College of Arts & Sciences

Grad Student Handbook

Information and policies for students in the Speech-Language Pathology M.S. program.

Welcome

Welcome to the Graduate master’s program in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of North Dakota!

Please be sure to read the entire contents of this handbook. Also refer to the Admitted Student Checklist and other resources available at UND Graduate School.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) is to meet the needs of the University of North Dakota (UND) and its surrounding community in the discipline of communication sciences and disorders, especially in the area of speech-language pathology. Specifically, the mission of CSD is to:

  1. Provide academic and clinical instruction, supervised clinical practice, and research experiences for undergraduate and graduate-level students.
  2. Conduct research with the aim of contributing to the body of knowledge concerning communication processes and communication disorders.
  3. Provide clinical services to individuals, groups, and agencies within North Dakota and the region.
  4. Participate in the governance of the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and the University.
  5. Provide professional leadership within local, state and national organizations.

About the SLP program

The Program in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology began in the late 1940’s as part of the Department of Speech. In the fall of 1949, three courses on speech correction were offered, and in 1950 a speech and hearing clinic, operating for six weeks during the summer, was established in the basement of Merrifield Hall.

On February 1, 1967, the Speech Correction program separated from the Department of Speech and became the autonomous Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology. In 1967, the department moved to specially constructed facilities in Montgomery Hall where it was until the end of summer of 2017. Currently, the department and clinic are on the first floor in the Columbia Hall.

Policies & Codes

  1. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. While parents understandably have an interest in a student's academic progress, they cannot be granted access to a student's records without consent of the student.
  2. Harassment and Discrimination
  3. Accessibility for Students
  4. Student Diversity and Inclusion
  5. ASHA Code of Ethics for Students
  6. UND Code of Student Life
  7. ASHA Ethical Use of Social Media
  8. CAA Complaint Procedure

    1. The Master of Science (M.S.) education program in speech-language pathology {residential} at the University of North Dakota is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Complaints related to the Standards for Accreditation of Graduate Education Programs in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology can be addressed through the Council on Academic Accreditation of ASHA.

    2. Any complaints about a CAA-accredited program or a program in candidacy status may be submitted by students, instructional staff members, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, or members of the public. All complaints must be signed and mailed to the following address:

      Chair, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
      American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
      2200 Research Boulevard #310 Rockville, Maryland 20850

    3. Complaints will not be accepted by e-mail or fax. For information and a detailed explanation of the procedures, refer to CAA Complaints. 

  9. Access A Guide for Future Practitioners in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology: Core Functions on the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD) website. This document is intended as a guide for educational programs in speech-language pathology or audiology and individuals seeking a career in these professions. It identifies the core functions that individuals of such programs typically are expected to employ in didactic and clinical experiences to acquire the knowledge and demonstrate the competencies that will lead to graduation and successful entry into professional practice. 
  10. Clinical Practicum Attendance Policy (CSD 584 and CSD 585):
    1. Expectations: Regular attendance is crucial for providing consistent care to patients and meeting clinical competencies. Students are expected to attend all scheduled clinical sessions.
    2. Absences: If a student is unable to attend due to illness or emergency, CSD 584 students must notify the clinical faculty and NPCC staff immediately; NPCC staff will notify the client(s). CSD 585 students must notify their clinical instructor and the graduate program director. Alternative plans will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
    3. Consequences: If a student is absent more than two days per semester, a meeting with your clinical instructors and the graduate program director will be required to discuss your progress, any necessary steps, and how to ensure you are meeting clinical competencies. Extended absences may result in an extension of your graduate program and/or reduction of your clinical grade.

Faculty & Staff

Advisement

The graduate program director serves as the advisor for all first-year students. During their first-year students complete their program of study and annual graduate student assessment form.

At the end of the first year, students can select a graduate faculty member of their choice as their advisor by submitting a change of advisor form.

Students determine if they would like to complete a thesis or independent study with the help of their advisor and follow the steps below depending on their choice of project.

Thesis

    1. Form a committee of three faculty via the change form.
    2. Develop and seek approval of a prospectus.
    3. Seek IRB approval, if necessary.
    4. Submit the topic proposal to the School of Graduate Studies.
    5. Write thesis Refer to Grad School support resources.
    6. File notice of defense.
    7. Defend thesis.
    8. Bring signature page to defense for committee signatures.
    9. Submit finished thesis and signature page to the UND Chester Fritz Library electronically through UMI/ProQuest.

Independent Study

    1. Seek IRB approval, if necessary.
    2. Submit the topic proposal to the School of Graduate Studies.
    3. Complete and submit independent study to the advisor

Application to Graduate

Students are required to apply for graduation one semester prior to the semester they graduate.

Academic Intervention Policy

The Academic Intervention Policy describes how intervention will ensue if a student earns a grade of C or lower in an academic course. 

Approved on September 15, 2023

  1. Student performance in coursework will be reviewed by faculty at the beginning of each semester.
  2. If a student’s cumulative GPA falls below a 3.00 then:
    1. The student will be placed on academic probation for one semester.
    2. The student will be dismissed from the CSD graduate program if at the end of their probationary period the cumulative GPA is still less than 3.00.
  3. If a student has earned a grade lower than a 70% in a course, then the following consequences will ensue:
    1. The student will repeat the course.
    2. The student will be allowed to repeat the course only once.
    3. The instructor and the student will develop an intervention plan.
    4. The student’s advisor and department chair must sign to acknowledge the intervention plan.
    5. A copy of the plan will be placed in the student file.
  4. If a student has earned a grade lower than a 70% in a formative assessment tied to an ASHA Knowledge or Skills standard in a course, then the follow consequences will ensue:
    1. An intervention plan will be developed by the instructor and the student to address the knowledge/skill expected to be acquired.
    2. The student’s advisor and department chair must sign to acknowledge the intervention plan.
    3. A copy of the plan will be placed in the student file.

Intervention Plan

The intervention plan will address the ASHA standards of concern, an explanation of the need for intervention, and the tasks that the student and faculty will undertake to address the intervention. For more information, contact your advisor.

Comprehensive Exam

  • All students take the comprehensive exam at the end of their fourth semester. This exam consists of 100 multiple choice questions and covers all graduate coursework completed.
  • The individual sections on the test include basic human communication, dysphagia, speech sound disorders, fluency disorders, voice disorders, receptive and expressive language disorders, hearing, cognitive and social aspects of communication, AAC, research, contemporary and professional issues including ethics.
  • Students must earn an overall score of 70% or higher to pass this exam and 70% or higher in individual sections. If required remediation in individual sections will be conducted by faculty members.

Praxis Exam

Report your praxis scores to the department.

Clinic Experience

Required clinical experience is obtained through CSD 584 and CSD 585 courses. Clinical hours and evaluations are documented on an online documentation system, Calipso. All clinical instructors are required to be ASHA certified, following ASHA supervision guidelines.

  1. Three semesters of CSD 584 clinical experiences are completed primarily on campus in the Northern Prairie Community Clinic (NPCC). Clinical experiences may also be assigned at outpost sites and supervised by clinical faculty.  Learn more about NPCC.. 
  2. CSD 585 experiences are externship placements. In order to enroll in clinical externships, students must meet the following criteria.
    1. Successful completion (grade of “B” or better) of a minimum of three semesters of CSD 584—Advanced Clinical Practicum.
    2. Selection of a fall externship location within a 100-mile radius from campus in order to attend in-person evening courses.
  3. ASHA certification requires a total of 400 clinical clock hours across a variety of ages and disorders. They do not specify the breakdown of those hours, except for stating that 375 out of the 400 hours must be direct client contact (rather than clinical observation). UND's policy is to obtain a minimum of 25 child hours and 25 adult hours. See Standard V-C. 
  4. A criminal background check must be completed prior to starting clinical practicum.

Clinical Practicum Intervention Policy

The Clinical Practicum Intervention Policy describes how intervention will ensue if a student earns a grade of C or lower in a clinical course.

Approved on September 5, 2023

  1. Student performance is reviewed by clinical instructors and the Director of Clinical Education at the end of each semester. If a student earns a letter grade of C or lower for the semester in their clinical practicum course, then:
    1. The student’s clinical hours from that semester will not be counted toward ASHA requirements.
    2. The student is required to repeat that semester of clinical practicum.
  2. If a student fails to demonstrate clinical competency (ASHA Skills Standards) and thereby earns a letter grade of C or lower in clinical practicum, then:
    1. The clinical instructor(s), the student, and Director of Clinical Education will develop an intervention plan to address the skill expected to be acquired.
    2. The student’s advisor and department chair must sign to acknowledge the intervention plan.
    3. A copy of the plan will be placed in the student file.
  3. If, in the following semester, the student meets the requirement of the intervention plan and thus earns a grade of A or B, they will be permitted to continue in the clinical practicum sequence. If the student fails to meet the goals of the plan and thus earns a grade of C or lower in the next semester, then the student will not be permitted to continue in the practicum sequence and will thereby be dismissed from the SLP graduate program. If, after a successful intervention (a grade of A or B), the student earns a grade of C or lower in any of the following semesters, the student will not be given another chance to remediate and will be dismissed from the SLP program.
  4. At any point in the clinical program, students will not be allowed to continue in the practicum sequence if any of the following occur:
    1. Violation of the ASHA Code of Ethics.
    2. Failure to comply with the policies and procedures stated in the handbooks of the CSD department, Northern Prairie Community Clinic, and School of Graduate Studies.

NOTE: During their intervention semester, the student must be enrolled in CSD 584 Advanced Clinical Practicum. A student on an intervention plan cannot be scheduled for off campus practicum until they have successfully completed their intervention plan.

Intervention Plan

The intervention plan will address the ASHA standards of concern, an explanation of the need for intervention, and the tasks that the student and faculty will undertake to address the intervention. For more information, contact your advisor.

Service Requirement

Students are required to complete 15 hours of service to the department and the community during the course of their training. Graduate students are responsible for maintaining a record of supervised service activities. Service hours log can be found on Blackboard.

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