Picture of student sitting on a bench on campus.

Degree Requirements

The MA program is a full-time, residential program spread over a two and one-half year period (7 semesters) for students with a background in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (SLP) or in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD). For students without a background in SLP or CSD, the MA program is a full-time, residential program that is spread over three years (9 semesters).   All students complete a series of clinical practica at the Montclair State University Center for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, externships at a variety of sties in the New Jersey-New York area including hospitals, public schools and rehabilitation facilities.

The requirements include a minimum of 62 semester credit hours, successful completion of

  • a minimum of 46 semester hours in the academic core, 11 semester credit hours in the clinical practicum sequence, 4 semester credit hours of non-core courses;
  • a minimum of 400 clinical practicum hours including 25 hours of observation and at least 350 clinical hours at the graduate level;
  • a culminating project;
  • a speech and voice screening provided by the clinical staff in the Speech-Language Pathology program;*
  • a Basic Life Support (BLS) course;
  • required HIPAA and Universal Precautions training.

*Graduate students must demonstrate communication skills that will not interfere with clinical practice.  A student who is judged to have questionable skills will be referred to a faculty panel for further evaluation.  If necessary, a student will be referred for assistance.  Students requiring assistance must be re-evaluated before they can enroll in clinical practica.  Enrollment in clinical practica will be postponed until communication skills are judged to be sufficient.