Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

Speech-Language Pathology (M.A.)

Western Michigan University's Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology is a two-year professional graduate degree. We have designed this full-time residential program to prepare you with the knowledge, judgment and problem solving skills necessary to provide high quality services and leadership in speech-language pathology. Our goal is to enable you to work effectively in an ever-changing world.

As part of the degree program, you must successfully complete all academic and clinical practicum requirements for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Certificate of Clinical Competence.

Why WMU?

Our interprofessional Charles Van Riper Language, Speech & Hearing Clinic is right next door in the WMU Unified Clinics.
We are committed to equity and anti-racism as evidenced through our holistic admissions process, the exposure we offer to a diverse range of communication modalities (e.g., ASL), and in our faculty research interests.
We offer many faculty-mentored clinical and research opportunities for our graduate and undergraduate students.
We are housed in the beautiful College of Health & Human Services building, equipped with state-of-the-art classroom and research laboratories.

Academic Information

Admission Requirements Course Descriptions Graduate Student Manual

Sample Course Sequence

Fall Year One:

SLHS 4590: Neuro of CSD – 3 credit hours

SLHS 5530: Stuttering – 3 credit hours

SLHS 5970: Adv Clinical Methods – 3 credit hours

SLHS 6480: Culturally Responsive Practices – 2 credit hours

SLHS 6700: Clinical Practicum – 3 credit hours

Spring Year One:

SLHS 4560: Rehab AuD – 3 credit hours*

SLHS 5010: Speech Science 3 credit hours*

SLHS 5370: Speech Sound Dis – 3 credit hours

SLHS 5380: Child Lang Imp – 3 credit hours

SLHS 5970: Acq Neurogenic Comm Dis – 3 credit hours

SLHS 6700: Clinical Practicum – 3 credit hours

Summer I Year One:

SLHS 6150: Research Methods – 3 credit hours

SLHS 6560: Dysphagia – 3 credit hours

SLHS 6700: Clinical Practicum – 2 credit hours

Summer II Year One:

SLHS 5970: Autism – two credit hours

SLHS 6690: Ethics, Counseling & Pro – 3 credit hours

SLHS 6700: Clinical Practicum – 2 credit hours

Fall Year Two:

SLHS 6400: Voice – 3 credit hours

SLHS 6440: Motor Speech Dis – 3 credit hours

SLHS 6450: AAC – 3 credit hours

SLHS 7120: Prof Field Experience – 4 credit hours

Spring Year Two:

SLHS 7120: Prof Field Experience – 4 credit hours

*Courses that most students take as an undergraduate and do not need to repeat. However, students who have not taken these courses will need to enroll.

Funding

All applicants are automatically considered for available graduate assistantships.
Once enrolled, you'll be invited to apply for departmental scholarships.
On average, about 20% of our incoming students receive some type of funding.
You may be eligible for other forms of financial aid.. Visit wmich.edu/finaid for more information.

Admission requirements

Bachelor's degree in Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences (or equivalent core course work). If you need to complete core coursework, consider our Undergraduate Certificate in Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences.
We recommend (and ASHA requires for certification) at least one college-level course in each of the following areas: biological sciences, physical sciences, social or behavioral sciences, and statistics.
Three letters of recommendation. Select individuals who can comment on your academic and clinical potential.
We'll ask you to answer two open-ended (essay) questions related to career goals and your ability to contribute to cultural-linguistic equity.
TOELF scores (if applicable to document English proficiency)

You must apply through CSDCAS by the annual January 15 deadline. It can sometimes take CSDCAS up to two weeks to verify application materials, so you should submit materials at least two weeks before January 15. There is a $50 supplemental fee to process your application at WMU.

We go through an extensive decision process, so it may take several weeks before you hear a response. Usually we let applicants know by mid-March.

Minimal requirements for our clinics

Evidence-based practices, your personal health and wellbeing, and the safety of the public are fundamental to our professional discipline and mission. The Charles Van Riper Language, Speech & Hearing Clinic has minimal work requirements before you'll provide face-to-face clinical services. These requirements include (but are not limited to) vaccinations recommended by the Center for Disease Control for all healthcare workers.

Program goals

Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology Program Goals

SLHS Mission Statement

To educate speech, language and hearing professionals for a diverse and changing population, to advance knowledge through research, to deliver quality clinical services, and to serve as a resource for the community and professions.

Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology Program Goals & Related Objectives

The following program goals were developed by the SLHS faculty and chair during the strategic planning process across the 2024-2025 faculty meetings. These goals guide department decision-making through curricular and assessment processes referenced through the below specified benchmarks:

Graduate an average of 25-30 MA-SLP students or more over 5 years who meet or exceed professional standards.
- At least 90% of the students who enroll in the program will graduate within 2 years.
Graduate MA-SLP students will be prepared for SLP service provision across a variety of settings throughout the state of Michigan and beyond.
- Exit survey data will indicate employment from both educational and healthcare settings located within Michigan and outside Michigan.
Graduate MA-SLP students with strong intraprofessional expertise in audiology At least 50% of MA-SLP graduates will have an audiology-focused rotation that addresses one or more relevant professional competencies, including CAA 3.4B (cultural-linguistic diversity including d/Deaf and hard of hearing individuals) and CAA.3.1.1B (interprofessional assessment and intervention).
- Graduates will demonstrate professional competencies related to ethical conduct, collaboration, and cultural linguistic responsivity. The SLHS community will create a pre-professional environment in which at least 90% of all students feel respected and included (as evidenced by results from annual DEIB survey in their second year)
Graduates will develop self-advocacy skills and understanding of accountability processes.
- Graduate students who will demonstrate the ability to advocate for themselves and others as evidenced through use of the departmental Self-Advocacy Form, annual DEIB survey results, Externship Site Visit Documentation, and related coursework.
Graduate MA-SLP students who integrate all 3 components of evidence-based practice into clinical practice.
- Students will demonstrate integration of scientific literature, clinical expertise, and client perspectives into clinical decision-making as evidenced across coursework and at least 2 MA-SLP disseminated scholarly products/year (e.g., posters, presentations, theses,s) documented to Faculty Activity Report (FAR) and faculty workload documentation.