Masters of Arts in Communicative Sciences and Disorders

The Communicative Sciences and Disorders Master's Program from Michigan State University will not only give you the coursework needed to learn necessary skills but will also allow you to participate in problem-based learning designed to promote critical thinking skills and leadership.

MSU's clinical training is community-based. We have a network of over 100 off-campus facilities including public schools, hospitals, nursing homes and private clinics, both here in Mid-Michigan and throughout the state, to support the clinical training of our master's students.

Our clinical supervisors are working in the field as speech-language pathologists and therefore opportunities for you to apply knowledge learned in the classroom directly to real-world clinical life is abundant. Additionally, our program offers two career-oriented tracks: Plan A is the thesis track, and Plan B is the non-thesis track. Students electing to pursue a thesis will have the opportunity to develop and conduct original research under the mentoring of faculty with substantial scholarly experience. While the non-thesis track offers options for comprehensive elective clinical coursework.

As a student in the program, you will be able to use the resources of MSU - a world leader in research with nationally ranked academic units, impressive libraries, a beautiful large campus, a pioneering record in sustainability, exciting athletics and an impressively diverse academic community. Becoming a Spartan is to gain entry into one of the largest and most productive group of alumni networks in the world.

A master's degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders is the entry-level degree for working clinically as a speech-language pathologist, a field consistently ranked as one of the best career opportunities in the country. MSU has a 100% job placement rate post-graduation. Graduates of our program work in both medical and educational settings. Medical settings include hospitals, rehabilitation units, nursing home facilitates, private clinics and home health agencies. Educational settings include public schools (including early intervention), preschool, grades K-12, center-based programs and charter schools.

Three-Year Employment Cycle
Graduating MA Cohort Employment Rate*
Class of 2022 100%**
Class of 2021 100%
Class of 2020 100%
Class of 2019 100%
Class of 2018 100%

*Reported

**One of the 30 students is not working as a clinical speech-language pathologist and is working in the field as a sales representative

The M.A. program in CSD offers exciting opportunities to learn from and work with internationally renowned scientists in the fields of communicative sciences and disorders. Our master's program is designed to attract excellent students from diverse backgrounds and train them to become clinicians and leaders in the field of communicative sciences and disorders. 

Three-Year Praxis Pass Rate
Period # Taking the Exam # Passed Exam % Passed Exam Rate
2022-2023 29 28 97%
2021-2022 35 33 94%
2020-2021 29 28 97%

The Master of Arts (M.A.) education program in speech-language pathology {residential} at Michigan 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.

The logo does not apply to undergraduate or non-entry level doctoral programs in communication sciences and disorders. Logo use shall be subject at all times to revocation and withdrawal by the CAA when, in its sole judgment, its continued use would not serve the best interests of CAA or the public.

Federal regulations require MSU to publicly disclose, for each educational program designed to meet the educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification required for employment in an occupation (or advertised as meeting those requirements), information about whether program completion would meet those requirements in a state. These public disclosure requirements apply to all programs, regardless of their modality (i.e., on-ground, online, and hybrid programs).

MSU discloses the required information for its Master of Arts, Communicative Sciences and Disorders on page 18 of the table at https://reg.msu.edu/Read/PDF/Professional Licensure and Certification - Public Disclosures - Final.pdf.

All current and prospective students are encouraged to contact the applicable professional licensure/certification boards in their respective states for additional information regarding professional licensure/certification requirements, including, without limitation, information regarding any non educational requirements (such as work experience, background clearance, examinations, and/or ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence).

The information in the table should not be construed as guaranteeing that any particular professional licensure/certification authority will approve a student’s application; nor should the information in the table be read to imply that other requirements for professional licensure/certification do not exist or that other requirements for professional licensure/certification have been determined to have been met by MSU’s program/course, or that any necessary approvals for clinical or other experiential learning placements are secured by virtue of a student’s enrollment at MSU.

State professional licensure requirements are subject to change at any time. For Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Michigan Board of Speech-Language Pathology, please see https://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-89334_72600_72603_27529_53664---,00.html 

If you need assistance or have any questions, please contact comdis@msu.edu

Course Sequence

The M.A. program in CSD is a 51 credit degree and is 5 continuous semesters beginning each fall. You may complete the M.A. program by choosing one of two plans. A decision to enroll in Plan A or Plan B must be communicated to the Program Director no later than October 31st of the first fall semester in the program.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PLANS

Scholarships

Scholarships are available for students who pursue a thesis (Plan A) option. Applicants interested in this opportunity should include a paragraph outlining research interests and interest in completing a thesis in their academic statement. These scholarships are awarded by the faculty during the admissions process and applicants are notified in their offer letters. No further application is required to be considered.

Learn More

Questions?

Questions?

For additional information on the Communicative Sciences and Disorders Master's program may be obtained from:

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Michigan State University
1026 Red Cedar Road
Oyer Speech and Hearing Building
East Lansing, MI 48824

comdis@msu.edu