Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (M.S.)

The mission of the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at Delaware Valley University (DelVal) is to prepare culturally competent professionals to enter the field of speech-language pathology with the skills necessary to assess and to treat a diverse population of individuals, to integrate scholarship and policy into practice, and to serve and to lead in the community.  The mission is to deliver the needs of the community and society as a whole and to offer education that is inclusive of all.

There are two overarching goals of the program: 

1) Students will gain comprehensive knowledge of speech-language pathology across diverse age groups, diagnoses and disorders, assessment processes, and treatment plans; and:   

2) Students will gain insight regarding ethical challenges, develop cultural competency, pursue professional licensure, and produce effective communication skills.   

Below is a list of the program learning outcomes: 

Upon completion of the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP), graduates of the program will demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and professional competencies. Students will: 
 

1. Demonstrate knowledge of anatomical and physiological aspects of typical and atypical speech, language, hearing, cognition and swallowing processes, and genetic and pathophysiological processes affecting these functions. 

2. Demonstrate clinical skills to screen, assess, diagnose and provide appropriate interventions for individuals with communication and/or swallowing disorders across a diverse population, as well as develop interventions to help prevent or mitigate loss of communication functions.  

3. Critically evaluate research, integrate theory, and apply evidence-based practice and clinical reasoning skills in order to problem solve within clinical settings. 

4. Demonstrate a professional code of conduct within the field of speech-language pathology and audiology that is commensurate with the standards of the profession, including integrity, accountability, ethical conduct, communication, cultural competency, and patient care. 

5. Demonstrate knowledge of inter-professionalism in healthcare, and be able to collaborate with other health professionals to provide quality comprehensive services to individuals with diverse needs and backgrounds. 

This Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology is an important building block within Delaware Valley University’s strategic plan for increasing graduate student enrollment.  As a growing field within the healthcare industry, the SLP Program will attract bachelor’s level graduates from Delaware Valley University, as well as throughout the northeast and eastern region, nationally, and internationally.  The program’s small class size, flexible hybrid delivery model, hands-on approach to learning, and clinical experiences will appeal to students interested in the field of study.  Furthermore, the fieldwork component of the SLP program fits with the institution’s strategic goal of expanding experiential learning opportunities and developing mutually beneficial partnerships in the surrounding regional, national, and global communities.

Each course taught in the cohort model, will be taught once per year.  Within 5-years the goal is to attain CAA accreditation.  The SLP program will help foster Delaware Valley University’s goal of growing the graduate programs in the School of Graduate and Professional Studies and further the institution’s regional, national, and global footprint by developing leaders of tomorrow whose employable skills will help fulfill critical clinical needs within the communities served.

The strategic plan of the SLP program includes the following long-term goals, specific measurable objectives, strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives, and a schedule for analysis of the plan. Each goal is assessed using various measures and metrics, which culminate in the evaluation of the entire plan.

1. Long-Term Goal: Educate and prepare highly qualified SLP health care providers within the community regionally, nationally, and globally.

a. Strategies for the evaluation of the attainment of the goals and objectives: Provide an innovative SLP program that helps prepare students and professionals in the communities we serve to better meet the needs of the populations we serve. By offering small class sizes, a flexible delivery model, a hands-on approach to learning, and comprehensive clinical experiences, the program is able to educate and prepare qualified health care providers. Furthermore, the fieldwork component of the SLP program fits with the institution’s strategic goal of expanding experiential learning opportunities and developing mutually beneficial partnerships in the surrounding regional, national, and global communities.

i. Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. The M.S. in SLP program will become a Candidate for Accreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) by Spring 2022.

2. The M.S. in SLP program will become a CAA Accredited program within the 5-year requirement set by CAA (2027).

3. The program will meet anticipated program outcomes demonstrating student success to include program completion rates, Praxis® Subject Assessment examination pass rates, and graduate employment rates

b. Strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives: Formulate articulation agreements with health service organizations to provide high quality clinical rotations.

i. Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. Affiliation Agreements will be established with organizations that represent the breadth of practice in the field, such as community agencies, nonprofit organizations, and education institutions. We will obtain four sites for each projected student each year.

 

2. Long-Term Goal: Provide interprofessional collaboration for faculty and students.

a. Strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives: Provide research symposiums that encourage interdisciplinary collaboration.

i. Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. The program will host an annual research symposium that will collaborate with departments and programs, such as Physician Assistant Studies, Healthcare Administration, Education, Counseling Psychology, Management & Organizational Leadership, and will include community partner organizations and clinical hosts as presenters for research presentations/talks and poster presentations.

b. Strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives: Provide research opportunities for students in the Speech-Language Pathology department and students in other departments.

i. Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. Students will be encouraged to participate in faculty-led research, up to one project per semester.

2. Students will complete one research project in SLP 7040: Research Methods. The students will present this research at the end of the semester as a poster presentation where the whole university is invited.

c. Strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives: Encourage and allow students in other programs/departments to take SLP classes.

i. Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. Students will be allowed to take courses in the department that has specific alignment with the student's interests of study at DelVal University.

 

3. Long-Term Goal: Expand the SLP program to increase outreach and visibility.

a. Strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives: Start with a small cohort of students and responsibly increase each cohort size (Year 1: 15; Year 2: 16; Year 3: 20; Year 4 and 5: 30).

i.Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. Target cohort size will begin with 15 students in the inaugural year and responsibly increase over five years to accommodate 30 students per cohort by Fall 2025.

b. Strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives: Maintain Delaware Valley University’s small class size commitment and add additional class sections when needed to keep each class size small for optimal engagement with the instructor and student and optimal learning environment for the student.

i.Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. DelVal has a commitment to small class sizes for the benefit of student and teacher engagement. The class section size is capped at 25 students per section.

c. Strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives: Create articulation agreements with surrounding universities that do not offer an SLP master’s degree to provide an entry into the master's program here, including a 4+1 possibility (where students can obtain their undergraduate and graduate degree in a total of 5 years).

i.Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. DelVal will connect with at least two other universities that do not offer a master's degree in SLP within the first five years of the program’s development.

d. Strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives: Create a 4+1 entry point for Delaware Valley University students in other majors.

i. Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. DelVal will accept students that are undergraduate majors in other disciplines at DelVal for the 4+1 program. They will apply by their junior year and the application criteria will be the same for the other SLP programs. 4+1 program plans will be created at DelVal with particular connections to undergraduate programs such as Biology, Counseling Psychology, Education, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Media and Communication.

 

4. Long-Term Goal: Commitment to quality faculty development.

a. Strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives: Provide life-long learning opportunities for faculty members, which include free or reduced tuition for classes and/or degree programs within the university.

i. Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. All faculty members will participate in lifelong learning and professional development opportunities yearly to enhance their teaching and practice. This includes, but is not limited to, opportunities at DelVal. Each year, DelVal will have a faculty retreat in which all faculty and staff are required to attend for professional development.

2. All faculty and staff will be required to attend a yearly symposium presented on technology and library services provided by DelVal.

3. DelVal provides full tuition remission for faculty and staff members to pursue an advanced degree.

b. Strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives: Provide appropriate funding for faculty to present their own research at regional, national, and/or international research conferences.

i. Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. All faculty and staff will have their ASHA dues paid annually.

2. All faculty and staff will be provided with funding for travel to present research at least once annually.

 

5. Long-Term Goal: Ensure adequate clinical placement sites.

a. Strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives: Provide clinical rotation sites for students that align with the mission of Delaware Valley University and its commitment to experiential learning.

i. Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. Yearly partnership meetings will be held to develop and reassess partnership goals that are consistent with the mission and goals of Delaware Valley University, the SLP program (both residential and online programs), and community partner agencies. Students will be placed in clinical sites to utilize their classroom knowledge in clinical practice.

b. Strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives: Provide sites that help foster and connect learning in the classroom to clinical practice.

i. Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. Students’ learning through clinical placements will be marked by progress made toward their learning outcomes through mid-semester and end-of-semester evaluations. Clinical supervisors will be given a workshop by the clinical director at DelVal to implement the classroom and clinical practice. Direct communication from the clinical director to the clinical supervisor will be made for each student to ensure the adequate clinical knowledge has been obtained or is being obtained in coursework for adequate preparation during the clinic rotation time with the student.

2. The clinical director at DelVal will communicate with students every two weeks to check in on the progress of their clinic site to ensure proper immersion between clinic and classroom is occurring. A formal mid-term and final assessment will be established for this purpose, as well, with both the DelVal clinical director and the clinical supervisor.

c. Strategies for attainment of the goals and objectives: Provide possible sites for students to obtain their Clinical Fellowship (CF).

i. Specific Measurable Objectives:

1. Articulation agreements will be established with five community partner agencies to build clinical fellowship placements open to successful DelVal SLP graduates.