Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Speech Pathology/Audiology
Admission
After completing all Pre-SPA requirements, a student may then apply for admission to the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree program in Speech Pathology and Audiology. It is the sole responsibility of the student to obtain an application form from the SPA secretary in 805 Allen Hall, to complete it, and to return it to the SPA secretary between January 15 and February 15. Be advised that no applications will be accepted after February 15. After applications have been reviewed and verified, students will receive a letter notifying them of the Department’s tentative admission decision. Students will be ranked according to their overall GPA for all undergraduate courses taken. The 45 Pre-SPA student applicants with the highest GPAs will be admitted to the B.S. degree program at the beginning of their junior year. Students who are not admitted are expected to declare another major and officially transfer to that department.
Following admission to the degree program, each student must continue to meet GPA standards set by the Department in order to continue as an SPA major and graduate with a degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology. Students who are admitted to the program are expected to familiarize themselves with the latest version of the
SPA Undergraduate Handbook.
Graduation Requirements
A total of 128 academic credit hours, including all SPA requirements, is required for the B.S. degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology. The specific graduation requirements are as follows:
1. Successful completion of the University General Education Curriculum (GEC) requirements, including all required Pre-SPA courses;
2. Successful completion of 17 hours of supporting area courses relating to natural sciences, normal/abnormal growth and development, and related issues;
3. Successful completion of a minimum of 56 hours of academic courses in SPA;
4. Successful completion of minimum requirements in clinical practicum; and
5. Maintenance of an overall GPA of at least 3.00 (A = 4.0) and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 for SPA courses taken.
Students must file an Application for Graduation and Diploma within the first two weeks of the semester in which they intend to graduate.
Senior Capstone
All students in the B.S. in Speech Pathology and Audiology program must complete a capstone experience before graduation. SPA majors select and research a topic of personal interest within the discipline and, in addition to developing a paper, present evidence of their scholarship in both oral and poster form. Capstone papers by recent SPA seniors may be found in the
2009,
2010,
and
2011
editions of the Speech Pathology & Audiology Capstone Anthology.
Course Offerings for Undergraduate SPA Majors
Admission and graduation requirements are subject to change. Interested students should contact the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology for information on current requirements.
Undergraduate Certificate in Disability Studies
Students in the B.S program in Speech Pathology and Audiology may apply up to nine (9) credit hours of SPA courses toward the undergraduate Certificate in Disability Studies. This interdisciplinary certificate program is administered through the WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities (CED) in collaboration with the College of Human Resources and Education and with representatives from the Department of Psychology; Division of Physical Therapy; Division of Occupational Therapy; Department of Biology; Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology; Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling and Counseling Psychology; Division of Social Work; College of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences; Department of Special Education; and the West Virginia Developmental Disabilities Council.
For more information about the undergraduate certificate program in Disability Studies, students are encouraged to contact their academic advisor and to visit the WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities website.
Undergraduate Certificate in Gerontology
Some courses taken in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology may be counted toward the Undergraduate Certificate in Gerontology offered through the WVU Division of Social Work in the School of Applied Social Sciences of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
Interested students are encouraged to check the Division of Social Work website or to contact Dr. Kristina Hash, Director of the Beatrice Ruth Burgess Center for West Virginia Families and Communities, for the latest information about certificate program requirements.
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