Curriculum

Build Your Path to Becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)

Our 48-credit program of study includes supervised clinical experiences sufficient in breadth and depth to help you gain the necessary skills for culturally responsive evaluation, intervention, and interaction for entry into professional practice as a speech-language pathologist.

If you are bilingual or multilingual and you wish to apply for your Bilingual Extension in New York State, you also have the option of selecting the Bilingual Extension Track, which provides supplemental training focused on linguistically responsive and sustaining methods of assessment and instruction for children ages 3–21 years who communicate in more than one language.

For students who do not have a bachelor's in CSD or a related field, we offer foundation courses to provide basic knowledge prior to beginning graduate-level study. Many undergraduates come to our program from diverse academic backgrounds such as psychology, linguistics, theater, world language, and more.

Additional curricular opportunities include an honors thesis option for students interested in research and study abroad programming in Lund, Sweden, and Accra, Ghana. 

Required Graduate Courses (48 Credits)

Our rigorous program of study centers culturally and linguistically responsive practices in order to teach you methods of prevention, assessment, and intervention for people with communication and swallowing disorders, as well as how to integrate research principles into evidence-based clinical practice.

Course descriptions can be found on the Steinhardt Course Search page. 

Instrumentation and Research Courses

• Critical Evaluation of Research in Speech and Hearing Sciences and Disorders – 2 Credits (Prerequisites: None)
• Speech Science: Instrumentation – 2 Credits (Prerequisites: Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Swallow Mechanism; Phonetics)

Disorder and Practice Courses

• Motor Speech Disorders – 3 Credits (Prerequisites: All foundation courses. Recommended pre- or corequisites: Adult Language Disorders; Voice Disorders)
• Adult Language Disorders – 3 Credits (Prerequisites: Neurological Bases of Cognition, Behavior, and Communication; Phonetics; Science of Language)
• Fluency Disorders – 3 Credits (Pre- or corequisites: Language Disorders in Children; Speech Sound Disorders in Children)
• Language Disorders in Preschool Children – 3 Credits (Prerequisites: All foundation courses and Language Disorders in Children; Science of Language)
• Voice Disorders – 3 Credits (Prerequisites: All foundation courses. Pre- or corequisite: Speech Science: Instrumentation)
• Language Development and Disorders in School-Aged Children – 3 Credits (Prerequisites: All foundation courses and Language Disorders in Children)
• Dysphagia in Children and Adults – 3 Credits (Taken concurrently with Clinical Field Placement III: Treatment. Prerequisites: All foundation courses. Recommended pre- or corequisites: Voice Disorders; Motor Speech Disorders)
• Principles of Intervention with Speech-Language Disorders – 2 Credits (Taken concurrently with Clinical Practicum II: Diagnostic Assessment and On-Campus Clinical Immersion. Prerequisites: All foundation courses)
• Speech Sound Disorders in Children – 3 Credits (Prerequisites: All foundation courses)
• Culturally Responsive Practices I: Healthcare Settings & the Global Context (formerly Multicultural Issues in Communicative Sciences and Disorders ) will be a 2-credit required course for all students beginning in Fall 2022. 
• Culturally Responsive Practices II: The Educational Context (formerly Culturally Responsive Practices in Communicative Sciences and Disorders) will be a 2-credit required course for all students beginning in Fall 2022. 
• Professional Issues in Communicative Sciences and Disorders – 1 Credit (Prerequisites: None, although this course is taken once the practicum sequence is initiated. Please note: This course is required for students who entered the program prior to Fall 2022.)

Clinical Courses

A minimum of eight units are required; additional practicums may be necessary to complete the required clinical hours.

You will complete a supervised practicum that includes experience with individuals across the life span and from culturally/linguistically diverse backgrounds. The practicum will include experience with populations with various severities of communication and/or related disorders, differences, and disabilities.

• Clinical Practicum I: Pre-Clinic and On-Campus Clinical Immersion – 2 Credits (Prerequisites: All foundation courses. Pre- or corequisites: Adult Language Disorders; Language Disorders in Children; Speech Sound Disorders in Children)
• Clinical Practicum II: Diagnostic Assessment and On-Campus Clinical Immersion – 2 Credits (Prerequisites: Clinical Practicum I: Pre-Clinic)
• Clinical Field Placement III: Treatment – 2 Credits (Prerequisites: Clinical Practicum II: Diagnostic Assessment)
• Clinical Field Placement IV: Pediatrics – 1 Credit (Prerequisite: Clinical Field Placement III: Treatment)
• Clinical Field Placement V: Adults – 1 Credit (Prerequisite: Clinical Field Placement III: Treatment)
• Clinical Field Placement VI – 1 Credit (Prerequisites: Clinical Field Placement IV: Pediatrics; Clinical Field Placement V: Adults)

Elective Courses

We offer a number of elective courses to complement your Speech-Language Pathology interests; some examples include:

• Augmentative and Alternative Communication – 1 Credit (Prerequisites: All foundation courses and Language Disorders in Children)
• Therapeutic Procedures in Speech Pathology: Aphasia – 2 Credits (Prerequisites: All foundation courses and Adult Language Disorders)
• Therapeutic Approaches in Speech Pathology: Voice – 2 Credits (Prerequisites: All foundation courses and Voice Disorders)
• Language and Communication in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) – 2 Credits (Prerequisites: All foundation courses and Language Disorders in Children)
• Neurogenic Speech Disorders in Children – 2 Credits (Prerequisites: All foundation courses)
• Speech and Swallowing Management for the Medically Complex Child – 2 Credits (Prerequisites: All foundation courses and Language Disorders in Children)
• Computerized Analysis of Language Transcripts – 1 Credit (Prerequisites: All foundation courses and Language Disorders in Children)
• Craniofacial Anomalies – 2 Credits (Prerequisites: All foundation courses and Speech Sound Disorders. Corequisite: Voice Disorders)

Departmental and Certification Courses

• Master of Science Seminar – 0 Credits
• Drug and Alcohol Education, and Child Abuse and School Violence Protection – 0 Credits (This course is taken concurrently with Clinical Practicum I: Pre-Clinic and On-Campus Immersion or Clinical Practicum II: Diagnostic Assessment and On-Campus Clinical Immersion. Offered through the Department of Teaching and Learning)

Bilingual Extension Track 

Starting in Fall 2022: For individuals who are bilingual (users of more than one spoken language) and who will practice with pediatric populations ages 3–21 years in New York State, the NYU CSD Bilingual Extension Track (BET) serves as the pathway to the New York State Bilingual Extension certificate. This track offers an opportunity to expand upon the culturally responsive and SLP discipline-specific content offered by the CSD core curriculum. To opt for the BET, students commit to registering for only one required elective. Learn more about the BET and gaining certification as a bilingual SLP.

CSD Foundation Courses

Students who enter the MS degree must have completed a bachelor’s either with a major in communicative sciences and disorders or in another subject area. Students are required to master some basic knowledge and to complete specific courses prior to beginning graduate-level courses. All foundation courses are necessary for New York State licensure and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certification. These foundation courses do not carry graduate credit for the MS degree.

There are three ways to meet the foundation requirements for courses specific to the MS degree:

1. Complete a CSD undergraduate major or CSD post-baccalaureate degree/certificate. Students who have completed a CSD undergraduate major or earned a CSD post-baccalaureate degree/certificate awarded within 10 years of the NYU program start date are not required to take or retake foundation courses. The final transcript must state that an advanced certificate or degree was awarded in CSD/SLP prior to starting the program at NYU in order to waive all foundation course requirements.
2. Submit CSD-related courses for faculty review. Students who have not completed a degree in CSD but who have taken foundation courses will have the opportunity to submit courses for individual foundation course waivers. Foundation courses are waived after the content and transcripts are reviewed by the department (all foundation courses submitted for waiver must be completed prior to the first day of the student's first term of the MS program) and must meet the following criteria:
   • Course hours must be equivalent to 2 credits or higher.
   • Grade achieved must be equivalent to C or higher.
   • Course(s) must be completed within 10 years of the NYU program start date.
   • Course content must be comparable to the NYU foundation course as per faculty review.
3. Take the foundation courses through NYU when you begin the MS program. Students who have not completed some or any of the foundation courses will have the outstanding courses added to their Plan of Study to be taken alongside graduate-level courses. Once students begin the program at NYU, they may not take courses at another university for transfer credit into the program at NYU.

NYU’s graduate program will certify to ASHA that the requirements for clinical certification have been met. Thus, the faculty in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at NYU must determine that the foundation courses taken elsewhere are equivalent in breadth, depth, and rigor to courses at NYU. In addition, students must demonstrate that they have mastered the information in the required foundation courses by earning a grade of C or higher in all foundation courses taken at another university or they will be required to take the course again at NYU. Students must earn a C or better in all foundation courses taken at NYU or they will be required to take the course again.

Students are required to submit the appropriate documentation to the department to ensure that the content of their completed course work is sufficient in terms of breadth and depth. This includes a thorough review of the course syllabus. Students may also be asked to provide information pertaining to the course texts, exams, notes, and at times a one-to-one discussion, to demonstrate working knowledge of the information in a foundation course to determine course equivalency. Courses for which equivalence cannot be established must be taken as part of the graduate program.

Students must complete all foundation course work prior to entering the practicum sequence. Students may take foundation courses concurrently with some of the approved graduate-level courses. These will be aligned with curricular sequencing.

• CSCD-GE 2002 – Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Swallow Mechanisms
• CSCD-GE 2003 – Neurological Basis of Cognition, Behavior, and Communication
• CSCD-GE 2004 – Introduction to Audiology and Aural Rehabilitation 
• CSCD-GE 2006 – Phonetics
• CSCD-GE 2007 – Science of Language
• CSCD-GE 2008 – Language Development and Disorders
• CSCD-GE 2009 – Speech Development and Disorders in Children

Any student who is missing some or all of the foundation courses must complete these in addition to the 48 credits required for the MS degree (see previous).

Note: Students must have a completed academic course in Linguistics or Science of Language as a prerequisite to the master's curriculum. The linguistic course may be taken at NYU, another college, or online, with the permission of a faculty member.

Due to the high number of interested applicants, our department is unable to review transcripts and approve foundation courses for prospective students. It is advised that students compare the course descriptions of previously taken courses in communicative sciences and disorders to the department’s foundation course descriptions, in order to determine if the content is an accurate match. In addition, students may utilize our Foundation Course Equivalent resource in order to determine some of the alternative course titles that we have accepted from outside universities.

Additional ASHA Course Requirements

In addition to the foundation courses listed above, all students must complete 12 combined units of course work in social/behavioral science, biological science, physical science, and statistics to be eligible for ASHA certification. 

Students may have completed these requirements at another accredited college prior to entering the program, and need only to submit confirmation of an earned C or better grade (on graduate or undergraduate transcript) for credit. If the course content or earned grade was not sufficient, then students must complete these requirements prior to starting the practicum sequence. It is the policy of the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders that all students must earn credit hours for each of these courses. Continuing education units (CEUs) OR continuing education credits (CECs) will not be accepted. 

• Biological Science: Acceptable courses in biological science emphasize a content area related to human or animal sciences (e.g., biology, human anatomy and physiology, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, human genetics, veterinary science).
• Physical Science: Course work in physical sciences includes introductory or advanced physics or chemistry.
• Statistics: Acceptable courses include any college-level, standalone statistics course that is computational versus remedial, historical, or methodological in nature. 
• Social and Behavioral Science: Acceptable courses in social/behavioral science should include psychology, sociology, anthropology, or public health.

The combination of biological science, physical science, statistics, and social/behavioral science must equate to a minimum of 12 credits. Research methodology courses in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) may not be used to satisfy the statistics requirement. Courses in biological and physical science specifically related to communication sciences and disorders (CSD) may not be applied for certification purposes to this category unless the course fulfills a university requirement in one of these areas. In addition to transcript credit, applicants may be required by their graduate program to provide further evidence of meeting this requirement.