BS in Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences/MS in Speech-Language Pathology

The combined BS/MS-SLP program is designed for highly motivated and academically talented students who are ready to commit to a career in speech-language pathology and to complete an undergraduate degree in speech, language, and hearing sciences with a master’s degree in speech-language pathology in less time than the customary six years of study.

The program includes at least 164 credits overall, including 128 credits that count solely for the baccalaureate (BS) degree and at least 36 credits that are earned while enrolled as a master’s (MS-SLP) degree student. In the first semester of their junior year, students who have achieved an overall GPA of 3.6 (or better) at the end of their sophomore year with a GPA of 3.75 (or better) in five SLHS courses (SH 110, 220, 221, 230, and 240) and have completed all of their natural science (biology and physical science) requirements, the required psychology course, and registered for both SH 325 and the cognitive/neurosciences requirement in fall of junior year, with a minimum of 54 credits earned at Boston University, will be invited to apply to the BS/MS program. At least one biology course must be taken at BU; if the student receives AP, IB, or other external credits for BI 105, 107 and/or 108, then BI 210 or BI 211 must be completed. Finally, students must fulfill all Hub requirements by the end of junior year.

A sample course plan is included below.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

  • Show measurable progress in the basic foundation knowledge that underlies research and clinical work in speech, language, and hearing sciences.
  • Apply hearing science, disability awareness, and audiological testing to an analysis of the effects of hearing loss on a specific individual that includes remediation recommendations.
  • Analyze clinic patients, research lab experiences, or other in-depth data to develop skills that can apply directly to their graduate school and/or post-BS employment opportunities.
  • Interpret data from a speaker with a phonological disorder and support their conclusions by justifying the scope of their analyses, using primary journal articles and providing a coherent summary of their thought process.
  • Apply their coursework in an integrative way to situations in a clinical, research, and/or other professional setting to complete a project or other duties assigned by the internship supervisor.

Requirements

All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students majoring in Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences will ordinarily, through coursework in the major, satisfy BU Hub requirements in Quantitative Reasoning, Communication, Scientific and Social Inquiry, Diversity, Civic Engagement and Global Citizenship, and some elements of the Intellectual Toolkit. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences. Please note that students planning for the combined BS/MS degree must have all of their Hub credits completed by the end of junior year.

Freshman Year

First Semester

  • CAS BI 105 Introductory Biology for Health Sciences
  • CAS WR 120 First-Year Writing Seminar
  • CAS PS 101 General Psychology
  • SAR SH 110 Introduction to Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences (previously offered as SAR SH 531)
  • SAR HP 150 First-Year Sargent Seminar

Second Semester

  • CAS BI 210 Human Anatomy
  • CAS WR 151, 152, or 153 Writing, Research & Inquiry
  • SAR HP 151 Introduction to Health Professions (2 cr)
  • Philosophy/Logic/Ethics requirement
  • BU Hub requirements or general elective

Sophomore Year

First Semester

  • SAR SH 220 Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech Mechanism (previously offered as SAR SH 522)
  • Math (CAS MA 118, 120, 121, 123, course in CAS CS, course in CDS DS, or ENG EK 127)
  • SAR HP 252 Health and Disability Across the Lifespan
  • CAS LX 250 Linguistics

Second Semester

  • SAR SH 221 Phonetics
  • SAR SH 230 Language Acquisition (previously offered as SAR SH 524)
  • SAR SH 240 Introduction to Audiology (previously offered as SAR SH 535)
  • Physical Science (CAS PY Physics or CAS CH Chemistry) 

Junior Year

First Semester

  • SAR SH 325 Speech Science (previously offered as SAR SH 523)
  • SAR HP 353 Organization and Delivery of Health Care in the US or SAR elective
  • Cognition/Neuroscience (CAS NE 101; PS 205, 231, 332, 333, 336, or 345; or SH 335 Neurobiology of Language (previously offered as SAR SH 501))
  • BU Hub requirement or general elective

Second Semester

  • SAR SH 350 Clinical Methods (previously offered as SAR SH 547)
  • CAS MA 113, 115, 213 Statistics or CAS PS 211 Introduction to Experimental Design
  • BU Hub requirements or general elective
  • BU Hub requirements or general elective

Senior Year

First Semester

  • SAR SH 340 Aural Habilitation and Rehabilitation (previously offered as SAR SH 542)
  • SAR SH 605 Speech Sound Disorders (3 cr)
  • SAR SH 700 Research Methods (1 cr)
  • SAR SH 709 Language Sampling Analysis (2 cr)
  • SAR SH 733 Voice and Resonance Disorders (3 cr)
  • SAR SH 737 Evaluation and Diagnosis in Speech Pathology (2 cr)
  • SAR SH 748 Hearing Practicum I (1 cr)
  • SAR SH 756 Cognition and Neural Bases (3 cr)

Second Semester

  • SAR SH 729 School-Age Language Disorders (3 cr)
  • SAR SH 735 Preschool Language Disorders (3 cr)
  • SAR SH 736 Aphasia (3 cr)
  • SAR SH 738 Dysphagia (3 cr)
  • SAR SH 740 Clinical Practicum (2 cr)

Continuation into the MS-SLP program

During their senior year, students complete coursework that counts toward both the BS and MS-SLP degrees. Students who remain in good academic standing after their senior year will continue to take courses to fulfill the remaining requirements of the MS-SLP degree. The degree requirements of the MS-SLP program are specified on the SLHS MS-SLP website.