SLP Curriculum & Clinical Education

This program is funded by a U.S. Department of Education training grant entitled “Advanced Training for Speech-Language Pathologists to Address the Needs of Infants and Children with Autism.” Participation in the DHSS Autism Specialty track requires additional coursework and opportunities. 

View program flyer and additional coursework and clinic requirements. Email Dr. Jim Bodfish with questions.  

This program is funded by a U.S. Department of Education Training grant entitled “Interdisciplinary Personnel Preparation to Serve Infants and Young Children with Hearing Loss”. Students enrolled in this Specialty Track will have additional coursework and practicum experience that will prepare them to work with infants and children who are deaf or hard of hearing. This interdisciplinary approach to training – by combining core courses with speech-language pathology, audiology, and deaf education students, while continuing separate courses that are specific to their disciplines – is unique to our Vanderbilt program. 

View the program flyer for students with a background in CSD and students without a background in CSD. Email Dr. Dana Kan with questions.

The Vanderbilt Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences offers specialty track training in school speech-language pathology for those students who plan to pursue a career in schools working with students ages 3 through 21. The pediatric coursework in the required SLP curriculum provides a foundation for students to build additional skills for school speech-language pathology specialization. In particular, the language disorders course sequence and the speech sound disorders course are taught from the perspective of school-based practice, providing students a strong foundation in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Additionally, students on the School SLP Track participate in a one-credit seminar each semester (total of 5 semesters) and complete two school practicum experiences in the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools and a practicum in the Vanderbilt Reading Clinic. Additional professional development experiences that supplement academic training include Martha Lynch Lecture Series, It’s All About Language Workshops, and the annual School Speech-Language Pathology Conference at Vanderbilt as well as the MNPS SLP one-day conferences. 

View the program flyer for students with a background in CSD and students without a background in CSD. [upload these to new site] Email Dr. Melanie Schuele with questions. 

M.S.-SLP students who are interested in research and elect to do a thesis as part of their degree program will make their intention known by completing the form (which can be found in our Graduate Studies student handbook) and submitting it to their advisor and the DHSS Vice Chair of Graduate Studies between the end of their first, and before the end of their second semesters of graduate studies. The Master’s thesis is optional and will be pursued by M.S.-SLP students pending mutual agreement of the student's thesis advisor and the Vice Chair of Graduate Studies. During their thesis experience, students should register each semester for SLP 7999 Master’s Thesis Research, using the section number of the thesis advisor in order to reflect the work on their transcript.

Thesis Submission

Candidates shall submit the written thesis to his/her thesis committee and have an oral defense of the document and project no later than the day preceding the student’s graduation date.

The Medical SLP track offers specialty medical speech-language pathology training to students interested in pursuing a career in medical settings such as acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, tertiary voice clinics, outpatient swallowing clinics, etc. In addition to participation in a Medical SLP seminar series, opportunities associated with this track include an extended medically-based clinical placement over the summer, as well as an elective on instrumental evaluation of voice and swallowing. Students on this track will also have the opportunity to participate in other continuing education content outside of class, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center's annual stroboscopy and FEES courses.

View program flyer