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“We have a long tradition at UW-Eau Claire of educating high-quality speech-language pathologists to serve local schools and clinics,” says Dr. Carmen Manning, dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences. “Our faculty take pride in utilizing proven principles and practices to produce strong clinicians year after year.”

Students can complete a master’s degree in speech-language pathology through either two years of face-to-face instruction or three years of study online with a short summer residency. Instructors value hands-on learning and clinical experience that pair well with rigorous coursework.

“One of the reasons our students are so strong clinically is directly tied to the instruction they receive. Faculty are implementing innovative pedagogy and providing practice with clinical skills across all academic courses, in addition to the clinical practica students complete,” says Dr. Abby Hemmerich, professor and chair of UW-Eau Claire’s speech, language, and hearing sciences department. “Faculty use flipped classrooms, collaborative learning, case studies and competency-based assessments to ensure students are ready for the workplace.”

Students also have the option to conduct research and present at national conferences. Hemmerich adds that students participate in clinical outpatient speech-language pathology services in the community, providing hundreds of hours of therapy for up to 120 people each semester. Graduate students perform hearing screenings at kindergartens around the region, benefiting thousands of children each year.

“We’re providing community services and community resources that are really needed in our region,” she says. “That’s a big highlight of our program.”

With so much experience, nearly all graduates find jobs shortly after completing the program, Hemmerich says.

The national survey rankings reflect peer assessments of academic quality, but other considerations involving location, environment, strength of different fields, cost of tuition and financial aid and job placement also are very important.

Learn more about the speech-language pathology graduate program.

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