Master of Science in Education in Speech-Language Pathology

Overview

A Speech-Language Pathologist is an individual with the necessary academic training and experience to diagnose and treat disorders of speech, language, communication, feeding, and swallowing. Monmouth University’s graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology is designed to provide basic and advanced professional preparation, with a strong commitment to theoretical and research foundations of clinical intervention. The comprehensive curriculum will include academic coursework, clinical practicum experiences, and research experiences, which will enable graduates to conduct speech and language assessments and provide intervention and treatment to children and adults. Students will have an opportunity to work closely with faculty, clinical supervisors, professional speech-language pathologists, and allied health professionals. This unique opportunity will lay a firm foundation for a career in Speech-Language Pathology. With small classes, the program will allow for incredible support and personalized attention to its students. Graduates of the program will be prepared to work in a variety of clinical settings including public schools, clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, special schools, and private practices. Others may choose to pursue their PhD.

Currently, the Speech-Language Pathology program at Monmouth University is pursuing accreditation candidacy by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and is anticipating a Fall 2013 start pending accreditation. Accreditation signifies to students, the general public, and all interested parties that the program of study has met the rigorous standards designed to ensure that programs are striving toward excellence in educating students. The ASHA Web site provides greater detail on what accreditation requires and means to students and the public. Concerns regarding Monmouth's accreditation may be referred to the CAA. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Dr. JoAnne Cascia at jcascia@monmouth.edu.

ADMISSION

Students who have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and wish to pursue a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology at Monmouth University may apply for admission. It is not necessary to have an undergraduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology to pursue a masters degree, however, foundation course work would have to be completed. As is the case with most graduate programs in speech pathology, admission is highly competitive. Admission to the master’s program is dependent on the criteria listed below.

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with an overall 3.0 GPA.
2. GRE scores taken within the past five years (students who hold a master's degree or higher from an accredited institution are not required to submit GRE scores).
3. A 500-word personal essay explaining why the student wants to pursue a career in speech-language pathology.
4. At least 2 letters of recommendation from those who know the students and their ability to complete graduate school.

Admission is granted one time per year. The admission deadline for Fall 2013 is March 15, 2013. Qualified applicants will be invited to Monmouth University for an interview. At that time, students will also have the opportunity to learn more about Monmouth University and the Speech-Language Pathology program.

Please visit Graduate Admission for application details.

CURRICULUM

The program will consist of approximately 60 graduate credits with up to 18 additional credits of foundation course work for those entering the program without a bachelors degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Course work in Speech-Language Pathology and research design is combined with a minimum of 400 clock hours of clinical practicum experience. This program is cohort-based; full-time students will be accepted for summer admission and will begin a strict sequence of study in the summer. The average time to completion for full-time students will be 24 months, starting in the summer and ending in the spring. Students entering the program without a bachelor’s degree in speech-language pathology will have to complete foundation courses in the first year, adding an extra year to their degree completion.

FACULTY

For more information on our program, please feel free to contact us.

	JoAnne Cascia, EdD, CCC-SLP Assistant Professor, Program Director jcascia@monmouth.edu, (732) 263-5701 Dr. JoAnne Cascia has worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist since 1994 in a variety of clinical settings including public schools, private schools, home care, and private practice. She owned and operated a private practice in Middlesex County, NJ for six years before returning to school for her EdD in Speech-Language Pathology. She has worked with Speech-Language Pathology graduate students as a clinical supervisor and adjunct professor since 2007. Dr. Cascia's research interests include clinical supervision, early language development, and communication/ Autism Spectrum Disorders.
	Elisabeth Mlawski, MS, CCC-SLP Assistant Professor  Elisabeth Mlawski has worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist since 1994 in a variety of clinical settings including the New York City Board of Education, Jersey City Medical Center, Cornerstone Day School, and the Springfield Public Schools. She worked as a clinical supervisor and adjunct professor since 2006. As an adjunct professor she has taught introduction to Speech-Language Pathology, language development, language disorders, disorders of speech production and voice, phonetics, and developmental phonology. Her research interests include effectiveness of treatment, language development across the lifespan, and language and literacy in school-age children.
	Pamela Jones, MA, CCC-SLP Specialist Professor pajones@monmouth.edu, (732) 923-4639 Masters in Speech-Language Pathology, Kean University and a Masters in Audiology, Montclair University, BS, Richard Stockton State College. Professional interests include early identification of hearing loss and central auditory processing disorders, aphasia, craniofacial disorders including cleft palate, autism, language disorders, feeding and swallowing disorders. I am an advocate of total communication and the incorporation of multimodality approaches in the clinical and classroom setting in order to enhance language and communication abilities, as well as best practices and the issues that occur when delivering speech services in the public school setting.