College: Communication & Information Degree: MS Limited Access: Yes Contact: Jennifer Kekelis Address: 201 W. Bloxham, Warren Building Tallahassee, FL 32306-1200 Phone: (850) 644-2253 Email: FSUComDis@cci.fsu.edu
Effective February 2025, the GRE is no longer required as part of the master’s application. Scores that are submitted will not be considered during review of the application.
GRADUATE EDUCATION IN HYBRID LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
This graduate program offers students the opportunity to obtain the skills to diagnose and treat communication disorders in a part-time, online hybrid learning environment.
The goal of this graduate program is to address the critical shortage of speech-language pathologists by allowing students to gain hands-on knowledge and experience at clinical sites in their community in Florida. Classes are offered fully online and students participate in practicum experiences at schools, hospitals, private practices, and other clinical sites in and around their community.
"I am interested in work with individuals with aphasia to help them regain some of their language skills that had been affected by a stroke."
Assistant Professor, School of Communication Science & Disorders
Accreditation statement: The School of Communication Science and Disorders’ Master of Science (both residential and Distance Learning) education program in speech-language pathology at Florida State University 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.
A master’s degree is the minimum educational level for entrance into the profession, and graduate-level training is required for professional specialization and fulfillment of requirements for national certification, state licensure, and state teacher certification.
Professionals in the field work in many settings such as schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing care facilities, industry, government health facilities, research laboratories, and private practice. Although regulations differ, most states require licensure for all employment settings except in the public schools or federal agencies. In addition to practicing directly with persons having disorders, professionals may pursue research, teach, or enter into administration of programs and agencies in the field.
We offer an ASHA-certified part-time master’s degree program online for students seeking speech-language pathology certification. Participants must reside in Florida to complete the program from beginning to end due to the location of their practicum placements. On-site practicum work within the student’s local community is required in conjunction with academic coursework. More information on community supervision is available [here].
The online program begins in fall and takes three years (9 semesters) to complete. The eligibility requirements for the master’s program, including completion of all prerequisites, must be met by the time the program begins.
Additional Clinical Education Information
Students in this program must commit to 12+ hours/week on site for all practicum experiences in semesters 3-8 in addition to taking the academic courses.
We use a hybrid approach in securing clinical placements. Students work with the clinical placement team to find and secure clinical placements for semesters 3 through 9. In general, students use our clinical contract and compliance database (EXXAT) to search for sites of interest.
Students reach out independently to private practices to secure a placement(s).
The clinical placement team secures all school placements based on input from studentsand availability within desired districts.
The clinical placement team will reach out on behalf of the student for most, if not all, medical-based sites including, but not limited tohospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and rehabilitation centers.
When sites of interest are not found in Exxat, students are able to request a new contract and the clinical placement team oversees the completion of this process. (Registration for access to EXXAT occurs shortly after orientation for new students.)
This program is designed with the working student in mind. SLPA and Bachelor-level SLP students are able to earn clock hours at their place of employment no more than 3 semesters and receive pay as long as they receive the appropriate supervision from a qualifying SLP as outlined by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Additionally, students are allowed to opt out of one semester of part-time practicum during their time in the program.
The final semester of this program is reserved for a full-time, 8-week internship. Full-time is defined as at least 32 hours/week on site following the same schedule as your SLP supervisor (including following the holidays observed by your internship site vs FSU’s calendar). Students cannot opt out of this experience. The site type (private practice vs medical) determines the level of support the clinical placement team provides. See above.
Please know there are many factors that impact the availability of clinical placement opportunities throughout Florida. Counties with limited placementsites and available supervisors vary from term to term and are unpredictable more than 2 semesters out. If your area is limited in the clinical opportunities needed to earn the experiences and clock hours required for graduation, you may, though rare, need to extend your time in our program beyond the standard three years.
Effective February 2025, the GRE is no longer required as part of the master’s application. Scores that are submitted will not be considered during review of the application.
Eligibility Requirements
Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. The following are minimum requirements:
A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college/university.
An upper division cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). Your upper division GPA is comprised of the grades of the courses you take in the semester where you complete your 60th credit hour and forward. A GPA calculator can help you determine your upper division GPA. You do not need to send us your calculated GPA.
Prerequisite coursework in Communication Science and Disorders.
For information about prerequisite courses, see information about the Bridge Program. Please note that admission to the Bridge Program or any other Prerequisite Program does not guarantee admission to the Graduate Program in Communication Science and Disorders.
Master’s Program Admissions Process
Note: Applicants may only apply to one graduate program in the School of Communication Science and Disorders per academic year.
Admission to the master’s program is contingent upon meeting the Florida State University policy on admission for graduate study. Academic standards, residence, transfer credits, and time limits are in accordance with regulations of the university. We admit students to our online graduate program for fall semester only.
Deadline: December 1. Admissions decisions will be sent via email to the email address included in your application by the end of February.
All application materials including transcripts, test scores, and supporting documents must be received by Florida State University by the application deadline. We cannot guarantee your application will be reviewed if we do not have all documents and test scores.
Official transcripts from every university, college, or institution you have attended must be sent to the following address:
School of Communication Science & Disorders
ATTN: Jennifer Kekelis
201 W Bloxham St
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1200
International applicants: Degrees from foreign institutions must have an appropriate evaluation service complete an evaluation, which should then be sent to the School. A list of acceptable services can be found here. All academic records that are not in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
After completing the University Application, you will be directed to pay the $30 non-refundable FSU application fee.
The following supporting documents must be submitted to the online application AFTERsubmission of the application and payment is received:
Resume or Curriculum Vitae
Supplemental application with short-response questions in lieu of a Statement of Purpose
Three letters of recommendation (academic references from your instructors and/or professors are preferred but references may be professional)
Names and addresses of your recommenders should be entered into the appropriate section of the University Application. You should have already contacted your recommenders about writing letters on your behalf. Each of your recommendation providers must fill out an online form and upload a copy of the recommendation letter to the online application. Do NOT send letters to the School or agree to relay your own letters of recommendation.
The following supporting documents must be sent separately and cannot be uploaded to the online application:
International applicants: TOEFL scores are required for students whose native language is not English.
