Communication Disorders

Applicants for the Master's Degree program in Communication Disorders must apply through Communication Science and Disorders Centralized Application service (CSDAS) at portal.csdcas.org.

Application deadline is February 1st, prior to the fall for which the student would begin the program.

Mercy college has several advantages for students:

• Campus based Speech and Hearing Center allowing students to practice hands-on learning while still in school
• Opportunities to participate in global mission trips
• TSSLD certification*
• NYC DOE Scholarship partner
• State-of-the-art Clinical Simulation lab used for interprofessional education
• Dedicated audiology and voice labs
• All students participate in research

*New York State Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities

The clinical component includes both in-house and externship practicum experiences in over 250 metropolitan area facilities. Students evaluate and treat people of varying ages and cultural/linguistic backgrounds who display a variety of communication disorders including articulation, phonology, oral motor, voice, fluency, swallowing and feeding, hearing, and language disorders. A total of 375 direct contact hours is required by ASHA for certification (a maximum of 50 hours can be accrued on the undergraduate level). Two in-house practicums take place in the Mercy College Speech and Hearing Center, where students are supervised by faculty and adjunct clinical educators who are NYS licensed and ASHA certified speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Clinical externships are completed in college-affiliated sites in the New York metropolitan area, including five boroughs of New York, Westchester County, Putnam County, Dutchess County, Orange-Ulster County, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The age and disorder of the population that is served varies from site to site.

Schools, hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, private practice, health care agencies, and college/university settings. A free brochure entitled Careers in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology containing additional information about the profession is available from ASHA.

SLPs work with the full range of human communication and swallowing disorders in individuals of all ages:

• Evaluate and diagnose speech, language, communication, and swallowing disorders.
• Treat speech, language, communication, and swallowing disorders.
• Provide training and education to family/caregivers and other professionals.
• Work collaboratively with professionals from many other disciplines.

Go to www.teachnycprograms.net, click on the link for "scholarship program", and then click "speech language pathology".

The Graduate Admissions Coordinator, Professor Denise DiCristofaro via email at ddicristofaro@mercy.edu or call (914) 674-7739.

A series of prerequisites courses can be taken by post-baccalaureate students interested in applying to the Mercy College graduate program in speech-language pathology.

*The graduate program in Communication Disorders at Mercy College requires the following courses:  

• Introduction to Communication Disorders
• Introduction to Audiology
• Normal Speech and Language Development
• Phonetics
• Speech and Hearing Science
• Anatomy & Physiology of the Speech & Hearing Mechanisms

Note: Taking the prerequisite course series does not guarantee admission to the graduate Communication Disorders program. Students must apply to the graduate program. See the “How to apply” section below for more information.  

*Speech-language course requirements vary across institutions.

Yes, there is an undergraduate program available. 

The Master's Degree in Communication Disorders program adheres to the Mercy College Non-Discrimination policy. The policy of Mercy College, both historically and currently, is that discrimination against any individual for reasons of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, or handicap and status as a parent is specifically prohibited. Accordingly, equal access to educational programs, employment opportunities, and all other college activities is extended to all persons, and the College promotes equal opportunity. Information concerning non-discrimination policies, including complaint procedures, may be obtained from the following individuals. • For Students: Deputy Director of PACT. • For Faculty, Administration, and Staff: Director of Human Resources. • For Accessibility Services: Director of ACCESSibility

Required Coursework: 46 Credits

Elective Coursework: 6 Credits

Clinical Education: 8 Credits

Total: 60 Credits

For a full list of courses see our catalog.

Speech-language pathologists provide habitation and rehabilitation services to individuals across the life span who demonstrate disorders in communication. These disorders may include language, articulation, phonology, voice, motor, memory, fluency, swallowing, feeding, attention and/or hearing deficits. The profession is built upon basic and applied physical and social sciences, educational principles and clinical research. The curriculum of this Program offers students a variety of opportunities for academic, clinical, research and specialized area experience reflecting that foundation. The program prepares students to work in a variety of different health care settings including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, outpatient programs, schools, community centers and private practice. Graduates are eligible to begin their Clinical Fellowship (CF) in accordance with requirements of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and are eligible to apply for state licensure.

The Master's Degree program in Communication Disorders is designed for full-time and part-time students and can be completed in two years and two summers for full-time students. The program consists of academic and clinical components that are organized in a progressive sequence. Courses are primarily offered in the evening. Some courses may be offered in various scheduling formats. Clinical practicum schedules require days, evenings and/ or Saturdays. The College defines full-time as nine credits. For the purpose of completing the CD program in two years (including two summers), the student must follow the projected curriculum sequence established by the program. Part-time students must follow the required course projections. 

Students who graduate from the program may sit for the National Examination in Speech-Language Pathology (Specialty Area Test of the Praxis Series by the Educational Testing Service). Students then complete their Clinical Fellowship (CF). Upon successful completion of the degree, the examination, and the CF, the individual will be certified as a Speech-Language Pathologist by ASHA.

Successful completion of the educational and clinical requirements of the graduate program will prepare students for eligibility for the New York State License as a Speech-Language Pathologist.

The Master of Science (M.S.) education program in Communication Disorders at Mercy College 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 Master of Science in Communication Disorders is an educational program in speech-language pathology that offers students a comprehensive combination of academic and clinical learning experiences to facilitate the knowledge and skills needed for entry-level practice in the discipline.

The program seeks to:

• Develop academic and clinical excellence through commitment to teaching, research and service.
• Promote a culture of scholarship and respect of individuals.
• Provide a foundation of knowledge and skills that foster competent, autonomous, clinical practice for the professional lifetime.

The mission of the program is to:

• Prepare professionals to provide quality speech and language services to clients of all ages, cultures, and disabilities in a variety of settings.
• Instill in students the interconnection among the theoretical, clinical, and research components of speech-language pathology through evidence-based research and current/relevant clinical practices.
• Infuse the latest technology into the curriculum.
• Promote in our graduates a culture of scholarship, critical thinking, and respect, and provide a foundation of knowledge and skills that foster competent, ethical clinical practice for the professional lifetime.

In fulfillment of this mission, the program will:

• Provide coursework and clinical practicum experiences specified in the KASA competencies for speech-language professionals.
• Deliver a program of study that is a pathway to TSSLD* certification and which is supportive of applicants seeking New York City (NYC) Department of Education scholarships for new clinicians.
• Engage students in Capstone research projects to develop their understanding of research in the discipline.
• Offer participatory opportunities in interprofessional education and practice activities that highlight collaborate care.
• Provide campus and community-based clinical learning experiences that stress evidence-informed decision making in practice.
• Expect professionalism, ethical conduct, and respect for individual and cultural differences in the provision of care.

*Certificate for Teaching Students with Speech-Language Disabilities

The clinical component includes both in-house and externship practicum experiences in over 250 metropolitan area facilities. Students evaluate and treat people of varying ages and cultural/linguistic backgrounds who display a variety of communication disorders including articulation, phonology, oral motor, voice, fluency, swallowing and feeding, hearing, and language disorders. A total of 375 direct contact hours is required by ASHA for certification (a maximum of 50 hours can be accrued on the undergraduate level). Two in-house practicums take place in the Mercy College Speech and Hearing Center, where students are supervised by faculty and adjunct clinical educators who are NYS licensed and ASHA certified speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Clinical externships are completed in college-affiliated sites in the New York metropolitan area, including five boroughs of New York, Westchester County, Putnam County, Dutchess County, Orange-Ulster County, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The age and disorder of the population that is served varies from site to site.

The mission of the pre-requisite program is to provide students with the foundation needed to enter a graduate level program in communication disorders. A series of prerequisites courses (18 credits) can be taken by post-baccalaureate students interested in applying to the Mercy College Communication Disorders graduate program. All students from all fields of study are welcome. The Mercy College faculty is comprised of doctoral and master's level speech-language pathologists and audiologists with various specializations, who provide students with first rate and well-rounded instruction.

*The graduate program in Communication Disorders at Mercy College requires the following courses:  

• Introduction to Communication Disorders
• Introduction to Audiology
• Normal Speech and Language Development
• Phonetics
• Speech and Hearing Science
• Anatomy & Physiology of the Speech & Hearing Mechanisms (4-credit class)

Note: Taking the prerequisite course series does not guarantee admission to the graduate Communication Disorders program. Students must apply to the graduate program. See the “How to apply” section below (remove because the “How to Apply” section is before this section) for more information.  

*Speech-language course requirements vary across institutions.

Any student interested in the Communications Disorder program must have at least four of the following six prerequisite courses completed for their application to be evaluated. All remaining prerequisite course-work must be completed by the end of the spring term prior to fall admission to enroll in the graduate program:

• Anatomy & Physiology of Speech & Hearing Mechanism (CMDS 256 – 4 crs.)
• Phonetics (CMDS 240 – 3 crs.)
• Speech & Hearing Science (CMDS 270 – 3 crs.)
• Introduction to Communication Disorders or Speech Pathology I (CMDS 258 – 3 crs.)
• Introduction to Audiology (CMDS 257 – 3 crs.)
• Normal Speech & Language Development (CMDS 264 – 3 crs.)

The following five courses are also recommended, but are not required in order to apply to the CD graduate program. Only grades of "C" or better in these courses will be accepted:

• Statistics* (BHSC 370 or MATH 122 – 3 crs.)* 
• Aural Rehabilitation* (CMDS 340 – 3 crs.)* 
• Physical Science** (Chemistry or Physics only)
• Biological Science** (Human Biology)
• Social/Behavioral Science** (e.g., Anthropology, Ethnic/Cultural Studies, Archaeology, Economics, Gender/Sexual Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Area Studies/Sociology, Criminology)

*Must be taken for undergraduate credit prior to or during first year of graduate study

**Required for ASHA Certification; must be completed by the end of the first year of graduate school

The program is registered with the New York State Education Department offer Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities (TSSLD) certification. Students who with to obtain the academic and clinical requisites for Initial TSSLD certification must complete the following requirements in addition to program requirements: 

1. Twelve credits in Education, which include three credits in Foundations of Education, three credits in Special Education, three credits in Literacy and three credits in Normal Speech & Language Development.
2. Thirty-six credits in Speech/ Language Pathology and Audiology.
3. Student Teaching: a minimum of 150 "direct contact" hours.
4. Achievement of passing grades on the New York State Teacher Certification exams:
   1. Educating All Students (EAS) test
5. Completion of Workshops:
   1. Child Abuse Identification
   2. School Violence Prevention
   3. Human Dignity (DASA)
6. Fingerprint Clearance.

Upon acceptance into the Master of Science Program in Communication Disorders, students will be assigned a faculty member who will serve as their advisor. Students accepted into the program will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit at the time acceptance. This fee will be applied to the fall tuition payment. The advisor will meet with students to counsel them on Program and ASHA certification requirements, and to develop a plan of study and a future professional development plan.

Attendance and punctuality in all classes and clinical education assignments is required, unless the student is excused for extenuating and extraordinary life circumstances. A maximum of three undocumented absences from class will result in failure in the course and may jeopardize the student's standing in the program. Absence from a clinical assignment is subject to the rules and regulations of the institution.

The program has adopted a list of Essential Functions that outlines the necessary communication, motor, intellectual/cognitive, and behavioral/social attributes deemed necessary for program completion and clinical practice within the field. Students are expected to review this list and sign a form stating that they are or are not capable of performing the skills and abilities listed.

Download a copy of the full Essential Functions

The Communication Disorders graduate program at Mercy College strives to consistently promote academic excellence in its students. The program is committed to preparing its students for career readiness in entry-level clinical jobs as speech-language pathologists. Students must obtain the knowledge and skills outlined in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Knowledge and Skills Acquisition (KASA) form and successfully pass the Praxis national examination for ASHA certification in speech-language pathology.

Program goals include: 

• Attracting Students - Faculty will routinely discuss trends in admission for speech-language pathology programs, at both the broad and local levels to remain current in the market.
• Encouraging Student Research - The program will promote and support student research. The mandatory student capstone research projects will remain encouraged, as will other forms of faculty: student scholarship activities. 
• Participation in Interprofessional Education - The program will continue to participate in IPE events in the SHNS and beyond. Student participation in IPE will remain an expected part of the graduate curriculum.  
• Growing Grantsmanship - The program will expect faculty to explore internal and external grants, awards, etc. to support their research, or program needs. Collaborative scholarly activities between and among faculty at the program, college, university, and professional levels will remain encouraged.
• Expecting Teaching Excellence - Faculty will participate in pedagogical trainings offered through the Center for Teaching and Learning, professional conferences, and/or workshops to remain current in the profession and effective in the classroom and clinic.
• Incorporating Technology - As appropriate, the program will prioritize student access to innovative instructional tools and materials that enhance their learning in both the didactic and clinical settings. 
• Supporting Students - The program will recommend appropriate students for scholarships (e.g., NYC DOE Scholarships), academic programs (e.g., LEND*), employment opportunities, and other awards which they are qualified and suited. 
• Lifelong Learning - The program will offer workshops to practicing speech-language pathologists in the region.
• Program Scholarships - The program will offer the Communication Disorders Scholarships to students yearly. 
• Community Outreach - The program will highlight faculty and student participation in SHNS medical missions, vetted events such as awareness walks, and approved outreach via lectures to constituents in the college and community.
• Clinical Learning - Faculty will routinely discuss purposeful and feasible expansion of services offered via the Speech and Hearing Center to diversify and strengthen the students’ clinical exposures.  Faculty will continually explore the merits of existing externship partnership and the expansion of partnerships to extend the community-based learning experiences offered to students.  
• Praxis Test-Preparation - The program will continue its commitment to preparing students for the Praxis exam with continuous and targeted preparation for this examination. 

*Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND), a multi-multi-disciplinary training program open to students at Mercy and several other partner universities.

Teaching 

• Graduate students were provided with beginner tool kits to support their first in-house clinical practicum (i.e., laminators, anatomy cards, bubbles, etc.).
• The Speech and Hearing Clinic also purchased a variety of new resources to maintain currency and expand the cultural linguistic diversity of materials (e.g., books, plastic foods of various cultures, dolls representing BIPOC, etc.).
• A new Clinic Director and Program Director began in Fall 2021. 
• The department gained 3 additional research doctoral degrees (2 PhDs and 1 EdD)
• Faculty were provided with self assessment tools to promote teaching excellence during the assessment retreat. Faculty were asked to complete the tools and reflect on their pedagogical practices.
• The Speech and Hearing Center returned to offering some in person services in the Fall as the Covid restrictions were lifted. Virtual services continued to be offered. A majority of the clients served in the clinic returned to in person services as of the Summer 2022.

Service 

• The department is planning to restart our Continuing Education workshop offerings post-Covid, which supports our scholarship fund and student/faculty learning. The course will be offered virtually to SLPs in the community, clinical educators in the in-house clinic, and students.
• The program expanded community outreach clinical initiatives to a local Autism Center for adults and provided services both virtually and in person.
• The Speech and Hearing Clinic established a pilot aphasia summer intensive program providing intensive treatment for 4 clients with aphasia.
• All graduate students participated in Interprofessional Education Events (IPE) offered through the School of Health and Natural Sciences.

Scholarship 

• Two students graduated from the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disciplines (LEND) program.
• One part-time student applied to LEND and was accepted to the program for the upcoming year (2022-2023).
• Several incoming graduate students were awarded the NYC Department of Education monolingual Speech-Language Pathology scholarship.
• Three students were awarded Communication Disorders scholarships for the upcoming year.
• The program was awarded $112,000 grant from Phelps Community Healthcare Fund to support clinical initiatives.
• Several faculty received Faculty Development and Microgrants to support their research and student learning.

Graduate courses taken at other institutions prior to admission at Mercy College may, if pertinent to the plan of study, be credited to the graduate degree. Transfer credit is limited to six credits taken within the last five years in which the student has received a grade of B or above.

Transfer courses taken prior to admission will not be computed in the quality point average. 

The Communication Disorders Program is committed to meeting its mission as it relates to serving our students, potential students, staff, faculty, adjunct faculty, clinical faculty and the public consumer of physical therapy. To that end, we are committed to ensuring that exceptional complaints for which there is no established College, School or program policy or procedure are considered and resolved in a timely, fair, consistent and equitable manner.  Additional information may be found in the College graduate catalog.

Procedure:  Complaints should be addressed to the Program Director through the online form. If the program director is the subject of the complaint, the complaint should be addressed to the Dean, School of Health and Natural Science.

The Communication Disorders Graduate Program leads to a professional license administered by each state. Applicants and potential students should review information available on the College's NC-SARA page. We advise you to contact your state licensing board or appropriate licensing entity to determine whether the program meets requirements for Professional Licensure in the state where you are located or the state in which you intend to pursue licensure. Please contact the Communication Disorders Program Director if you have further questions.

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• M.S. Communication Disorders

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