Distance Education Program

Master of Science (MS)
Speech and Hearing Science

 

IMPORTANT: The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA) is a voluntary agreement among member states and U.S. territories that authorizes colleges and universities to offer online degree programs in states other than their own. In accordance with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission guidelines, Tennessee State University is an approved NC-SARA institution.

Please check the NC-SARA State Map to determine if your State of residence is an approved SARA State. Note that if your State of residence is not approved then you will be unable to enroll in any online programs offered by Tennessee State University.

 

About the Distance Education (DE) Program

The Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology is in the College of Health Sciences (COHS). The Department serves two Deans: The Dean of the College of Health Sciences and the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research.

Students are admitted to the MS program for either the traditional mode or the distance education mode. Switching modes of delivery is prohibited. Space is limited to approximately 20- 25 students for the traditional mode and 30 students for the distance mode; therefore, admission is competitive.

The distance education component of the MS program is an eight-semester, part-time track. An academic year for the distance education delivery is spring-summer-fall which means that classes begin in January of each odd year. 

PLEASE NOTE: Our Distance Education program requires travel to Nashville during the Second Summer semester of the Program of Study (see details below) for a SIX-WEEK clinical practicum.
 

Program of Study 

Distance Education Program of Study (PDF)

Apply to Program

Tennessee State University is an approved NC-SARA institution. Please check the NC-SARA State Map to determine if your State of residence is an approved SARA State. Note that if your State of residence is not approved then you will be unable to enroll in any online programs offered by Tennessee State University.

QUESTION: May I apply as a Distance Education student if I reside outside of the United States?

  • No. We can only accept DE applicants who reside in the United States. 

How to Apply>>

Prerequisite Courses

View Prerequisites

Distance Education (DE) Mode: All prerequisite courses must be completed  BEFORE THE ADMISSIONS DEADLINE OF JUNE 1, 2026. (Applications for the DE Cohort are due every EVEN year: 2026, 2028, 2030, 2032, 2034, 2036, etc.)

Clinic Requirements (Practicum, Externship):

To earn the Master’s Degree, students must meet both clinical and academic requirements. The general clinical outline for Distance Education students is as follows: 

  1. SUMMER 1: Online practicum (Simucase/Telehealth)

  2. SUMMER 2: 6-week in-person practicum LAF Clinic Completed onsite in Nashville, TN

  3. FALL 3: School externship placement
    - arranged during the fall and spring semesters in an approved site close to the area in which the student resides

  4. SPRING 3: School externship placement 
    - arranged during the fall and spring semesters in an approved site close to the area in which the student resides

  5. SUMMER 3: Medical externship placement 
    - arranged during the last summer of the student's program in an approved medical site close to the area in which the student resides.

All clinical practicum experiences will be supervised by speech-language pathologists who hold the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Certificate of Clinical Competence.

Tuition & Fees

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