The School of Audiology and Speech Sciences offers an M.Sc. in two disciplines: (1) Audiology and (2) Speech-Language Pathology. Programs for each of these disciplines are designed to span 24-36 consecutive months. Prerequisite courses listed above are considered to be an integral part of the School's curriculum. Students who have not completed these foundation courses at the time of admission will be required to do so, or to demonstrate equivalent knowledge, prior to receiving the M.Sc. degree. Please refer to the programs of study for both Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.
Each student's program of study is approved by the graduate advisor commensurate with the specific disciplinary program and the student's background. For the two disciplines, the program meets the curriculum requirements set by the Council for Accreditation of Canadian University Programs in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CACUP-ASLP). Graduates from programs accredited by CACUP-ASLP are eligible to apply for registration with relevant Provincial regulators through a streamlined process as Canadian-educated applicants. In order to comply with the accreditation requirements, the curriculum of the programs exceeds the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies minimum of 30 credits. For Audiology, students must successfully complete 59.5 credits of academic coursework, including the completion of Clinical Externships I, II, III, and IV with a grade of 68% or higher, plus either a thesis (AUDI 549; 6 credits) or a comprehensive exam (0 credits). For Speech-Language Pathology, students must successfully complete 65 credits of academic coursework, including the completion of Clinical Externships I, II, III, and IV with a grade of 68% or higher, and may also complete a thesis (AUDI 549; 6 credits), a research project or a research essay (AUDI 548; 3 credits). In addition, successful completion of the Master of Science degree for each discipline requires the fulfillment of the prerequisite requirements.
Students must meet Senate requirements for continuation in the degree program.
Electives
Given the intensive nature of the program, schedule of the coursework rarely gives students the opportunity to take elective courses, either within the School or in other departments at the University. Students who are interested in taking elective courses are encouraged to consult with their faculty advisor to explore elective options.
Clinical Externships
In their practicum experiences, students provide supervised clinical service to persons with communication disorders. Professional ethics mandate that the School assign students to clinical work only if their level of knowledge, clinical skill, and language competencies are assessed to be satisfactory for clinical work with client/patients. For this reason, student performance is evaluated by the faculty members as a whole prior to the initial externship. To qualify for clinical externship placement, a student must:
- have obtained a pass in all preceding courses;
- meet the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies requirements for continuation in the degree program; and
- have received satisfactory evaluations of competency in oral English, both comprehension and production, which is adequate for clinical practice in English. These evaluations are made by faculty members teaching courses with clinical content.
The School is very aware of the need to prepare audiologists and speech-language pathologists who can provide service to a linguistic and culturally diverse population. To this end, we will help non-native speakers of English to find assistance in meeting the third criterion. This may, however, lead to delays in completing the clinical externship requirements and in obtaining the Master of Science degree. Prospective students who wish further advice on this matter should arrange for an interview.
As noted above, to complete the Master of Science degree, all students are required to achieve a minimum of 68% (B-) in Clinical Externships I, II, III, and IV. Students who fail to meet this requirement for any externship are entered into a Remediation or Probation process as per the School’s Policy for Unsatisfactory Performance on Externship.
Finally, students should also note that they may be required to complete two of four externships outside the Greater Vancouver area (e.g., other areas of B.C. or out of province).