EIU Master of Science in Communication Disorders and Sciences

Accreditations

CAA Accreditation

The Master of Science (M.S.) education program in speech-language pathology {residential} at Eastern Illinois University is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.

Upon completion of the master's degree and nine months of supervised professional experience, individuals are eligible for the Certificate of Clinical Competence required for practice in most work settings in all 50 states. The EIU program was first accredited by ASHA in 1970 and has remained continuously accredited since that time. The most recent re-accreditation visit was in 2016. Program strengths identified from the 2016 visit included the following:

• The site visitors viewed the strong relationships between faculty and students as an obvious strength of the program. Students reported the faculty are unusually accessible, interested in their development as professionals, and responsive to their personal needs. 
• The university President and Provost assured the site visitors that the communication disorders and sciences program has been and will continue to be a "signature" graduate program.
• Interviews with off-campus supervisors verified the strong preparation of candidates upon entry to the internships and the benefit of dedicated 14-week internships in both the school and medical settings.

Visit the ASHA web site at http://www.asha.org/.

ISBE 

The program meets requirements of the Illinois State Board of Education for working as a speech-language pathologist in the Illinois school system. The graduate program in CDS meets the requirements for the Professional Educator License (PEL), School Support Personnel Endorsement for the Speech-Language Pathologist (non-teaching), Pre-K to age 21. 

Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation

The program also meets the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation requirements for the Speech-Language Pathologist License required for practice in Illinois.