Track Description
The School of Communication Sciences and Disorders offers the Consortium track leading to the Master of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
The Consortium track is designed specifically for students with a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders or speech-language pathology and audiology who currently work in participating central Florida public school districts and have been providing speech and language services for at least one semester prior to application.
The goal of this program is to address the critical shortage of public school speech-language pathologists. It represents a cooperative effort between the UCF School of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Central Florida Public School Consortium. Participating school districts in the Central Florida Consortium are: Brevard, Citrus, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia.
The Communication Sciences and Disorders program strives to educate students to become successful practitioners in the field of speech-language pathology. To that end, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Code of Ethics is re-enforced throughout the academic curriculum. Students who violate the ASHA Code of Ethics may be subject to academic sanctions or dismissed from the program.
This program has potential ties to professional licensure or certification in the field. For more information on how this program may prepare you in that regard, please visit https://apq.ucf.edu/files/Licensure-Disclosure-CHPS-Communication-Sciences-Disorders-MA-June2020.pdf.
Curriculum
The Consortium track in the Communication Sciences and Disorders MA program consists of a minimum of 72 credit hours, including 38 credit hours of core academic courses, 9 credit hours of thesis or electives, and 25 credit hours of clinical practice. With regard to requirements for clinical practice, Consortium track students typically complete the full-time clinical practice externship prior to the part-time externship. The full-time externship must be completed in a school setting that is different from the practitioner’s primary employment setting.
Total Credit Hours Required: 72 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor’s Degree
Prerequisites
All students must complete at least 3 credit hours in statistics with a grade of “C” or better. Undergraduate course work in statistics is a prerequisite to SPA 6805 - Research in Communicative Disorders .
To be certified to practice by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), all students must have undergraduate transcript credit, which could include course work, advanced placement, CLEP, or examination equivalency, for each of the following areas: biological sciences, physical sciences, social/behavioral sciences, and statistics. Courses may consist of any number of credits and must be taken outside the discipline.
Required Courses: 38 Credit Hours
Clinical Practice: 25 Credit Hours
Supervised clinical practice is an integral part of the graduate program in communication sciences and disorders. It provides students with an opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to the evaluation and management of individuals with a wide variety of communication disorders. Students complete three clinical practica at the UCF Communication Disorders Clinic and other affiliated facilities, as well as externships in schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities, long-term care facilities, community clinics, and private practices. Through these practica and externships, students obtain a minimum of 400 clock hours of supervised clinical experience in accordance with the guidelines outlined by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Clinical practica and externships vary in length and do not always coincide with the academic calendar.
Thesis Option: 9 Credit Hours
Students who elect this option complete a thesis in Communication Sciences and Disorders for 6 credit hours and select one elective in consultation with a faculty adviser.
Thesis hours cannot be counted toward graduation requirements if students fail to complete or successfully defend the thesis. For additional information, thesis students and their advisory committees should refer to the thesis requirements in the UCF Graduate Catalog.
- SPA 6971 - Thesis 6 Credit Hours
- Elective 3 Credit Hours
Nonthesis Option: 9 Credit Hours
Students who elect this option must select three electives in consultation with a faculty adviser.
Comprehensive Examination
Passing a School Comprehensive Examination is a requirement for completion of the master’s degree in communication sciences and disorders.
Equipment Fee
Students in the Communication Sciences and Disorders MA Program pay a $90 equipment fee each semester that they are enrolled.
Additional Program Costs
The program requires students to pay additional fees for the required background checks, clinic uniform, and registration for the academic/clinical competencies tracking system.
Sample Plan of Study for the Consortium Program with a Nonthesis Option
The Consortium Track requires a prescribed sequence of academic and clinical courses that may vary. Students must meet with the Master’s Program Coordinator and Consortium Coordinator to devise a program of study. The following is a sample plan of study.
Semester 5 (Fall)
- SPA 6946 Clinical Practice: Level III 10 Credit Hours
Summer Semester 6
Students in the Consortium Track complete their full-time clinical practice externship in the fall after the fourth summer semester.
Please direct any questions to Dr. Linda I. Rosa-Lugo, UCF Consortium Faculty Coordinator, at (407) 823-4798 or lrosalugo@ucf.edu.
- SPA 6946 Clinical Practice: Level II 3 Credit Hours
- Elective 3 Credit Hours
- Elective 3 Credit Hours
*SPA 6553L must be taken in two semesters during either the third, fourth, or fifth semesters.
Independent Learning
All students in the master of arts in communication sciences and disorders program engage in independent learning through inquiry, dialogue, and practice. Experiences such as client case studies, scholarly reviews, research projects, clinical practica and externships provide students independent learning opportunities to attain knowledge, skills and professional behaviors. In capstone externships, students bridge university classroom and clinic lessons to real-world educational and health-related settings
Application Requirements
For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.
The Master of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders program at UCF participates in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service, known as CSDCAS. Prospective students applying to the Communication Sciences and Disorders MA program must apply online using the CSDCAS application in addition to the UCF online application. To learn more about the CSDCAS application process, visit http://www.capcsd.org/csdcas-student-page/
Entry Terms: The Consortium track admits for summer term only. Please note that admission is granted for the summer term only and for this specific track only. Applicants may not change start terms or tracks after an admission decision has been made. If the applicant determines that they cannot accept the offer of admission as presented in the admission letter, they must rescind the offer and may apply to the desired track in the next admissions cycle.
Step 1: Complete the CSDCAS application for UCF
Completed CSDCAS Application (https://csdcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login)
One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
Official, competitive GRE score (verbal, quantitative, and written) obtained within the last five years. Use GRE CODE for UCF CSDCAS: 7407. (Do not use the “Institution Code” for GRE listed to the right side of this page).
Three (3) letters of recommendation with CSDCAS recommendation forms. One of the three letters of recommendation must be from the district school administrator or program specialist of the Speech-Language Program of the employing school district, one from the school principal, and one from a former professor. Letters of recommendation cannot be dated more than one year prior to the date of the application deadline.
A letter of intent describing educational background, professional experiences, future goals, and how you will embody and uphold the ASHA Code of Ethics (http://www.asha.org/code-of-ethics/) in your professional career
A current resume.
Incomplete applications will NOT be reviewed.
All application materials MUST be sent directly to CSDCAS. Materials sent to the university or program will not be accepted. Application materials must be received by CSDCAS no later than February 1st for Summer admission.
Step 2: Complete University of Central Florida’s Graduate School application
In addition to the CSDCAS application, applicants must also submit a UCF application for graduate admission at https://application.graduate.ucf.edu/. Supporting documents (i.e. transcripts,test scores, etc.) do not need to be submitted to UCF directly. University applications must also be submitted by the stated application deadlines.
Admission to the Communication Sciences and Disorders program is granted on a competitive basis. Approximately thirty-five (35) students are admitted each semester. Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. The recent class statistics are listed on the Graduate Program Profile webpage. Additionally, the program reserves the right to deny admission or dismiss a student after admission to the program if, in the judgment of the faculty, the student fails to demonstrate and/or uphold the ASHA Code of Ethics (http://www.asha.org/code-of-ethics/) during coursework and/or practice in the field. A background check is required for all new students during their first semester in the program. All applicants and admitted students must perform certain Essential Functions in order to participate and complete program requirements.
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