CHCS - Perspectives Winter/Spring 2016

8 • NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY The Bachelor of Science in Speech- Language and Communication Disorders, which is the newest degree program in the department, is administered by Melissa Edrich, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, undergraduate coordinator and SLP program instructor. The program was approved by the NSU Board of Trustees in December 2012 and currently has 103 students. Classes are offered in the daytime, evening, and online in the 120-credit program. Graduates may continue into the master’s program or become speech-language pathology assistants—support personnel who assist graduate-level, certified SLPs in providing a variety of services in various work settings. In the speech-language pathology field, possessing a master’s degree is of paramount importance. The Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology Program, led by Steven Vertz, M.S., CCC-SLP, associate director and SLP program instructor, has approximately 700 students and is the largest such program in the United States. It is accredited by the Council of Academic Programs in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and approved by the Florida Department of Education and the Nevada Department of Education. Coursework is delivered face-to-face at several NSU campuses, as well as online. The program, which consists of 52 credits at the graduate level and 28 credits in prerequi- site courses, allows students to complete clinical require- ments in both local and national clinical placements. M.S. graduates are employed in a variety of settings that includes public schools, preschools, hospitals, nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation clinics, private practices, and universities. “I felt well prepared for my externships, both pediatric and adult, and have continued to feel confident in my position as an acute-care speech pathologist with a special interest in swallowing,” said Cheryl Lopez, M.S., CCC-SLP, a recent program graduate. The Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP.D.), with Rachel Wil- liams, Ph.D., CCC- SLP, who serves as SLP coordinator and program professor, was first offered in 1996 and has the distinction of being the first professional degree program in the United States for speech-language patholo- gists. The students are primarily certified speech-language pathologists holding master’s degrees who wish to obtain a doctoral degree. The program follows the cohort concept model, and classes are offered online and in a weekend format with hybrid delivery of online and live instruction on campus. All doctoral students are required to travel to Florida to parti- cipate in the Summer Institute on Leadership Development and Research. In the fall of 2015, the program’s 22nd cohort began. Currently, there are 63 students and 54 recent graduates. Program requirements include 26 credits in core courses, 12 credits in research courses, 12 credits for the applied dissertation, and 3 credits in leadership development. The program typically requires two years for the course- work, while additional time may be necessary for the dissertation process. The NSU Clinic for Speech, Language, and Communication provides individual and group therapy to children and adults with communication disorders. It also offers outreach programs in the Broward County Schools Voice Resonance Clinic, the Charter Schools of Excellence, the NSU Mailman Segal Center for Human Development, and the Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. The clinic’s patient population includes individuals with articulation/phonological disorders, language delays/ disorders, stuttering, voice disorders, and aphasia. Some of the patients have incurred speech and/or language disorders secondary to autism, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. The clinic provides these services, as well as accent modification, to both the local and NSU communities. ■ For additional information about the Speech-Language Pathology programs, visit www.healthsciences.nova.edu/slp/index.html .