Every year, the number of children in Arizona public schools who need speech and language services increases, while the number of qualified speech-language pathologists does not. To address this shortage, Arizona State University’s Department of Speech and Hearing Science, together with the Arizona Department of Education, is helping technicians who work in Arizona public schools earn a master’s degree while completing their clinical training on the job.

ASU’s Professional Enhancement Program (PEP) provides education and training on a part-time basis to speech-language technicians who are working in Phoenix area public school districts. It is supported with a five-year, $625,000 grant from the Arizona Department of Education.

Students enrolled in the accelerated master’s degree program takes classes at night at ASU and are partnered during the day with qualified speech-language pathologists for their clinical training. The part-time, accelerated master’s degree program is designed to be completed in three years, compared to the full-time master’s program, which takes two years to complete. Now in its second year, 11 students are enrolled in the program. They work in the Mesa, Scottsdale, Kyrene, Deer Valley, Murphy Elementary, Roosevelt, Washington or Creighton school districts.

In 2006, there were about 50,000 in Arizona public schools who qualified for speech and language services, according to the Arizona Department of Education. Yet, in that same year, there were only 1,620 qualified speech-language pathologists in public school districts.

And while more and more school-aged children need such services, so do adults. People who suffer from strokes or brain injuries often need services from a speech-language pathologist. These types of needs have resulted in a national shortage of speech-language pathologists.

ASU receives more than 200 applications each year to its master’s degree program in speech-language pathology. With the addition of PEP, the program will accommodate 10 additional students for a total of 40 master’s students in speech-language pathology admitted and trained each year.

More information is available at shs.asu.edu.