Information for Current Students
Below you can find information to help you through the program and guides for students at different points in the program. Also check the "Resources at a Glance" list on the right for additional help or quick links to tools.
Undergraduate Advancement Criteria
Advising Manuals
Guides for Students Approaching Different Program Milestones
FAQs
Procedures for Complaint
New Undergraduate Advancement Criteria (Effective Spring 2012)
We have established minimum grade criteria that are more comprehensive than our earlier policy, affecting advancement to next semester's courses for students currently enrolled in CD 660, 668, and 651. Below is the new policy that requires a C- in ALL of these courses in order to enroll in ANY CD courses in Spring semester, 2012. For those of you who might be affected by this new policy, please consult with your instructor at your earliest opportunity to ensure that you are getting all the support you need to do well in your courses. You may also consult with any of the CD full-time faculty including Drs. Epstein, Yu, Solomon-Rice and Robinson.
In order to advance in the academic sequence, the student must maintain the following:
- An overall C average (2.0 GPA) for the program
- Letter grade of C– or better in CD 660, 668, and 651 in the first semester of the CD program
Students who do not meet these criteria cannot take ANY other CD courses. They must re-take the courses in which they received grades below C– the next time they are offered before taking additional CD courses.”
Advising Manuals
In addition to your advisors and fellow students, the electronic CD Advising Manuals are an excellent and indispensable source of information. They contain explanations of all the program requirements, course descriptions, suggested course sequences, links to paperwork, and more. Even if you don't feel compelled to read it from cover to cover (which we highly recommend you do at least once, preferably in your first semester), you will find it a useful reference. When a question arises, go to your manual as a first step.
» Browse the Undergraduate Advising Manual
» Browse the Graduate Advising Manual
Guides for Students Approaching Different Program Milestones
There are different things for you to think about and plan for at different points of the program, especially for the graduate students. Graduate students can download the CD Graduate Student Roadmap, a one-page summary checklist that will get you oriented to all of the major milestones. The following guides have also been developed to help both graduate and undergraduate students prepare for specific milestones.
» Guide for New Undergraduate Students
» Guide for New Graduate Students
» On-Campus Clinical Practica (CD 880)
» Off-Campus Medical Internships (CD 882/884)
» Off-Campus School Internships (CD 715)
» Preparing for Graduation: Graduate Students
» SFSU NSSLHA's Guide for Applying to Graduate School
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I keep track of program deadlines and events?
There are many important dates to keep track of every semester. A CD Program Calendar has been developed to track all events and deadlines related to the CD program. It will be updated regularly. This is a Google Calendar that can sync with Outlook, Apple iCal, and Mozilla Sunbird. You'll never miss a CD event!
What in the world are clinical clock hours and how do I acquire them?
Clinical clock hours refer to the hours of supervised clinical experience acquired by graduate students in speech-language pathology. The three professional qualifications that the SFSU CD Program prepares their master's level students to obtain – ASHA Certification, California Licensure, and SLP Services Credential – each has its own (very similar) set of clock hour requirements. It's important for you to understand and keep accurate records of your clinical clock hours. This will help you monitor your progress toward degree completion, certification, and licensure. Read this guide for detailed information about clock hours.
What are the CD ePortfolios and how can I learn to make one?
This year, the CD program is joining the ranks of other "early adopters" of electronic portfolios at SFSU. This year, our first cohort of graduate students will be building and publishing ePortfolios to present their academic and professional growth and achievements. For more information about CD ePortfolios, or for more information on how to build one, visit the CD ePortfolio at http://cddemo.efolioworld.com/cdeport.
Undergraduate students are not required to submit a graduation portfolio, but have the option to do so.
I want to observe clinics on campus. When do they meet and whom do I contact?
There are many opportunities for clinical observation on campus. Check the clinical schedule to find out which clinics are being offered in the current semester. The clinical instructor for each clinic is listed in the schedule. Contact the clinical instructor to find out more about a particular clinic and to request observation. Keep track of your observation hours and get supervisor signatures using the Observation Clock Hours Form (SC-10.5).
Where can I find speech-language related job listings?
Many employers target CD students because your background in communication, education, developmental, and medical needs are difficult to come by. Some of these announcements are for part time work and do not require an M.S. degree, while others are specific to new graduates looking for Clinical Fellowships. Job announcements received by the CD Program are disseminated in two ways: 1) as printed postings in the CD Student Workroom (to the left of the white board), and 2) sent as announcements from the NSSLHA iLearn forum. To receive these announcements, contact NSSLHA and ask to be added to their iLearn site.
Procedures for Complaint Against Graduate Education Program
A complaint may be made to the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) about any accredited program or program in candidacy status may be submitted by any student, instructional staff member, speech-language pathologist, audiologist, and/or member of the public.
Criteria for Complaints Against Graduate Education Programs. For a complaint to be considered by the CAA, it must:
(a) be against an accredited education program or program in Candidacy status in speech-language pathology and/or audiology,
(b) relate to the Standards for Accreditation of Graduate Education Programs in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, and specify where possible the relevant standards, and
(c) include verification and documentation (e.g., copies of grievance processes, communications verifying completion of processes, etc.) if the complaint is from a student or faculty/instructional staff member at that institution, that the complainant exhausted all relevant institutional grievance and review mechanisms before submitting a complaint to the CAA, if relevant to the complaint.
The complaint must clearly describe the specific nature of the complaint and the relationship of the complaint to the accreditation standards, and provide supporting data for the charge. The burden of proof rests with the complainant. All written testimony must include the complainant's name, address, and telephone contact information and the complainant's relationship to the program in order for the Accreditation Office to verify and communicate with the source of the complaint.
Complaints against a program may be submitted even if separate action is pending against the program by another body, except as outlined above.
For more information, see the ASHA website re: complaints. All complaints must be signed and submitted in writing to the Chair, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, American Speech Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850. Complaints will not be accepted by e-mail or facsimile.
