Dr. Whitney Perkins, Interim Department Chair and Graduate Program Director
350 West Woodrow Wilson Drive, Suite 2260
Jackson, MS 39213
Phone: (601) 979-1143
E-mail: commdisordersgrad@jsums.edu

Faculty

K. Mitchell, Clinical Coordinator
Dr. B. Newkirk-Turner, Professor
Dr. W. Perkins, Clinical Faculty
Dr. D. Stanley, Assistant Professor
Dr. J. Wiles, Clinical Assistant Professor

The Department of Communicative Disorders offers a Master of Science (M.S.) degree program, and students enrolled in the master’s program are trained to screen, assess, identify, diagnose, refer, and provide intervention, habilitation/rehabilitation to persons of all ages and cultural/ethnic backgrounds, with, or at risk for, disorders of articulation, fluency, voice, cognition, language, swallowing, hearing and other disabilities. Students learn to counsel and educate individuals with communicative disorders, their families, caregivers and other service providers to select, prescribe, dispense assistive, augmentative and alternative communication devices and other communication prostheses, and to provide services supporting the effective use of these devices.

Accreditation

The master’s education program in speech-language pathology at Jackson State University is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Students who successfully complete the program meet the academic and clinical requirements for a license in Speech-Language Pathology granted by the Mississippi State Board of Health, for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology awarded by ASHA, and the Mississippi Educator Standard Class AA Vocational license.

Mission

The mission of the graduate program in communicative disorders is to provide quality education to pre-professional and graduate students from diverse populations by offering educational experiences that require the application of knowledge of normal and abnormal communication, critical thinking, data analysis, the use of professional oral and written communication, and the infusion of technology, when possible, for the prevention, assessment and intervention of communication disorders. The program will guide graduate students to:

1. acquire the knowledge and develop the skills, competencies and attitudes that are essential for the prevention, assessment and intervention of communicative disorders, and the safe, effective, and efficient practice of entry-level speech- language pathology,
2. develop the ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate data, and to conduct research, provide professional and public service to local, state, national, and world communities,
3. continue their professional growth by exploring developments in the profession and learning new models of prevention, assessment and intervention, and
4. develop an understanding and appreciation of ethnic and cultural diversity on normal and disordered communication.

Program Objectives

The objectives of the Master of Science in Communicative Disorders Program are to:

• Educate students to independently, effectively and safely
  1. differentiate between normal and abnormal communication, as well as normal and abnormal swallowing patterns;
  2. diagnose and treat persons of all ages who have speech, voice, cognitive, language, communication and swallowing disorders; and,
  3. habilitate/rehabilitate infants, children and adults with hearing loss.
• Equip students to ask relevant questions and provide appropriate information to patients, their families, care givers and other service providers regarding the prevention, diagnosis and management of disorders of human communication and swallowing.
• Facilitate clinical experiences that will train students to provide clinical services in a variety of settings including community clinics, hospitals, private practices, and university settings.
• Prepare students to meet the academic and clinical requirements for licensure granted by the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology awarded by ASHA.
• Guide students to evaluate developments in the professions, and conduct research in
  1. the normal processes of language, speech, hearing and swallowing and
  2. the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disorders of human communication and swallowing.
• Assist students to develop sensitivity to and an appreciation of diversity in society, so that they
  1. take into consideration individual differences in the provision of clinical services;
  2. do not discriminate in the delivery of services on the basis of race or ethnicity, age, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability; and,
  3. work effectively with other professionals who may be different from them in respect to race or ethnicity, age, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability.
• Encourage students to develop high standards of integrity, responsibility and ethics, so that they
  1. hold paramount the welfare of patients they serve;
  2. provide services only in areas in which they are competent; and
  3. adhere to the fundamentals of ethical conduct.
• Prepare students for advanced programs of study in communicative disorders.
• Advocate the pursuit of continued professional growth through continuing education.
• Offer educational programs that will
  1. promote the maintenance of current knowledge and skills of speech-language pathologists in the Jackson area, state, national and world communities and
  2. provide the general public with information regarding the prevention, nature, diagnosis and treatment of communication and swallowing disorders.
• Provide professional and public services to local, state, national and world communities.

Admission Requirements

Admission is competitive. Applicants must meet the following requirements for regular admission:

• A baccalaureate degree in speech-language pathology from a regionally accredited college or university. Students may be admitted with baccalaureate, master’s or specialist degrees in professions other than speech language pathology but first must complete specified prerequisite courses with a grade of “B” (on 4-point scale) or better.
• A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (on 4-point scale) for courses completed during the junior and senior years, and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 (4-point scale) at the undergraduate level.
• A satisfactory Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score.
• A personal typewritten statement/essay that includes the applicant’s
  1. reasons for pursing a degree speech language pathology;
  2. reasons for pursuing graduate study specifically at Jackson State University;
  3. professional goals;
  4. strengths that will contribute to success in the graduate program at Jackson State University;
  5. limitations, if any, that may need to be addressed in order to successfully pursue graduate studies in speech-language pathology; and
  6. past work, research or volunteer experiences, if any, that have helped to prepare the applicant for graduate studies.
• Typewritten responses to selected essay questions.
• Three letters of recommendation from speech language pathology instructors and/or clinical supervisors. (Students with degrees in professions other than speech-language pathology may obtain these letters from instructors in their major area of study.)
• A satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS from international applicants and those for whom English is a second language.

[Conditional admission may be given to a student who has earned a cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 – 2.99 (on a 4-point scale) for courses completed during the junior and senior years. However, admission is competitive. Therefore, conditional admission is rare. The student must earn regular status with a GPA of 3.0 in the first semester of full-time enrollment or the first 12 hours of graduate work.]

Prerequisites

Applicants with baccalaureate, master’s or specialist degrees in professions other than speech-language pathology must complete courses in the areas listed below with a grade of “B” or better, prior to or concurrent application for the graduate program:

Courses

Prerequisite courses in the professional area that were taken more than 10 years before the initiation of the graduate program may not be accepted.

Transfer of Credits

Students may be allowed to transfer a limited number of credit hours, provided that the criteria specified by the Graduate School and the Program are met. A maximum of nine (9) graduate semester hours of course credit earned with a grade of “B” (on 4.0 scale) or better in approved speech language pathology or audiology courses may be transferred, given that the course content is commensurate with the requirements of this program and the credit hours were earned within the immediate past five years from a program accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. The applicant must apply for transfer of credit with 30 days of notification of acceptance into the program and prior to enrollment. A maximum of 25 clinical observation hours and 50 undergraduate clinical clock hours obtained in another graduate program may be allowed if the national certification and state licensure criteria for clinical supervision were met. A student who wants to transfer clinical clock hours from another program must have:

1. that program’s director to verify the number of clock hours in each clinical category.
2. the amount of supervision that was provided.
3. the names and ASHA membership numbers of the clinical supervisor(s) before or at the time the student enrolls in the graduate program at Jackson State University.
4. written approval of the transfer of academic (course) credit and clinical clock hours by the Graduate Communicative Disorders Program.

Clinical Practicum Requirements

The student must successfully complete all clinical clock hours required at the time of graduation by

1. the Communicative Disorders Program,
2. Mississippi State Board of Health for licensure, and
3. ASHA for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology.

Additionally, the student must acquire all required clinical skills specified in the new certification standards before the student will be cleared for graduation. The Program operates the Central Mississippi Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic. The student must complete the clinical clock hours at this Clinic and at other off campus clinical sites assigned by the Program.

The current cumulative clinical practicum requirements are specified below:

• At least 25-clock hours of clinical observation must be completed before beginning the clinical practicum.
• In addition to the observation, a minimum of 375 clock hours of supervised clinical practicum must be successfully completed, of which 325 clock hours must be earned in the graduate program.

Degree Requirements

A student pursuing the Master of Science degree in Communicative Disorders is required to:

1. Complete at least 52 semester hours (including no more than 6 semester hours of clinical practicum) with a cumulative average of “B” (on a 4.0 scale) or better. In addition to the core curriculum (46 semester hours), the student must successfully complete a thesis, or a project, or additional coursework.
   1. Thesis Option. The student must enroll in CMD 590 THESIS, for a total of 6 semester hours, successfully complete a thesis, and the Final Oral Examination.
   2. Project Option. The student must enroll in CMD 589 MASTER'S PROJECT, for 6 semester hours, and successfully complete a project.
   3. Additional Coursework Option. The student must successfully complete an additional 6 semester hours of electives within the Program, selected with the approval of the academic advisor.
2. Acquire the knowledge and skills required for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) by ASHA. 
   Additionally, the student must successfully complete all clinical clock hours required at the time of graduation by:
   1. the Communicative Disorders Program,
   2. the Mississippi State Board of Health for licensure, and
   3. ASHA for the CCC-SLP.
3. Successfully complete the Graduate English Competency (and ENG 500 ADVANCED LAB WRITING, if required) and written Comprehensive Examinations. Students who choose the thesis option must successfully complete a Final Oral Examination.

Academic Requirements

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During each semester in which clinical clock hours are earned, the student must enroll in Advanced Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology (CMD 540 ADVD CLIN PRAC IN SPCH-LANG PA-CMD 549 ADV CLIN PRAC IN SPCH-LANG PAT). However, no more than 6 semester hours may be counted towards the required 52 semester hours.

Plan of Study