Department of
Communicative Sciences and Disorders
Michigan State University
Program Summary
Teacher Certification for Speech-Language Pathology
Teachers of the Speech-Language Impaired
Speech-language pathologists working in the schools contribute to the education of
children across a continuum of service alternatives. This continuum includes: a) regular
classroom, b) itinerant instruction, c) resource room services, d) full-time special classes,
e) special schools, and f) non-school settings (e.g., homes, hospitals, developmental
centers, and other institutions). The contribution that speech-language pathologists make
to the education of students includes identification, evaluation, consultation, and
provision of intervention services for communicative disorders. The caseload of speechlanguage pathologists in the schools may include students with hearing impairment,
autism, emotional disorders, mental retardation, physical handicaps and other health
related problems, learning disabilities, as well as those children whose handicap may be
limited to the communicative disorder they demonstrate. The types of communicative
disorders speech-language pathologists work with include language disorders, hearing
impairments, fluency disorders, articulation disorders, voice disorders, and augmentative
communication.
Professional certification for speech-language pathologists is accomplished through the
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association via its Certificate of Clinical
Competence (CCC). To be so certified, a candidate must possess a master's degree in
speech-language pathology from an ASHA-accredited program. In completing the
master's degree at the college or university, the candidate must demonstrate the successful
completion of a specified academic program of study, as well as a specified clinical
practicum program. These academic and practicum requirements span both the
undergraduate and graduate levels. Following the completion of the academic and
practicum requirements, a candidate must successfully complete a one-year clinical
fellowship under the supervision of a certified speech-language pathologist, and
successfully complete the ETS-PRAXIS National Examination in Speech-Language
Pathology.
In addition to a master's degree in speech-language pathology and professional
certification, speech-language pathologists who wish to work in Michigan schools also
may possess a teaching certificate (this is in addition to any other certificate or license the
professional may possess). Speech-language pathologists who work in the schools do not
teach subject matter in a classroom. Speech-language pathologists however, may work in
the classroom with children who possess a communicative disorder with the aim of
improving students' communicative skills. The teacher education/certification
credentialing is accomplished via college or university teacher education programs that
recognize speech-language pathology as a teacher education major. Students who pursue
teacher certification as a teacher of the speech and language impaired at Michigan State
University major in Communicative Sciences and Disorders, complete an approved
sequence of coursework in teacher education, and complete an approved teaching minor.
They must also pass the state teaching examination in basic skills, minor, and major
areas. Upon completion of an approved master's degree in speech-language pathology,
students must request recommendation for teacher certification as a teacher of the speech
and language impaired through the College of Education and the Department of
Communicative Sciences and Disorders.
Students who attend Michigan State University for both their bachelor’s and
master’s degrees
These students complete an undergraduate major in Communicative Sciences and
Disorders and the undergraduate teacher certification program of study, to include a
teaching minor. Following the receipt of their bachelor’s degree and acceptance into the
Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders’ graduate program, they begin
their master’s degree studies in speech-language pathology at MSU. These students
complete the post-bachelor’s degree component of the directed teaching
practicum/internship along with their master’s degree. This is accomplished through the
Department’s clinical practicum placement procedures. Students are placed in speechlanguage pathology school placements for a minimum of two semesters.
Appropriate state examinations (MTTC) must also be passed prior to placement in a
school-based practicum. Contact the College of Education, 134 Erickson, (517) 3539680, for information regarding the Teacher Certification Program application procedures
and registration materials for the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification.
Students must contact the MSU College of Education during the term in which they plan
to receive their master’s degree to complete the process of teacher certification.
Students who attend MSU for their bachelor’s degree, but go elsewhere for their
master’s degree
Except for the post-bachelor’s degree directed teaching practicum/internship experience,
these students complete all of the teacher certification course work at Michigan State
University as part of their bachelor’s degree studies. They must complete the postbachelor’s degree practicum/internship experience along with their master’s degree at the
other university. As at Michigan State University, this is accomplished through the
students’ departmental speech-language pathology practicum placement. They must be
placed in a speech-language pathology school placement for a minimum of 2 terms.
Given that other schools may only offer full-time, single-term practicum/internship
placements, the alternative of 1 term of full-time placement in a school setting is
generally acceptable. It is necessary that the practicum/internship experience be
evaluated as equivalent to that completed by students attending MSU for their degree.
Therefore, students are advised to inquire about the acceptability of their school-based
practicum experience with ample time prior to beginning it by contacting the Department
of Communicative Sciences and Disorders. Students must earn a minimum of 6 semester
credits for the combined practicum/intern experience(s) in order to meet State
Department of Education standards. Following the completion of their school placement,
the student should have a letter from their departmental chairperson or clinical practicum
placement coordinator sent to the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders’
chairperson verifying that they have completed the requisite school-based
practicum/internship placement. Students who attend another university for their master’s
degree must complete the post-bachelor’s degree directed teaching practicum/internship
in this manner. They cannot complete it through Michigan State University. Only fully
accepted graduate students in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders
are allowed to complete practicum placements through the Department.
Appropriate state examinations (MTTC) must also be passed prior to placement in a
school-based practicum. Contact the College of Education, 134 Erickson, (517) 3539680, for information regarding the Teacher Certification Program application procedures
and registration materials for the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification.
Students must contact the MSU College of Education the term in which they plan to
receive their master’s degree to complete the process of teacher certification.
Students who attend other schools for both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees,
but who seek teacher certification via MSU
These students must have completed an accredited course of study in speech-language
pathology at the bachelor’s and master’s degree levels. Evidence of this course work and
degree(s) must be submitted to the Department of Communicative Sciences and
Disorders via MSU’s College of Education post-bachelor teacher certification program
application.
Students’ prior clinical practicum/internship experiences will be evaluated for
equivalency to meet the requirement of a post-bachelor’s school-based
practicum/internship experience. The students must demonstrate the completion of either
two part-time terms, or one full-time term of an equivalent school-based speech-language
practicum/internship placement as part of their prior speech-language pathology
education. These students cannot complete the requisite directed teaching
practicum/internship experience via Michigan State University. Only fully accepted
master’s degree students in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders are
allowed to complete practicum placements through the Department. However, and as for
all others, these students may request a waiver of the post-bachelor’s directed teaching
practicum/internship experience following the completion of 3 years of successful fulltime employment in the schools as a speech-language pathologist. If this evaluation is
positive, the student must then verify completion of the professional teacher education
and teaching minor course work requirements of the College of Education.
Appropriate state examinations (MTTC) must also be passed prior to placement in a
school-based practicum. Contact the College of Education, 134 Erickson, (517) 3539680, for information regarding the Teacher Certification Program application procedures
and registration materials for the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification.
PROGRAM SUMMARY
TEACHER CERTIFICATION
THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUINICATIVE SCIENCES AND DISORDERS
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
University Requirements
Arts and Humanities (8)
Writing (4)
General Science -- ISB, ISP & Lab (8)
Tier II Writing Course (CSD 344, or 364)
Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (8)
Math (3-5)
Communicative Sciences and Disorders Major Requirements (39-45 SCH)
CSD 203 Introduction to Communicative
CSD 344 Evaluation Procedures in
Disorders (3)
Audiology (4)
CSD 213 Anat-Phys Speech and Hearing (3)
CSD 364 Evaluation Procedures in Sph.
and Lang. (4)
CSD 232 Descriptive Phonetics (2)
CSD 391 Guidelines for Clinical Practice
(1)
CSD 303 Hearing Science (3)
CSD 444 Aural Rehabilitation (4)
CSD 313 Speech Science (3)
CSD 333 Oral Language Development (3)
CSD 463 Intervention Procedures in SLP
(3)
CSD Elective Credits (6)
Outside-the-Major Requirements
CSE 101 Computing Concepts (3)
PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology (4)
or
CSE 131 Technical Computing (3)
PSY 244 Developmental Psychology (3)
or
LIN 200 Introduction to Language (3)
FCE 211 Child Development (3)
or
LIN 401 Introduction to Linguistics (4)
PSY 295 Data Analysis in Psychological
Research (3)
or
STT 200 Statistical Methods (3)
Teacher Certification Requirements
TE 150 Reflections on Learning (3)
CSD 433 Lang. Dialect Diff. in App.
Contexts (3) (Credit towards major)
CEP 240 Diverse Learners (3)
CSD 483 School-Based Com. Disorders
Programs. (3) (Credit towards major)
TE 302 Learners & Learning in Context (4)
TE 842 Methods of Elementary School
Reading (3)
Teaching Minor Requirement: Students seeking teacher certification as a teacher of the speech
and language impaired are required to complete an approved teaching minor.
Post-Bachelor's-Degree Internship: Completion of a yearlong internship placement in a school
setting. Students attending MSU for their master's degree enroll in TE 501 and CSD 883 for the
placement. Students attending a graduate program other than MSU's must have the equivalent of
a yearlong school-based internship placement approved by the Department of Communicative
Sciences and Disorders. Such students must contact the Department prior to the beginning of
their school setting practicum experiences.
Completion of an Approved Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology: To complete
the process of teacher certification students must complete an approved master's degree in
speech-language pathology per State of Michigan regulations.
(Revised 5/29/07)
MEMORANDUM
May 29, 2007
TO:
Whom It May Concern
FROM:
Michael W. Casby, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Professor & Chairperson
Department of Communicative Sciences & Disorders
Michigan State University
RE:
Completion of Michigan Teacher Certification
Since you completed all of the required teacher certification course work as part of your undergraduate
degree at MSU, but are doing your speech-language pathology master’s degree through a school other
than MSU, you will need to have your master’s degree program, especially your school-based practicum
experience, deemed as equivalent to that of the MSU-CSD program. This is defined as either two
semesters of a minimum half-time placement, or one semester of a full-time school placement with a
practicing school speech-language pathologist (ASHA-Certified). This is accomplished through your
speech-language pathology program’s practicum placement system as part of your graduate-level
practicum experiences.
For completion of your teaching certificate, near or upon completion of your master’s degree, you will
need to fill out the application for the Michigan provisional teaching certificate that you can find on the
MSU Department of Teacher Education’s website at: http://ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/te/. The completed
application should be sent to 134 Erickson, MSU, East Lansing, MI 48824, Attention: Carey Linsemier,
linsemi2@msu.edu. Also, please send along a letter from your speech-language pathology program
chairperson or practicum supervisor verifying your successful completion of a full semester, or two halftime semesters of a school-based practicum experience. This information will be forwarded to the
Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders for review and determination of whether you have
fulfilled a comparable program to MSU's, and thus qualify to be recommended by the MSU College of
Education for a Michigan teaching certificate for speech-language pathology.
Also, recall that the state of Michigan requires that its teachers pass the Michigan Tests for Teacher
Certification – MTTC. Prior to receiving a teaching certificate you must take and pass the basic skills,
speech-language pathology (major area), and minor area tests. You may get further information about
the MTTC by contacting the MSU College of Education’s teacher education office.
We wish you well in reaching your goal of becoming a certified teacher of the speech and language
impaired vis-à-vis the state of Michigan’s requirements. If you have further questions regarding the
process or steps involved in applying for the Michigan teaching certificate, please contact me
(casby@msu.edu), or Carey Linsemier, the MSU teacher education secretary for certification at:
linsemi2@msu.edu, 517-353-5146.