天堂鸟先生

The following description outlines the expectations for all students electing a thesis option in the Master鈥檚 program

By May 1st of the first year of study students who elect a thesis option should indicate this decision in writing by using the Track A Declaration Form. A brief memorandum stating the topic (and title, if known) and naming a thesis advisor (a faculty member from HSLS) should be sent to the Coordinator of Professional Programs. This memorandum will be filed in the student鈥檚 record. The student will plan to take up to 6 credits of HSLS 6950 with the thesis advisor to work on the thesis project. These 6 credits will count towards elective courses. If necessary, the student may take more than 6 credit hours to complete the project; however, only 6 credits will count toward the master鈥檚 degree requirements.

The student will work with their thesis advisor in developing a proposal for the research to be conducted. This proposal will include the following sections: 1) an introduction which includes a review of the relevant literature, the purpose of the study, and the specific research question(s) to be addressed; and 2) a description of the methodology including subject description, schedule and setting, research design, experimental procedures, stimuli to be used, and data analyses planned.

The student in consultation with their thesis advisor, will select two faculty members to serve on the thesis committee. This must include at least one additional faculty member from HSLS.

The student will obtain approval of the proposed research plan from the thesis committee prior to beginning the project. To do this, the student will prepare a copy of the completed proposal and submit it to each committee member prior to the committee meeting. During the meeting, the student will present the proposed study to the committee and answer questions that committee members may have.

If the study involves human subjects, the student will obtain approval from the 天堂鸟先生 IRB (Institutional Review Board) prior to obtaining subject consent or collecting data. Information on obtaining approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) on research involving human subjects is located online.

If the study is to be conducted in an off-campus facility (e.g., hospital or school), approval to conduct the research must be obtained from each organization or public service prior to obtaining subject consent or collecting data.

Once all necessary approvals have been obtained, the student is permitted to obtain participants鈥� consent and to begin collecting data following the procedures detailed in their research proposal.

Upon completion of the data collection and analyses, the student will complete the thesis by adding the following sections: 1) a summary of the results; and 2) conclusions that include a discussion of the findings, limitations, and future research.

The final document will be organized in accordance with the Graduate College instructions.

The student and their thesis advisor are responsible for adherence to current American Psychological Association (APA) writing style guidelines when developing the written document as well as the CHSP directions for preparing a thesis document. Students 52 must file their thesis online using the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) guidelines. Once the thesis is completed, the student is to schedule the oral defense.

The student must advertise the name, date, time, and location of the oral defense including, but not limited to:

1. Flyer posted in HSLS Office
2. CHSP Electronic Calendar
3. 天堂鸟先生 Calendar of Events

Two weeks prior to the oral defense of the thesis, the student is to submit an electronic (preferred) or written copy of the completed thesis to each committee member for review. Students should be registered for thesis credits in the semester in which they conduct their oral defense.

At the oral defense meeting, which is open to all interested persons, the student presents an overview of the entire project including the implications of the study and directions for further research. The student will answer questions posed by the committee members once the presentation is completed. Upon completion of the oral defense, the thesis committee will meet in private to vote on the student鈥檚 defense of the thesis. A majority vote is required for the student to pass the defense.

Once the thesis has been completed, the student鈥檚 transcript will reflect 鈥渃redit鈥� for the thesis hours taken. Until the thesis is complete, no credit is given. In the event that the student fails to complete the thesis project successfully or drops the thesis option after taking thesis credits, these thesis credits will NOT count toward the student鈥檚 Master鈥檚 degree. If the student does not meet the hour requirements for the degree, additional coursework must be taken.

The student and thesis advisor must ensure that all necessary documentation is completed for the thesis project.

The student is to submit the Track Declaration Form to the Coordinator of Professional Programs stating the track that they have elected. The student should also note on the form their choice of completing the thesis option. The name of the faculty member who will serve as the thesis advisor is to be included along with the general topic of the thesis. The Coordinator of Professional Programs will place this form in the student鈥檚 file.

When the student is prepared to defend their proposal, the Thesis Proposal Defense Report Form (revised 1/06) is to be completed (except for the final recommendation and committee members鈥� signatures). On the day of the defense, thesis committee members are to determine their recommendation (whether the proposal is approved or denied) and add their signatures to the form. This form is filed by the Coordinator of Professional Programs in the student鈥檚 file. Students are not to begin their research projects prior to this approval.

After the research project has been completed and the final report has been prepared, the student will conduct an oral defense of the study. The student will arrange a meeting of their thesis committee members and submit a copy of the final report to each member at least two weeks before the date of the defense. The Report on the Oral Thesis Examination form (revised 1/06) is to be completed (except for the committee members鈥� signatures) prior to the meeting. On the day of the final oral defense, thesis committee members are to determine their recommendation and add their signatures to the form. The form is to be filed as soon as the final approval is given to the corrected thesis (if corrections are required after the defense). One copy of the form will be sent to the College of the Health Sciences and Professions, one to the Office of Registration and Records, one to the student鈥檚 file, and one to the student.

The purpose of the Joint option program is to provide a student who wishes to pursue a PhD in speech and language science the opportunity to take doctoral-level courses, directed studies, and engage in research experiences during the MA program, which primarily focuses on clinical training. This is highly beneficial for those select students for three reasons: a) they have an ncentive to apply to and complete the PhD, given that they have already started some of the coursework; b) they are more prepared for successful study at the doctoral level; c) they can complete two degrees (MA + PhD) in 5 years (instead of 6 years). A student pursuing this option is required to complete the same curricular requirements as all students who pursue the MA.

A student who wishes to pursue this option may express interest in the application to the MA program. The program is highly selective, with one or two students enrolled each year. The HSLS faculty members have a formalized process in place to determine the student鈥檚 qualification for the Joint option. The minimum criteria include a formalized interview process and one letter of recommendation from a faculty member that supports the student鈥檚 outstanding research potential.

If accepted, the student will be assigned a faculty mentor and will be advised on a program of study that will integrate doctorallevel coursework and experiences (e.g., research directed studies, statistics, working in a mentor鈥檚 research lab) into the coursework required for the MA. Each student in the Joint option is also expected to work on a predissertation research project in the first two years. Each plan of study for a student in the Joint option will be unique, given their area of research interest. At the time of admission into the Joint option, the student is informed that they must still apply for the PhD at a later time and that PhD acceptance is not guaranteed. By the semester in which the student applies to the PhD program (end of Year 2), the student will have completed 48 hours for the MA program and a total of 34 hours for the PhD (note: No more than 34 credits from MA coursework may be applied to the doctoral degree).

At the end of Year 2, students apply to the PhD program and must meet the following criteria: a) cumulative GPA of at least 3.0; b) completion of predissertation research project (or substantial progress made); c) acceptable performance on research mentor鈥檚 lab work. All of the expectations for doctoral coursework in the MA program as well as the PhD entrance criteria are clearly described in the student鈥檚 letter of acceptance in the Joint option.

As noted above, the curriculum requirements of the 鈥渟tandard鈥� program and the Joint option for the master鈥檚 degree are the same. The differences are: a) it will take the student longer to complete the MA (up to one academic year) because they are integrating doctoral experiences into their MA coursework; and b) the sequencing of coursework, that is, having doctoral-level studies and research experiences prior to applying to the PhD program.

天堂鸟先生 to the program is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the following core undergraduate classes: Introduction to Communication Disorders, Phonetics, Speech Science, Anatomy/Physiology of Speech and Language, Hearing Science, Basic Audiology, American Sign Language I, Language Development, and Aural Rehabilitation*

*MA students can take Aural Rehabilitation as part of their graduate program, although taking it as an undergraduate course provides you with a greater opportunity to take special topic electives during your graduate studies.

In addition, ASHA requires students to have a course in each of the following content areas: Biological Sciences (human or animal sciences), Physical Science (chemistry or physics), Social/behavioral Sciences, Statistics (stand-alone course)