Graduate Program Information

This section of the site is intended to provide information about our graduate program. Though ENMU DOES use distance education technologies, ENMU does NOT offer the graduate degree totally online. On-campus participation in practicum will be required for two full semesters. Students must complete these semesters on campus before being released to complete any off campus practicum experiences. On campus evaluations are additionally required. Technology requirements for the CDIS program for students using distance technology are at the bottom of this page.

Program Effectiveness
Application Process
Program Sepcifications
Required Prerequisites
Technology Requirements
Annual Orientation
Practicum Overview
Addtional Information
Complaint Process
Announcements

General Information About the Master of Science in Communicative Disorders

The Master of Science degree in communicative disorders provides advanced training in assessing and treating speech, language and hearing disorders.

ENMU's communicative disorders program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). It enables students to meet academic and clinical practicum requirements for ASHA's Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology.

A master's degree is a minimum requirement to serve as a speech-language pathologist in most public schools, medical, or other private settings.

Speech-language pathologists work with clients from infants to the elderly. They treat clients who have language, articulation, fluency, voice, and hearing disorders, working in settings such as public schools, preschools, private clinics, hospitals and rehabilitation centers.

How does the ENMU CDIS program measure up?

• 97% of ENMU's students graduating with the Master of Science degree in CDIS from ENMU have passed the National Examination in Speech Pathology and Audiology (NESPA) within their first 2 attempts.
• As a passing NESPA score may be substituted for comprehensive examinations at ENMU, most of our students take the NESPA prior to graduating (typically while beginning their last semester of coursework).
  

Praxis Examination Pass Rates

How long does it take to complete our program?

Our full-time students typically complete our program in 6-7 semesters spread out across 2 years (2 falls, 2 springs, 2-3 summers). Our part-time students extend their program to 3 years most often, but sometimes to 4 and 5 years. This is determined by the student and depends on their personal circumstances. The length of the program varies depending on the number of hours taken each semester. Our program is currently 55 credit hours. The ENMU CDIS Program has a year round schedule and summers are required. Matriculation is easiest when students begin the program in the summer semester.

When students do not complete our program within their expected time frame, this is most often a student who had hoped to graduate in 2 years, but graduated in 2 1/2 or 3 years instead. This occurs frequently when students must complete additonal leveling courses as part of their matriculation, when students take a summer off for vacation, or when students decide to get married or have a baby during their graduate program experience. This is MOST often due to students who opt to work outside of the Department during graduate school or students who come to us with personal family obligations which preclude full-time attendance in our program. In most cases, when a student does not gradaute within 2 years, this is due to personal reasons beyond the control of the program and we allow students to change degree plans without penalty. Our completion rates below reflect this policy.

Program Completion Rates

How easily do students get jobs after they graduate from our program?

Students graduating with a Master's degree in speech-language pathology from Eastern New Mexico University have no difficulty finding employment. Our one student who was not employed in 2009-10 declined work for personal reasons.

Employment Rates of Graduates 

Students graduating with a Master's degree from ENMU'S CDIS Program will be prepared to work in both educational and medical settings.

Applying to the ENMU CDIS Graduate Program

When does the program start?

The ENMU CDIS Program accepts new applicants for the summer and fall semesters only. We do not admit students for the spring semester.

How do you apply to be a graduate student in the ENMU CDIS Program?

We are pleased that you are considering our program and welcome your application. Instructions and deadlines for the application process are listed below. As students must begin our program in the summer or fall, applicants are not accepted for spring enrollment.

Can I apply online?

You may submit the graduate school application online. A printable version is also available and you may request an application by mail. All versions are acceptable, as long as the application gets to the Graduate School by the March 1 deadline. Application materials which must be submitted directly to the Program may not be submitted online. These materials and procedures are detailed below.

Is there an application fee?

The application process at ENMU is currently free.

What is the application process? Where do I send my application?

The CDIS Graduate Program application process has been changed for 2012 admissions. We now require:

• A Graduate school application
• A CDIS Program application (must be submitted on this form; pages attached to the Program Application will not accepted)
• Official transcripts
• GRE scores (taken within 5 years; ETS code 4299)
• Completion of 2 essay questions (see below)

Please do not bind your forms.

Send your Graduate school application and official transcripts to:

ENMU Graduate School
1500 South Avenue K
Administration Building
Station #24
Portales, NM 88130

Send your GRE scores, your CDIS Program Application, and essay questions to:

ENMU CDIS Program
1500 South Avenue K
Lea Hall
Station #3
Portales, NM 88130

Where are the required essay questions?

Students applying to the ENMU CDIS Program must answer the following two (2) questions:

1. What is your view of human disability? Discuss implications for communication.
2. Tell us about a time in your life when you had to personally sacrifice to achieve a goal.

Students must adhere to the following format in their submissions:

• Each question must be listed in bold with the answer immediately following it
• Answers for both (2) questions combined must not exceed 5 pages (not including references)
• All submissions must have 1 inch margins with 12 font and double spaced lines (APA style)
• When appropriate, use references. References attached must adhere to APA guidelines.

When are graduate applications due?

Graduate applications are due by March 1 for the 2012 admissions cohort. If all prerequisites have been met, students who are accepted will be eligible to begin coursework in the summer or fall of the admission year.

Program Specifications

What are the criteria for acceptance?

The CDIS Program requires an undergraduate degree in Communicative Disorders with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 for "regular" admission into the program. Students having an undergraduate degree in CDIS but with a cumulative GPA less than 3.0 may be considered for "conditional" admission; if accepted they will be required to earn a minimum GPA of 3.0 with no grade less than a "B' during their first 9 hours of matriculation.

Students not having an undergraduate degree in Communicative Disorders may also be considered for admission into the program, but will have to show completion of specified leveling courses prior to regular admission.

How many students are admitted into the program each year?

This varies according to the number of students currently in the program and the resources of the university, but we generally admit between 20-30 new graduate students each year. Our two-year admission average is typically 23-24 students.

How many students are usually in the program at one time?

This also varies from year to year. We have 50 students in our program for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Do you accept part-time students?

Students may matriculate through the program at their own pace; however, all requirements must be completed within 6 years from the first semester of enrollment.

Can I work while I go to graduate school?

Graduate school is an intensive experience. For every hour spent in class, an additional 3 hours outside of class is required in study. We recognize that many students need to be employed in this present economy and are willing to work with students in these circumstances; however, students will not be able to work full-time and attend the ENMU CDIS Graduate Program. Part-time enrollment may be compatible with part-time employment for some students.

Do you have graduate assistantships available?

We do have a limited number of graduate assistantships available for on campus students. Information about graduate assitantships is available by clicking on this sentence. Interested students can apply via http://graduate.enmu.edu/ga-app.pdf.

Do you have distance education options for out-of-town students?

We use Mediasite technology, the Blackboard Learning Management System, Copley Retention System technology, and Skype for academic instruction. We require a two semester on campus presence for practicum experiences. We are a blended program. Our technology requirements are detailed later on this page.

Who gets admitted into ENMU's CDIS Program?

The following table shows a profile of our student population. This data is based on student admissions.

When do I find out if I've been admitted?

All applications are reviewed after March 1. The CDIS Program only considers complete application. No decision will be made on incomplete applications. We do our very best to send selection letters to students by April 1.

Applications will be considered for one year only. If you would like to be considered for a subsequent academic year, please contact the graduate coordinator, Dr. Suzanne Swift, to make arrangements for holding your file.

How long do I have to respond to an acceptance letter?

Students must notify the program of acceptance or declination by April 15.

If we do not receive notification of your decision by April 15, we will award your position in the program to another applicant.

Do I have to be a member of NSSLHA or NMSHA to be accepted?

We do not require students to be members of NSSLHA (the National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association) or of NMSHA (the New Mexico Speech and Hearing Association) to be accepted into the program. Students should note that these memberships offer several substantial benefits. Liability insurance (required for practicum) requires a NSSLHA membership number, as does access to online journals and peer reviewed articles from the ASHA website. Information about these organizations is available on our website in the Organizations tab in the right hand sidebar.

What are the required program prerequisites?

The following courses are required for admission into the ENMU CDIS Graduate Program.

CDIS 250 Speech and Language Development
CDIS 252 Phonetics
CDIS 300/302 Speech-Language-Hearing Anatomy and Physiology
CDIS 311 Articulation Disorders
CDIS 332 Language Disorders in Children
CDIS 342 Basic Audiology
CDIS 400 Speech Science
CDIS 421 Neuroscience of Communication
CDIS 434 Aural Rehabilitation
CDIS 441 Speech-Language Preclinical
CDIS 454 Speech and Language Assessment
STAT 213 Statistical Methods I

Current SLP certification requirements also include one physical science, one life science, and one social science. Students should be advised that these courses will be required by ASHA prior to award of the CCC-SLP. These courses are available both online (rotations here) and on campus (rotations here).

What is the admission date? When does the program start?

The ENMU CDIS Program accepts students for summer or fall admission only. Students should strongly consider beginning their matriculation in the summer immediately following admission as this will ease their courseload during the subsequent summer.

Students who apply with undergraduate deficiencies should plan on completing these prior to beginning the program. Our program offers leveling prerequisites online, many in the summer, so please check rotations at http://liberal-arts.enmu.edu/health/cdis/online.shtml if you are interested in taking these courses from ENMU.

What are the technology requirements for the ENMU CDIS Graduate Program?

The ENMU CDIS Program uses a number of technologies in our graduate program. These include Blackboard, Mediasite, Skype, and other internet based technologies.

Students who wish to take classes via Mediasite will register for 1SW sections.  Students attending courses using Mediasite technologies must ensure the following requirements:

• Windows-compatible sound card
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 or later, or Firefox 2.0 or later
• Windows Media Player 9.0 or later
• Broadband Internet connection
  • DSL (256 Kbps & above) for live and on-demand presentations
  • Dial-up (54 Kbps) will not work with Mediasite
  • We also recommend using a wired connection (Ethernet) instead of a wireless connection, where it is possible.
• Your browser must support JavaScript 1.2 or higher. Javacript must be enabled.
• Students connecting to ENMU CDIS courses using Mediasite must additionally own a web camera, a phone that you can use while you are on the internet, and a Skype account.  Students should add enmu.cdis.program as a Skype contact.

All students must be prepared to use a Windows based operating system (Windows Vista or Windows 7). Course notes are posted on Blackboard in Microsoft Word formatting and assignments must be submitted to instructors in Microsoft Word. Student must also be able to download and open Adobe PDF formats. ENMU professors will not be responsible for accessibility issues nor for course instruction, information, or assignments missed secondary to these issues. ENMU's Information Technology Services (ITS) has an abundance of student resources available to distance education students. Students are strongly advised to make sure their computer systems are operable prior to the first day of classes.

Information Technology/Computer Use Policy

All individuals with a University account are provided with the computer use policies and procedures and have agreed to abide by the terms set forth. Failure to abide by the guidelines in the policy shall subject any user of the University computer system to sanctions, which may result in denial of computer account privileges, and/or disciplinary action, which could lead to expulsion from the University, dismissal from a position or legal action.

The integrity of the University computer systems shall be maintained by protection of
accounts through use of passwords. Any violation of the integrity of a University computer system shall be deemed to be a prohibited misappropriation of University property. Attempts to perform any of the following acts are among such prohibited actions:

1. Make an account available to any person not authorized access by the University
2. Defeat the security system of any computer
3. Circumvent the accounting system
4. Access and/or use an account without authorization
5. Use accounts for other than intended purposes
6. Misappropriate the data or files of another person
7. Download or upload copyrighted material

Authorization for access to any account by someone other than the primary user must be approved by the
appropriate administrator, who shall arrange for maintenance of appropriate records of that authorization.
The account holder shall bear the responsibility and the consequences of allowing any access to his or her
account without appropriate administrative authorization.

The Graduate List Serve

ALL STUDENTS accepted into the CDIS Graduate Program must additionally join the graduate list serve. Only students accepted into the program will be approved to this list. Program announcements are posted here on a regular basis.  These range from course updates to class cancellations to practicum information and other things you don’t want to miss.  You can sign yourself up at http://itsvv409.enmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/cdis.  This list will only support enmu.edu addresses so please use your official ENMU email.  If you try to subscribe using any other account, you will be rejected.  Students are responsible for information posted to the list serve so please get in the habit of checking your enmu.edu email often.

If admitted, how should I prepare for classes?

Students need to be prepared ON THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS with their textbooks and other necessary materials ready. Following registration, students taking online courses should IMMEDIATELY:

1. Order textbooks.
   Information about which books will be used and how to order them can be found at the ENMU Bookstore when registration opens.
2. Logon to enmu.edu email.
   Instructors will sometimes email syllabi and other information about the course prior to Blackboard shells opening. If you are having difficulty with accessing your email, please refer to the resources listed on the ENMU Student Email page.
3. Logon to Blackboard.
   Go to the Blackboard homepage and complete the technology check. You need to logon to Blackboard EVERY DAY while your course is running. Students who fail to do so may accidentally miss deadlines which instructors may not extend!
4. Visit the Distance Education online pages.
   Learn more about online courses and review FAQs.

Annual Orientation

All CDIS Graduate Students are required to attend and annual Graduate Student Orientation meeting each year on campus. We cover a good deal of information at this meeting, including many items in the student handbook.  University policies/procedures, course rotations, degree plan templates, practicum policies/procedures, the portfolio process, comprehensive exams, KASA tracking, remediation plans, and research expectations will be explained at this time.  As we will not repeat this information individually, students who are not on campus for this meeting will not have sufficient information to complete their matriculation successfully and so will have their registration cancelled and will not be permitted to enroll for courses until they have attended the meeting in a subsequent fall semester.  This may require reapplication and readmission to the program. This meeting typically occurs on the first Friday after classes begin in the fall semester.

On Campus Practicum

Students should be advised that the first two semesters of practicum must be taken on campus during a regular (16 week) semester. The first semester of CDIS 501 must be taken concurrently with CDIS 504. Only students accepted into the CDIS Graduate Program may enroll in practicum (Students may not self-enroll: They must be enrolled by the Graduate Coordinator). If you plan on enrolling in practicum in any semester, please be advised that this requires a minimum of 2 half days per week on campus.  Students may only complete practicum off-campus with the approval of the Clinical Coordinator. This permission may be revoked with an unfavorable off-campus student practicum rating. Students may additionally be called back to campus to complete evaluations if needed to ensure KASA outcome completion.

Students participating in practicum will need a clinic uniform, a name-tag, TB testing, proof of current vaccinations, and liability insurance. More information will be sent to admitted students at the appropriate time.

ADA Compliance

Students, faculty, staff, and clients of the Communicative Disorders Program are treated equitably without regard to gender, sexual orientation, age, race, creed, national origin or disability. The institution and program comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and executive orders.

Our department's strategic plan and assessment plans are available for public review in the Program Documents section on this website.

CDIS Complaint Process

Students who wish to appeal their grades should first discuss this issue with the instructor of record. If this does not resolve the process, students are afforded due process and may next appeal the instructor decision to the Chair or the Program, then the Dean, and finally, to the VPAA.

Students who wish to file a complaint about the Program at large with ASHA may do so at:

Procedures for Complaints Against Graduate Education Programs
Procedures for Complaints Against the Council on Academic Accreditation

Additional Information

• Please browse our Essential Functions for Speech-Language Pathologists.
• Please browse our information page for future students here.
• Course requirements and course descriptions for CDIS can be accessed via the web in the Graduate Catalog. CDIS begins on print page 54.
• CDIS pages provide additional information. Course descriptions begin on p. 67.
• Graduate leveling course information is also available.

For more information, please call 575.562.2724 or e-mail Dr. Suzanne Swift.