College of Health Science and Human Service : Advising - FAQ

 Speech Language Pathology Program - Online Advising Forum

Advising Options:

This web site is for informational purposes only. General advising guidelines are provided, as well as frequently asked questions. Further, general advising sessions are also provided periodically. Dates will be posted on the online calendar of events and the advising bulletin board outside of the Clinic.

Each student should obtain individual advising information from his/her advisor. Individual advising information can be obtained through the direct e-mail, or you may visit your advisor during posted office hours. If you wish to make an appointment with your advisor at another time, contact information is also available.

General Advising:

Staci Sturdivant
Health & Rehabilitative Services & Undergraduate Legal Specialties Advisor
staci.sturdivant@utoledo.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the length of the program?
We anticipate that the program leading to the master's degree and meeting minimum certification/licensure standards will take two years of study/clinical experience.

If you have little undergraduate practicum experience (less than 50 hours) or coursework deficiencies, the program may take longer.  Your advisor will be able to help you make that determination.


What extern sites are required?
A minimum of three separate sites are required by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).  The on-campus clinic is one site; a public school experience as part of the requirements for school speech-language pathology credentials may be a second site.  The third site is your choice from an array of rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, hospitals and others sites available in Ohio and Michigan.

Your interests are considered in negotiating for site placement. You must have verification of your 25 hours of observation and any practicum clock hours you have accrued during your undergraduate studies sent to us from your undergraduate program. Be sure to have the verification sent before you leave your undergraduate program.


What financial aid is available?
Visit the financial aid office in Rocket Hall while you are touring campus.  A limited number of graduate assistantships are available.  If you have a background in special education/public school experience, linguistic analysis, or research, you have skills that will increase your changes of getting an assistantship. For specific information and/or applications, see the send forms section.


What are my chances?
We have approximately 25 full time equivalent graduate student positions available for the next academic year. We can accommodate both part time and full time students within those parameters.

The number of students we can admit is limited by our accrediting agency, ASHA, and by the number of faculty we have available. We can only accept the number of graduate students for whom we are able to provide an excellent education, appropriate clinical experience, and the individual attention we think is necessary for a successful graduate career. With the large number of applications we receive, our faculty takes into consideration a number of factors in selecting those individuals to matriculate in our graduate program.


What is considered in selecting the graduate student?
The faculty take into consideration a number of factors including:

Your undergraduate preparation

• course work in speech-language pathology
• observation hours
• any practicum hours
• Your grade point average-- overall gpa, gpa in the major, gpa in the last 60 hours

Grades in graduate courses taken

• GRE scores 
• letters of recommendation
• written language sample
• interview with a faculty member (if requested)

When can I start graduate work?

Once you receive notification of acceptance from the graduate school, you may start graduate work as a speech- language pathology major.  Most students apply to begin graduate study in the fall semester.  The semester you wish to begin study will not impact our decision on your application.

If you would like to begin study in summer, be certain to let us know your desire as early as possible. You will need to work with your graduate advisor to determine the courses you will be permitted to take with this early enrollment. We recommend that you take required core courses so you can concentrate on your major courses beginning in the fall. Due to circumstances, some students are unable to begin their graduate study in the fall semester. If you need to start in spring semester, you can be accommodated, but the sequence of classes may not be ideal. Be sure to discuss your schedule with your advisor. A majority of the required core courses can be taken and you can begin your major area study on a limited basis in spring. Your other option is to wait until the following year to apply for graduate study and to begin study in summer.

When will a decision be made?

The deadline for application is January 15.

The faculty will review the applications during the first two weeks of February.  Candidates may be interviewed at this time. The faculty will begin to make decisions during the first week of March.  Notification of acceptance should be sent about mid March.  We will need written confirmation of your acceptance/rejection as soon as possible, by April 15. All candidates should received notification of the status of their applications by the end of April. We maintain a waiting list of candidates in case a graduate student position becomes available.