Speech-Language Pathology, Certificate

Location(s): California Campus, Clarion Campus, Edinboro Campus, Online

The post-baccalaureate (post-bac) program in Speech-Language Pathology is designed for students who want to pursue graduate studies in Speech-Language Pathology but who earned an undergraduate degree outside the speech, language, and hearing discipline. The post-bac program is 8-courses (24 credits), which can be completed in two semesters. During the final semester of the post-bac program, students are eligible to apply for consideration to PennWest or other universities’ Master’s programs in Speech-Language Pathology.

Advisement Sheet

Student Learning Outcomes

Explain and apply knowledge of the developmental norms for speech/language acquisition.
Explain and apply knowledge of speech, language and hearing disorders.
Explain how individual, cultural and linguistic differences influence communication.
Demonstrate knowledge of the basic clinical process for the evaluation and remediation of communication disorders and differences.
Apply critical thinking, problem solving and logical reasoning skills to topics in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD).
Demonstrate effective written communication skills to explain and describe content and research knowledge, and critical thinking skills as they apply to topics in CSD.

Admission Requirements

3.0 GPA
Grade requirements, “C” or better
Official Transcript(s) showing conferred bachelor’s degree

Students who are interested in attending the PennWest MSSLP program (in person or online) and do not have an undergraduate background in speech-language pathology or communication sciences and disorders should apply for the post-bac certificate program.

For the post-bac SLP program at PennWest, students should apply through the PennWest website and follow these steps:

• Admission Student Type: Post Baccalaureate
• Certificate Program: Yes
• Undergraduate Program Name/Major: Speech-Language Pathology (Cert)

The student’s application will undergo university review, and communication regarding acceptance will be sent from the PennWest Admissions Office.

Code to waive application fee: APPLYPENNWEST

Minimum admission requirements to the post-bac certificate program are consistent with current undergraduate admissions criteria for PennWest.

Once students successfully complete the post-bac program, they are then eligible to apply to the PennWest Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology program through CSDCAS: https://csdcas.liaisoncas.com

In addition, the PennWest post-bac program is designed to provide the foundational coursework needed to be eligible for admission to other MSSLP programs. However, students should carefully review each program’s minimum requirements, as they may vary from institution to institution.

Curriculum Requirements

Required Courses

CSD 1500 - Speech & Language Development Credit Hours: 3
CSD 2100 - Introduction to Audiology Credit Hours: 3
CSD 2700 - Phonetics Credit Hours: 3
CSD 3000 - Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Hearing Credit Hours: 3
CSD 3100 - Speech Science Credit Hours: 3
CSD 3400 - Aural Rehabilitation Credit Hours: 3
CSD 4100 - Neuroanatomy for the SLP Credit Hours: 3
CSD 4200 - Clinical Observation / Experience Credit Hours: 3
For certification purposes, students also have to take 4 non-major courses including human biology, statistics, physics or chemistry, and a social science. Most post-bacs already completed most or all of those requirements in their undergraduate program. If not, those courses would be incorporated into their plan of study using existing PennWest undergraduate course offerings.

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