Master of Communication Sciences and Disorders at East Carolina University

East Carolina University offers the Master of Communication Sciences and Disorders as a full-time degree delivered on campus at its main campus in Greenville , United States of America. Taught in English and completed over 2 years, the program equips students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for communication sciences and disorders and related professional fields. The next available intake begins on August 21, 2027.

About Master of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Do you want to help people cope with speech-related disorders? Do you have knowledge of speech and hearing sciences?

A background of undergraduate courses in speech and hearing sciences is essential to your path to earning an MS in communication sciences and disorders. If you do not have an undergraduate degree in the field, specific undergraduate courses must be taken prior to formally beginning the MS degree sequence.

Both face-to-face and online coursework is present in the degree. In addition to traditional classroom and online instruction, you will complete both part-time and full-time clinical internships. Typically, a student will graduate with a minimum of 400 clinical clock hours of experience.

The department also offers a three-year, full-time master's degree through a distance education program. We consider the distance-education program a "distance education" program, not an "online" program. Your lectures are online, but there are classes that require library research, activities in the community (service learning), and observations at health-care facilities, for example. Some classes require group work and assist you with having "cyber meetings" with your classmates.

As a speech-language pathologist, you could work with people who have a variety of speech-related disorders. These disorders can include the inability to produce speech sounds or produce them clearly; speech rhythm and fluency problems, such as stuttering; voice quality problems, such as inappropriate pitch or harsh voice; problems understanding and producing language; and cognitive communication impairments, such as attention, memory and problem solving disorders. They also work with people who have swallowing difficulties.

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Program Coordinator: Emily Brewer (3310-L Health Sciences Building; 252-744-6145; [email protected])

The Communication Sciences and Disorders, MS 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.

Admission

Application for admission to the graduate program in communication sciences and disorders must be initiated through the Graduate School. A minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in undergraduate work is required with a minimum of 3.2 in communication sciences and disorders major (or pre-requisite speech-language pathology courses). The applicant must submit three letters of reference with at least one from faculty of the college(s) or university(s) previously attended.

Completed applications should be received no later than January 15 for enrollment in the fall semester. Applications for fulltime study beginning in either the spring or summer semesters will be considered only under special circumstances because of the sequential nature of the program of study.

Undergraduate Coursework Requirement

A background of undergraduate courses in speech and hearing sciences is required. For those students who do not have an undergraduate degree in the field, specific undergraduate courses must be taken prior to formally beginning the MS degree sequence. The following undergraduate courses or their equivalent must be taken prior to enrolling in graduate courses: CSDI 3010 (phonetics), 3020 (child language development), 3040 (anatomy and physiology), 3045 (speech science), 3050 (acquisition and development of phonology and articulation), 4100 (introduction to audiology), 4110 (aural rehabilitation), and 4440 (Neural Processes). See requirements for the BS degree in the undergraduate catalog for course descriptions.

Areas of Emphasis

Candidates for the Communication Sciences and Disorders, MS may select from two areas of emphasis - communication sciences or speech-language pathology.

The communication sciences area of emphasis is tailored to the special interests of the students. This non-clinical course of study can include a substantial portion of the courses in the speech-language pathology or audiology areas. Additionally, communication sciences students are required to complete a thesis and successfully pass a final oral defense of the thesis. Students in the communication sciences emphasis do not receive clinical training and are not eligible for credentialing as a clinical speech-language pathologist.

The speech-language pathology area of emphasis is a professional program designed to prepare students for credentialing as a clinical speech-language pathologist. This program of study is designed to meet all academic and clinical requirements for certification by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). In addition, graduates of this program may also be eligible for licensure in North Carolina as well as in most other states, and advanced licensure by the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction.

Degree Requirements

The degree requires a minimum of 54 s.h. as follows:

1. Core courses - 6 s.h.

CSDI 6100 - Language Disorders
CSDI 6103 - Research Design in Speech and Hearing

2. Areas of emphasis - 48 s.h.

(Select one of the following areas.)

a. Communication sciences area of emphasis

CSDI 6101 - Language and Learning Disabilities
CSDI 6523 - Readings in Speech and Hearing Research

Structured electives (36 s.h.)

Students work with the program coordinator to select a group of structured, graduate-level CSDI electives tailored to personal interests and career goals. Students may select from the following courses or take approved graduate-level CSDI course(s) not on the list.

CSDI 6104 - Seminar in Voice Disorders
CSDI 6106 - Stuttering and Other Fluency Disorders
CSDI 6108 - Seminar in Articulation/Phonology Disorders
CSDI 6109 - Motor Speech Disorders
CSDI 6110 - Brain, Language, and Aphasia
CSDI 6112 - Seminar in Cranio-Facial Anomalies and Alaryngeal Rehabilitation
CSDI 6113 - Linguistic/Cognitive Impairments in Brain-Injured Adults
CSDI 6114 - Dysphagia
CSDI 6121 - Speech Science
CSDI 6200 - Multicultural Communication Disorders
CSDI 6521 - Readings in Speech and Hearing Research
CSDI 6527 - Research in Speech-Language Pathology
CSDI 6528 - Research in Speech-Language Pathology

Thesis (6 s.h.)

CSDI 7000 - Thesis (Six semester hours are required.)

b. Speech-language pathology area of emphasis

Didactic courses (33 s.h.)

CSDI 6101 - Language and Learning Disabilities
CSDI 6104 - Seminar in Voice Disorders
CSDI 6106 - Stuttering and Other Fluency Disorders
CSDI 6108 - Seminar in Articulation/Phonology Disorders
CSDI 6109 - Motor Speech Disorders
CSDI 6110 - Brain, Language, and Aphasia
CSDI 6112 - Seminar in Cranio-Facial Anomalies and Alaryngeal Rehabilitation
CSDI 6113 - Linguistic/Cognitive Impairments in Brain-Injured Adults
CSDI 6114 - Dysphagia
CSDI 6200 - Multicultural Communication Disorders
CSDI 6320 - Clinical Methods in Speech-Language Pathology I
CSDI 6321 - Clinical Methods in Speech-Language Pathology II
CSDI 6901 - Professional Issues in Speech-Language Pathology

Clinical courses (12 s.h. minimum)

(A minimum of 25 hours of clinical observation are required prior to beginning any clinical experience in the program.)

CSDI 6226 - Clinical Practicum in Speech and Language Pathologies
CSDI 6227 - Clinical Practicum in Speech and Language Pathologies
CSDI 6229 - Distance Education Clinical Internship
CSDI 6992 - Internship in Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology
CSDI 6993 - Full-time Internship in Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology

Thesis (3 s.h.)

CSDI 7000 - Thesis (Only 3 s.h. may count toward the degree.)

Clinical clock hour requirement:

A minimum of 250 clinical clock hours in the diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders is required. If there are no hours accumulated at the undergraduate level, 375 hours will be required at the graduate level to meet certification and licensure requirements as set forth by the American Speech-Language- Hearing Association (ASHA) and the North Carolina State Board of Examiners.

Comprehensive assessment requirement

All ECU graduate programs require students to successfully complete a comprehensive assessment. Speech-language pathology candidates are required to take and pass a final comprehensive examination, which may be taken upon completion of enrollment in all didactic courses required for the degree in the major area of study. Communication sciences candidates are also required to take and pass a final comprehensive examination based on required core and area of emphasis coursework, including structured electives.

For more information about this degree visit the university's academic catalogs.

Requirements and Admission Criteria for Master of Communication Sciences and Disorders at East Carolina University

Entry Requirements

In order to be considered for admission, international graduate applicants follow the same steps as a U.S. applicant with a few exceptions as identified in Red font. Step by step instructions are identified below:

Complete the ECU Online Graduate School Application: One application fee and one set of supporting documents should be submitted for each program of study applying to.
Pay the Application Fee: Payment will be made through the self-service portal prior to submission of the application. The payment portal accepts debit or credit card only.
Provide Foreign Transcript Evaluation:

An official course by course credential evaluation of all foreign transcripts indicating that, at minimum, the US equivalent of a bachelor’s degree has been awarded by an accredited college or university is required.

Provide Official Transcript(s) & Diploma Copy: A copy of your transcript(s) and diplomas showing a full education history issued in your native language as well as a notarized or certified copy in English must be uploaded to your application.
Provide Evidence of English Proficiency: If English is not your native language and you have not completed at least one year of education (minimum of 18 credit hours) at a United States school, you are required to take a standardized English language exam or complete the ECU Language Academy (ECULA).
- Language Exam Options: The Graduate School accepts either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the Duolingo English Test or Pearson Test of English (PTE) and scores must be forwarded to the Graduate School by the testing service. The paper- or computer-based TOEFL exam is accepted by request only.
ECU Language Academy: You may choose to attend the ECU Language Academy instead of taking the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE. Also, if you do not obtain the required score on the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE, at least one session of the ECU Language Academy may be required prior to the start of your program. Successful completion of all levels of the ECU Language Academy is required for admission without TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores. More information on the ECU Language Academy, including the ECULA application, is available on the Intensive English Program website. Individual programs may have higher minimum requirements.
Provide Official Standardized Admissions Test Results: If required by the program you’re applying to, please arrange for an official score report to be sent directly to the Graduate School by the testing service (GRE or GMAT). ECU’s institutional code is 5180. ECU does not have departmental codes.
Upload Statement of Purpose: If required by the program you’re applying to, please upload a copy of your personal statement (why you believe you would be a good candidate for the program) to your application. You may want to use resources to help you write a personal statement in English such as this webinar.
Provide Letters of recommendation: If required by the program you’re applying to, please arrange to have LOR’s submitted electronically with the online application. Review your program’s application requirements to determine the number of letters, if any, that they require.
Upload Resume: If required by the program you’re applying to, please upload a copy of your most recent resume to your online application.
Provide Financial information: If/when you are admitted to a graduate program at ECU you will be required to provide certified evidence of financial resources adequate to cover educational costs and living expenses. Documents only need submitted if/when an offer of admission is extended.

English Requirements

PTEMin 65
IELTSMin 6.5
TOEFLMin 78

Career Opportunities after Completing Master of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Graduates with this degree are successful in many fields and careers, including the following:

Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology
Audiologists
Speech-Language Pathologists
Health and Human Services
Education and Training

Career Opportunities

ECU has developed resources to help you learn more about career opportunities and job market outlook. In addition, the websites below provide specific information on careers in the various majors from which students may choose:

NC Tower

This website provides graphs and tables of in-depth information on employment rates, wages and ongoing higher education enrollment of graduates from the North Carolina Community College System and from the University of North Carolina system schools. NC Tower includes data on former UNC students who are working in roughly 90% of all jobs in North Carolina. This database excludes information for graduates who are:

Self-employed;
Work for the federal government, including the military: or
Work outside of North Carolina.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook

This website also provides in-depth information regarding pay, projected new jobs, required education, growth rate and on-the-job training information on various occupations.

Degree-specific internships

For information on internship information for specific majors, go to the home page of the department in which the major is located and, as available, find the link to the information on internships in that major.

Tuition and Fee Information for Master of Communication Sciences and Disorders at East Carolina University

Application Fee 75

How to Apply for Master of Communication Sciences and Disorders at East Carolina University

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Master of Communication Sciences and Disorders at East Carolina University

East Carolina University

United States of America, Greenville