Essential to the curriculum is each student’s area of focus. Each course in the curriculum is viewed through this lens and leads to the student’s culminating project. The culminating project idea is refined during the first year of the program. Each student will be matched with a Specialty Area Mentor (SAM) for the culminating project. The culminating project requires the following:
- A written deliverable appropriate for the project type
- A virtual defense of the project in March at the end of the final Winter term
- An academic submission to the student’s state/province or national professional organization’s scientific meeting/conference and/or to a scientific journal as appropriate for the project type
All culminating projects will fall into one of the following four categories.
Business Proposal
- Candidates interested in entering private practice or expanding their established private practice
- Includes: business plan, strategic plan, financial analysis, market research, marketing plan including website development, organizational structure plan, and operations plan
Process Improvement Plan
- Candidates interested in managerial/director positions in established service organizations (clinics, rehab centers, hospitals, school districts, etc.)
- Includes: plans for rebuilding, revamping, and/or improving processes, operations, and policies
Clinical Investigation
- Candidates interested in advancing clinical service through clinical research collaborations and small-scale clinical research opportunities
- Would involve investigation of clinical populations and/or interventions
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Investigation
- Candidates interested in clinical supervision and teaching and/or classroom teaching
- Would involve investigation of pedagogy, curriculum, or supervision related to SLP education and development
For examples of past culminating projects, view the Class of 2019 culminating projects.