Dr. Bob Oyler, director and professor of speech-language pathology and audiology, said this accreditation is very important for the university.

“Accreditation means that our graduates will be eligible to apply for certification through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association,” he said. “That is very important. Without accreditation, the graduate program would be effectively dead because students would not come to study at a school where they could not earn eligibility for certification.

“For the university, it means that we can continue to attract good students from around the country to participate in the master’s program.”

The process began with the faculty and staff completing an extensive self-study that examines the 31 standards that ASHA sets. The standards are grouped into five major categories: administrative structure and governance, faculty/instructional staff, curriculum (academic and clinical education), students and program resources.

Following the self-study, the CAA reviewed the 150-page document and forwarded it to a site visit team. After the site visit in early April, Oyler received a copy of the team’s report and prepared a response. The CAA then reviewed all of the materials to reach their decision.

“As a site visitor for the CAA, I can assure you that the process is very thorough,” he said. “When a program is accredited, the public can rest assured that it has passed a very close scrutiny from several different bodies - the national office staff, the CAA and the site visitors. This is important for students who are seeking a place to pursue their master’s degree and the consuming public who may be seeking the services of a speech-language pathologist.”

The accreditation is good for eight years. However, Oyler said that an annual report must be filed yearly to maintain the accreditation.