EIU Master of Science in Communication Disorders and Sciences

Traditional Graduate Program in Speech-Language Pathology

Two-year rigorous program of study led by dedicated faculty with clinical experience whose first priority is teaching YOU!

• All courses offered on campus with full-time internship semesters off-campus
  • Four academic terms on campus - two summers, one fall, and one spring
  • Two full semesters of internship required - one fall, one spring
  • One medical and one educational placement (14 weeks each)
    • Educational and medical internships are typically in Illinois, but medical placements may be throughout the country if students request and contracts can be completed.
• Approximately 30 students begin the program each year with 60 students total in the program at one time
  • See outcomes data for graduation rate, Praxis exam pass rate, and employment statistics of recent graduates
  • Additional information about GPA of recently admitted graduate students and undergraduate institutions attended can be found on another page by clicking here.
• Click here to learn about applying to the program

The master's degree program includes 34 semester hours of core courses required for all candidates and 6 semester hours of advanced practicum. The final two semesters consist of a full-time 14-week medical internship and a full-time 14-week educational internship (9 semester hours each semester) that can be completed throughout the state or country. 

In addition to successful completion of coursework and internships, candidates must either pass written comprehensive exams OR complete a creative research project/thesis. Students who complete the thesis option frequently present their research at state and national conferences such as ISHA or ASHA. Written comprehensive exams are typically held on EIU's campus between internship experiences in the second year of study.

The majority of graduate candidates choose to complete the six semester graduate program, taking on-campus course and clinic requirements during four semesters (summer-fall-spring-summer) followed by two full-time 14 week internships in the medical and educational settings during the fall and spring terms, which results in May graduation. Some students spread out the on-campus course and clinical requirements over 5 semesters (summer-fall-spring-summer-fall) and then go out to full-time educational and medical internships in the spring and summer semesters. These students graduate in August following a seven semester graduate program. The standard expected number of terms for the graduate program is 6-7 semesters.

• See required coursework from EIU catalog
• See also the Typical Graduate Program course and internship sequence as well as the Extended Graduate Program sequence (You will need Adobe Reader to view the PDF file. Available here)