Master's Program
Elevate your career with our accredited master's program
At UNR Med, our graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology is meticulously designed to advance your career and deepen your expertise. Our program provides rigorous academic training, hands-on clinical experience, and specialized research opportunities. Join a community of dedicated professionals and make a significant impact in the field of communication disorders.
I am fortunate to have experienced grad school with a cohort of incredibly strong and empowering women. Their influence has shaped me into the woman and clinician that I am today. In the best way possible, I am leaving grad school a different person. Everything I have learned over the past few years has left me feeling empowered and secure. I don’t have all the answers, but I have the tools to find them.
Madeleine M. Daugherty - Class of 2024
M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology
Our Master of Science (M.S.) in Speech-Language Pathology offers a two-year curriculum designed to prepare students for impactful careers in diverse settings, such as schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and community clinics. Our comprehensive curriculum ensures that students receive both the academic and clinical training needed for the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
Upon completing the M.S. degree, students are prepared to take their national certification (Praxis), embark upon their Clinical Fellowship (CF) and then apply for ASHA certification. The CF involves no less than 36 weeks of professional practice under the supervision of a certified speech-language pathologist, providing valuable real-world experience.
Program highlights:
- Academic work: Students work with their advisors to develop an approved program of study. The M.S. curriculum provides a variety of course offerings such as developmental and neurological disorders of speech sounds, language, stuttering, voice and resonance, feeding and swallowing, and cognition. Additional courses in specialty areas include augmentative communication, endoscopic examination, craniofacial disorders, and alaryngeal speech. The M.S. degree requires a minimum of 48 semester credits at the graduate level (non-thesis option) or 53 semester credits (thesis option).
- Clinical training: Students are required to complete a minimum of 375 clock hours of supervised clinical practice. This typically involves three to four semesters in our comprehensive on-campus Speech and Hearing Clinic. Additionally, students must also complete off-campus externship experiences, with placements available in public schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and early intervention programs in the Reno, Sparks and Carson City communities, as well as settings outside Northern Nevada.