiving the letter notifying them of the Graduate Faculty Committee’s recommendation.
2. Within two weeks of receiving the letter of appeal, the Graduate Faculty Committee will have a meeting to discuss the appeal. If the appeal is received in the summer, and 2/3 of the faculty are unavailable, then the Graduate Faculty Committee will meet within two weeks of the start of the following fall quarter. The student may present her/his case at this meeting.
3. The Graduate Faculty Committee will vote on whether to grant or deny the appeal. 4. A majority of the Graduate Faculty Committee present must vote to grant the appeal in order for the original recommendation to be overturned.
5. The student and the committee chair will be notified in writing whether the appeal has been granted or denied.
6. If the appeal is granted, the student will continue to be subject to the conditions described above in Consequences of Unsatisfactory Performance and Removal from the Program.
7. If the appeal is denied at the Department, the student may appeal to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Other Student Appeals
The Department of Speech follows the Louisiana Tech University Policy for student appeal procedures, as outlined in the Louisiana Tech University General Catalog (p. 18). The procedure involves an informal process followed, if needed, by a formal one. If a student has a concern about the program meeting the standards of the Council of Academic Accreditation, they should
contact the CAA office to obtain a copy of their complaint procedures, or refer to the Procedures for Complaints Against Graduate Education Programs on ASHA’s web site at: http://www.asha.org/academic/accreditation/accredmanual/section8/.
