Clinical Practicums and Field Placements
The Speech@NYU distance-education modality of the master of science program is accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA).
Clinical immersions, field placement experiences, and practicum/field placement courses are integral to the Speech@NYU clinical learning experience. Practicum courses and field placements are designed to help you put theory into practice, develop a strong understanding of the values and skills of a professional speech-language pathologist (SLP). The practicum and field placement sequence is an immersive and full-time experience.
As a Speech@NYU student, you will be assigned a dedicated Placement Specialist, who will work with you and NYU Steinhardt’s Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders (CSD) Clinical Field Placement Team to assign you to an affiliated field site where you will have the opportunity to utilize your interviewing skills to secure an internship. Clinical experiences include working with individuals across the life span at three different settings, where you will be placed with an experienced, licensed, ASHA-certified SLP.
NYU Steinhardt’s Department of CSD has a well-regarded reputation in New York City, NY state and nationally. The Department of CSD has developed strong relationships with renowned field placement sites nation-wide for our students.
The clinical practicums and field placements allow you to develop and strengthen your evaluation and intervention skills as a generalist. You will take on both clinical and non-clinical responsibilities while mastering the clinical and professional competencies set forth by the Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CFCC).
The Department of CSD aligns itself with the ASHA, where students graduate with diverse experiences across the 9 communication disorders. The Speech@NYU philosophy is to graduate generalists and individuals well-prepared to begin their Clinical Fellowship (CF).
Required Direct Clinical Contact Hours
ASHA requires graduate student clinicians to complete a minimum of 375 direct clinical contact hours to be eligible for certification and state licensure. You must have also completed 25 hours of observation prior to entering the clinical practicum/field placement sequence.
Clinical Practicum and Field Placement Schedule
The clinical practicum and field placement education goals are for you to apply theory to the assessment and treatment of individuals within a clinical setting, to implement and demonstrate professional and ethical standards within the field, to understand policies and procedures of different settings, and to identify effective traits in supervision. Your field placement semesters are full-time Monday-Friday experiences. Anyone entering the program at a part-time status will transition to an intensive and full-time schedule during the field placement experience.
As a student, you will complete a five-part sequence of clinical practicum and field placement experiences. All students will be placed in a school at some point during the five-part sequence.
Practicum I (Pre-Clinic and Clinical Immersion)
Clinical Field Placement III (Treatment)
Possible settings may include either private schools, public schools, or private practice over 15 weeks depending on the field placement’s requirements.
Clinical Field Placement IV (Pediatrics)
Full-time participation in a pediatric-focused setting over 12-16 weeks depending on the field placement’s requirements.
Possible settings include private schools, public schools, private practice or pediatric outpatient and inpatient settings.
Clinical Field Placement V (Adults)
Full-time participation in an adult-focused setting over 12-16 weeks depending on the field placement’s requirements.
Possible settings include acute care, inpatient and/or outpatient medical institutions, community clinics, private practice, skilled nursing facilities, long-term care and adult day programs.
Graduation Requirements
Seminar courses are paired with all clinical practicum and field placement experiences. Attendance is mandatory for all seminars.
In addition to course requirements, you must meet ASHA requirements of a minimum of 375 direct clinical clock hours and 25 observation hours for a total of 400 hours.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Receive the clinical training you need to become a licensed speech-language pathologist. Learn more about the online master’s in speech-language pathology from NYU Steinhardt.