Communication Sciences & Disorders :: Graduate Program

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MS in Communication Sciences & Disorders

The Communication Sciences and Disorders master’s degree program is grounded in the premise that human communication and its disorders involve complex interactions of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. The program emphasizes the scientific method in scholarship and clinical application. Diverse curricular, research, and applied opportunities assure that our graduates have the knowledge and skills to engage competently and ethically in the professional workplace. Course work explores speech, language, and hearing impairments resulting from developmental delays, the aging process, neuropathology, vocal pathology, learning disabilities, craniofacial anomalies, hearing loss, and trauma.

The master’s degree program in Communication Sciences and Disorders is fully accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech- Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Each student’s academic and clinical program is planned in accordance with the degree requirements of Emerson College and the academic and clinical requirements for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology of ASHA.

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is located in a state-of-the-art academic and clinical facility on Tremont Street. Emerson’s location in Boston provides students with access to practica in a wide variety of clinical settings, and with the opportunity to work with children and adults with a range of communication disorders. Internal clinical experiences take place in the Robbins Speech, Language, and Hearing Center and its specialty and affiliated programs including: the Thayer Lindsley Family- Centered Program for hearing-impaired children; the Program for Acquired Communication Disorders; the Program for Developmental Communication Disorders; the Program for Speech Improvement; the Children’s Hospital Group Language Therapy Program; the Oral Sensory Motor Group for children with feeding and swallowing difficulties ; and the New England Fluency Program. All are located in the department building. Throughout their graduate program, students work closely with the clinical faculty in performing diagnostic evaluations and in designing, implementing, and evaluating intervention programs.

After successful completion of an initial practicum at Emerson, students are assigned to work in outside facilities. The over 100 off-campus practicum sites include such institutions as the Children’s Hospital in Boston, Health South Braintree Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, Franciscan Children’s Hospital, New England Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center, and numerous public school systems and early intervention programs.

Program Requirements

Successful completion of appropriate course work and clinical practicum to meet the current academic and clinical requirements of ASHA for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology.
Enrollment in clinical practicum until all clinical requirements have been met. However, only 9 practicum credits (5 in Clinical Practicum and 4 in Clinical Methods) may be counted toward the 54 credits required for the degree. Clinical Methods courses:

Course Code	Course Information
CD601	Clinical Methods I 1.00 Credits Following the completion of prerequisite coursework and observation hours, students are taught assessment procedures, treatment strategies, and clinical writing skills. The course covers policies and procedures required for on-campus clinical performance as part of pediatric group treatment experiences and/or individual treatment for persons of all ages.
CD602	Clinical Methods II 1.00 Credits The focus of this course is assessment, intervention, documentation, and legislation related to work with school-aged children.
CD603	Clinical Methods III 1.00 Credits This course addresses assessment, intervention, and legislation related to provision of service to adult clients.
CD604	Clinical Methods IV 1.00 Credits The focus of this course is professional issues and the transition into professional practice.

are taken concurrently with:

CD605	Clinical Practicum 1.00 Credits As students progress through the program, they will be assigned to a variety of clinical opportunities both on- and off-campus. Students enroll in CD 605 for a minimum of five semesters.

CD605

Clinical Practicum

Successful completion of:

Course Code	Course Information
CD609	Research and Statistical Methods 3.00 Credits This course is designed to clarify the philosophical and logical foundations of scientific reasoning based on the principles of empiricism, operationism, causality, and probability theory. Students will learn about the principles underlying quantitative and qualitative research designs and the types of statistical methods appropriate for the analysis of different kinds of data. Projects are incorporated that facilitate skillful reading and comprehension of scientific literature and the ability to formulate a well-founded research proposal.
CD611	Principles of Assessment and Diagnosis 3.00 Credits Designed as a capstone course, this course aims to integrate knowledge relevant to normal and disordered speech and language through application to the assessment and diagnosis of unique clinical problems. Diagnosis of speech and language disorders is approached as a problem-solving activity based on the scientific method and case study analysis. A framework for organizing relevant knowledge is used, which includes a lifespan perspective, diverse causal factors, and varied multicultural influences.
CD623	Fluency Disorders 3.00 Credits A study of the more widely recognized theoretical and therapeutic points of view toward stuttering and related timing disorders of the speech production mechanism, this course provides a review of contemporary literature pertinent to the onset, development, persistence, and clinical management of the problem.
CD635	Disorders of Phonology and Articulation 3.00 Credits This course presents a survey of theoretical perspectives in phonological development and practical views of the etiology, assessment, and treatment of disorders of articulation and phonology. Course material is presented in relation to traditional and current approaches to clinical intervention and research in select areas. Students examine relationships between phonology, language, and literacy development.
CD641	Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders 3.00 Credits As a survey of the swallowing and swallowing disorders that occur from infancy through adulthood and old age, this course addresses feeding and swallowing mechanisms and processes as well as current assessment procedures and management options.
CD645	Language and Literacy Disabilities of School-Age Students 3.00 Credits This course focuses on the roles of language in learning and the consequent effects on school performance of language and communication disabilities. The course addresses the characteristics of language disabilities in school-age children and adolescents and specifies interventions useful in treating and educating these students in both individual and classroom approaches. A lifespan approach is used in addressing oral and written language disabilities in the context of psychosocial and cognitive development. Models for educating students with language and learning disabilities are reviewed.
CD650	Disorders of Motor Speech Production 3.00 Credits Students learn the etiology, assessment, diagnosis, and principles of rehabilitation of speech production disorders in individuals with acquired neuropathologies. Information is presented in the context of speech production theory and (where appropriate) of the neurological disease of which the speech disorder is a symptom.
CD677	Voice Disorders 3.00 Credits This course addresses the characteristics, etiology, and clinical management of voice disorders and associated pathological conditions in both children and adults. Neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of voice and speech production are reviewed. Multicultural issues related to course content are discussed. Instrumentation used clinically and in research is described.
CD682	Foundations of Language Acquisition 3.00 Credits This course surveys language learning and its neuropsychological underpinnings. Current theoretical perspectives are introduced and analyzed with respect to their clinical and educational implications. Selected methods for evaluating developing language are also reviewed, with special emphasis on the influence of cultural and linguistic diversity on language learning outcomes.
CD684	Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) 3.00 Credits This course is an introduction to the clinical considerations involved in the identification of candidacy for augmentative communication strategies, including domains of AAC assessment across disciplines and selection of AAC strategies as part of a total communication approach. Students become familiar with assessment and intervention considerations with persons who are non-speaking, and develop an understanding of population characteristics, evaluation considerations, and feature matching within each domain/discipline, and within varied intervention techniques.
CD686	Language Disorders through the Preschool Years 3.00 Credits Current perspectives in defining, assessing, and intervening with children with language disturbances from infancy through the preschool years are discussed. In addition, issues surrounding older individuals with language functioning in the preschool developmental age range are described. Particular attention is given to assessment and intervention techniques for children and individuals at pre-linguistic, emerging language, and conversational language levels. Additional considerations include multicultural issues, working with caregivers and peers, non-speech communication alternatives, and the diverse roles played by speech-language pathologists.
CD689	Audiological Assessment and Rehabilitation 3.00 Credits This course provides students with audiological information relevant to the scope of practice for speech-language pathologists. Basic testing and screening techniques, interpretation of audiometric results, and habilitative and rehabilitative methods are discussed with reference to the current literature.
CD690	Aphasia 3.00 Credits Pathophysiology and epidemiology of aphasia, its nature, assessment, and diagnostic procedures, and approaches to intervention, are presented. Issues surrounding recovery and prognosis, and treatment efficacy and outcome are also included. All areas are presented with reference to the current literature in the field and to its clinical application.
CD692	Cognitive Communicative Disorders 3.00 Credits Communication disorders consequent to dementing processes, closed head injury, and damage to the right cerebral hemisphere are covered. Pathology, assessment, differential diagnosis, and treatment are addressed with reference to the current literature.

Successful completion of any three one-credit seminars. The current graduate curriculum includes these seminars in order to assure that students achieve the fullest possible exposure to the areas encompassed by the Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology. Specific seminars are scheduled as needed during Winter and Spring Intersessions. As a consequence, students should plan their personal schedules with the awareness that completion of the degree requires completion of one-credit seminars outside the regular fall and spring semesters and summer sessions.
Successful completion of a written comprehensive examination in communication disorders. This examination is administered twice per year.
Compilation of a portfolio reflecting the integration of academic and clinical work.