Northern Illinois University
School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders
College of Health and Human Sciences

If you’re pursuing an M.A. degree in communicative disorders, you can specialize in speech-language pathology. It’s a competitive and rigorous program, but you will leave here as a well-rounded and capable professional ready to take on anything. Our graduates have a 100 percent career placement rate.

We want your interests to guide your path; we also want to introduce you to other new and exciting opportunities. To do so, we offer courses that cover diagnoses and treatments for communication disorders across the lifespan such as aphasia, swallowing difficulties, autism and brain injuries.

During your program you’ll have the opportunity to apply this knowledge in clinical settings both on and off-campus. Working alongside our staff speech-language pathologists, you’ll be able to put your education to the test, develop your skills and create professional networks.

Certifications and Job Placement

When you complete the M.A. degree, you’ll be prepared to sit for the Praxis II Exam as well as be eligible to earn a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. This will set you on your way toward state licensure as a speech-language pathologist.

While pursuing your M.A. degree at NIU, you can also obtain an Illinois Professional Educator License in Non-Teaching Speech-Language Pathology.

For NIU alumni more than one year post-graduation who are pursuing ASHA certification and/or a professional educator license from the Illinois State Board of Education, we will complete transcript evaluations and reports for a fee of $150. Please contact niuslp@niu.edu for additional information.

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Student Highlight

Meet Speech-Language Pathology graduate student Elizabeth Lanza. She started a special choir to see if music can rehabilitate language skills for those with aphasia.