NCATE

The program in speech pathology at Purdue University began in 1935, when Professor M. D. Steer joined the faculty. Its primary function at that time was to provide remedial services to those university students who had deviant speech skills. A year later, an undergraduate academic training program was started. The graduate program began in 1940. In its earlier years, the program was a part of the Department of English. In 1947, the program was assigned to the Department of Speech. In that same year, a formal academic offering in audiology was introduced. The first doctoral degree was granted in 1948. The SLHS program became a separate department in 1963. In 1971, the program was one of the first in the country to achieve accreditation in both speech pathology and audiology from the Educational Standards Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The program has experienced continual growth. Currently there are approximately 30 on the combined professional staff and academic faculty, about 90 to 100 full time graduate students, and about 200 undergraduate students. The department has a long record of significant contributions to research and professional education and continues to be one of the top-ranked graduate programs in the country.

THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT

The Department of Speech, Lanugage, and Hearingoffers undergraduate coursework in communication science and disorders and linguistics, and graduate work leading to the Master of Science (M.S.) degree and the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.

Our department head reports directly to the dean of the School of Liberal Arts. The Master's and Ph.D. graduate programs are administered through the Graduate School.

The SLHS director of graduate programs is the administrator responsible for matters pertaining to graduate study and serves as chair of the SLHS graduate committee. Departmental graduate policies are developed and monitored by the graduate committee. The graduate committee also has responsibility for graduate student admissions. The department head appoints the faculty members of the graduate committee and its chair.

Professional and pre-professional training in speech-language pathology is managed by a team consisting of the director of clinical education in speech-language pathology, the director of the speech-language clinic, and the co-director for program development. The SLHS faculty meets regularly to discuss and vote on department policies. The SLHS graduate students elect representatives to attend these meetings, to convey student opinions during discussions, and to report back to the graduate students.

CONCERNS AND COMPLAINTS

We hope that students will be able to discuss most concerns directly with the involved parties, but we know that situations can arise in which other advice is needed. The department head, graduate program director, faculty advisors, director of clinical education, and the clinic directors are all available to discuss student concerns. In addition, the department head appoints two ombudsmen. Students may discuss any type of grievance with the ombudsmen in complete confidence. The ombudsmen can advise the students of various ways to relieve difficulties, including informal discussions, grievance procedures, referral to counseling services, and so on.

Depending on the nature of the concern or grievance, students may also contact the following:

THE MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE

The Clinical Master's Degree Program

For many students, the Master of Science is a terminal degree in that they do not plan to pursue further graduate work as a Ph.D. student. Usually, the students are seeking a graduate degree that will prepare them to provide independent clinical services in speech?language pathology. The clinical M.S. programs in speech-language pathology at Purdue is designed so that students can meet all academic, clinical certification, licensure, and credentialing requirements of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the Indiana Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board (ISLPAB), and the Indiana Professional Standards Board (IPSB). Candidates who enter the Department of Speech, Lanugage, and Hearingprogram of teacher education beginning Fall 2003 or later will be licensed upder IPSB Rule, 2002 with an instructional license under the category of "Communication Disorders". The Purdue University School of Education continues to recommend program completers under Rules 46-47 until the beginning of fall 2004. Students are admitted either to the M.S./Au.D. program in audiology or to the M.S. program in speech-language-pathology and may not transfer between programs without re-applying.

Mission Statement for the Clinical M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology

I. Mission Statement for Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

The mission of the department encompasses the areas of learning, discovery and engagement, and dovetails with the missions of the School of Liberal Arts and the University as a whole. Specific missions of the department are:

Learning
To provide undergraduate and graduate education in normal and disordered aspects of communication, including education in basic and applied research.
To provide undergraduate students with pre-professional training to prepare them to enter graduate programs in communicative disorders.
To provide graduate students with the education to become certified speech-language pathologists/audiologist, teachers, and/or research scientists.

Discovery
To conduct basic research to elucidate the mechanisms underlying normal and disordered speech, language, and hearing.
To conduct applied research that will help speech-language pathologists and audiologists to remediate communicative disorders.

Engagement
To serve the people of the local and larger communitites by providing clinical services and information through the Audiology and Speech-Language Clinics.
To be a preeminent resource for the dissemination of information and clinical training strategies to professionals nationally and internationally, through publications, presentations at meetings and distance education programs.