Professional Enhancement Program (PEP)

The goal of the Professional Enhancement Program in speech-language pathology is to assist school districts in meeting the critical need for qualified personnel in speech-language pathology. The Department of Speech and Hearing Science at Arizona State University is offering this program with funding support from the Arizona Department of Education. The Professional Enhancement Program is a part-time master's degree program for speech-language professionals working in the public schools. The program is open to individuals with a bachelor's degree or equivalent in speech and hearing science and who are employed by an Arizona public school district or are willing to make a commitment to work for an Arizona public school district. The Professional Enhancement Program is designed to be completed part time over a three-year period.

Curriculum

The curriculum is designed to:

• Provide course work and practicum that meets the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certification requirements and Arizona licensure requirements for an unrestricted license.
• Offer classes in the late afternoons and evenings to accommodate the working professional.
• Provide the same high standards for course work and practicum as traditional ASU master's students.

Applying

To apply to the Professional Enhancement Program, you must:

1. Apply to the master's program.
2. Complete the Professional Enhancement Program application form .
3. Complete the district letter of support .

Professional Enhancement Program Clinical Training

Professional Enhancement Program clinical practicum hours are acquired in the public school work setting, ASU's speech and language clinics and hospital settings in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They are supervised by an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist, coordinated by an ASU faculty member, and will include hours working with children and adults as required by ASHA. The majority of the clinical training is obtained in the work setting, therefore, students need to be employed as speech-language technicians, speech-language assistants or in a capacity that allows them to obtain clinical clock hours.

The School District

The school district's participation includes:

• Identification of certificate of clinical confidence/speech-language pathologist within the district to supervise practicum experiences in the work setting.
• Accommodate scheduling to allow late afternoon classes (and Friday afternoon classes for two semesters).
• Identification of speech-language professionals who might participate in the program.
• Exploring opportunities for grants, scholarships and work exchange agreements to assist with tuition, fees and books.

FAQ

• Masters FAQ is available.
• PEP FAQ (in pdf format)