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. During the first year of the program as the culminating project idea is refined, each student will identify a Specialty Area Mentor (SAM) for the culminating project. The culminating project requires the following:

• A written deliverable appropriate for the project type
• A defense of the project during the final on-campus residency
• A submission to a state or national professional or scientific meeting/conference and/or to a journal

All culminating projects will fall into one of the following four categories.

Business Proposal

• Candidates interested in entering 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.