Masters in Speech Therapy: Requirements to Enroll in and Complete a Master Degree in Speech Therapy

Published Aug 05, 2009

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A master's degree in Speech Therapy enables individuals to become speech therapists in hospitals, schools, day care centers or outpatient centers. Speech therapists, also called speech-language pathologists, work with children and adults to assess, diagnose and treat disorders associated with speech, language, fluency and swallowing, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Overview of a Master's Degree in Speech Therapy

Students complete a master's degree in Speech Therapy by earning approximately 62 credit hours, usually in about two years. Students take courses such as language disorders, voice disorders, research methods, aphasia and speech science, according to the University of Connecticut. An individual enrolling in a master's degree program in Speech Therapy with a bachelor's degree in another field must complete classes such as audiology, speech science, phonetics and communication science and disorders before entering a master's degree program, according to the University of South Dakota.

Enrolling in a Speech Therapy Master's Degree Program

To enroll in a master's degree program in Speech Therapy, prospective students must apply and be accepted into to the university graduate program of their choice. An application usually includes a student's official undergraduate transcript, recommendation letters and test scores, according to Vanderbilt University. While master's degree program applicants must have a bachelor's degree, the undergraduate degree does not to be in Speech Therapy.

Completing a Speech Therapy Master's Degree

Some universities also require students to pass a comprehensive exam or conduct a research project. Many universities use a comprehensive exam administered through the Educational Testing Service and endorsed by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), according to New York University. If students choose to develop research projects, they must take a Speech Therapy research class and an independent study course. Some graduate programs also require students to complete a practicum in Speech Therapy, according to Ball State University. Students in these programs may need to have at least one practicum in a school and one in a non-school organization such as a hospital or clinic.

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