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school of health professions - student handbook 2022-2023


SLP Comprehensive Exam, Thesis

Master of Science Degree in Speech-Language Pathology
Comprehensive Examination Policy
Final Examination Definition
The final examination shall consist of the satisfactory completion of a master's thesis or a comprehensive examination. Students who select the comprehensive examination option must achieve passing scores on all portions of the exam to be eligible for graduation.
Nature of the Comprehensive Examination
Candidates taking the comprehensive final examination will respond to questions on two or three consecutive days (schedule determined annually). Many of the questions will be integrative and will require students to draw on their knowledge of normal development as well as disorders, and address issues such as the philosophies and theories supporting assessment and treatment. Students should be prepared to answer questions related to all areas of the KASA and related topics such as legislation, ethics, and other professional issues. Some objective questions requiring factual knowledge will be included, but the main purpose of this exam is to determine if the candidate can synthesize information for problem-solving tasks.
Administration
The examination will be administered each year during the spring semester. Candidates will write for up to 15 hours distributed across two to three days (schedule determined on an annual basis). All answers will be handwritten. The department will provide Scantrons, blue books, or other test forms. A faculty proctor will supply all the day’s questions at the beginning of the day. Students may take breaks from writing as needed.
Question Preparation and Selection
The Comprehensive Examination Committee Chairperson (CECC) will solicit questions from faculty responsible for graduate curricula in the major and minor content areas. The CECC will ask for questions 6 weeks prior to the exam. Faculty questions will be submitted to the CECC by 3 weeks prior to the exam.
Examination Grading
The faculty member supplying questions for a content area will grade the candidate's reply. The CECC may also ask one other faculty member in the respective area (major or minor) to evaluate the student responses.
To obtain an overall passing grade for the comprehensive examination, the candidate must achieve a score of 70% or better for each content area on the comprehensive examination. A student with an average score of 92% or above will be designated passing with honors. In the event that a passing score is not achieved:
  1. Students who initially fail a section of the exam typically will be required to re-take that portion of the exam (with different questions on the same topic area) or complete a project designed by the course instructor.
  2. Students who fail 40% or more of the comprehensive exam subject areas will be required to enroll in an independent study course in the summer following administration of the exam, and then retake the sections of the exam that they failed initially.
  3. For students who fail re-examination, an individualized remediation program will be developed by a committee. Upon successful completion of the remedial activity, the student will be cleared for graduation if all other requirements are met.
  4. If the student fails to successfully complete the individualized remediation program, the student will be dismissed from the program without graduation or conferral of the degree.
Timing of Comprehensive Examination and Current Coursework
Because the comprehensive examination will be completed prior to final course examinations, many students will take the comprehensive examination while enrolled in one or more courses during that same semester. Satisfactory completion of both the comprehensive examination and the coursework is required for the Master's degree. 
Student Appeal Process
A candidate may informally discuss any complaint about the exam and/or grading procedure with the CECC. If this discussion does not resolve the student's complaint, the complaint should be submitted in written form to the program director within 10 calendar days following receipt of the written grade from the CECC. If the student questions the grading of portions of the examination, 1-2 additional faculty members will evaluate the student’s responses. Faculty member(s) familiar with the course material will be designated as second grader(s) by the Program Director. The candidate has the right to initiate appeal procedures as described in the TTUHSC School of Health Professions Student Hearing Policy and Procedure.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Speech-Language Pathology
Thesis policy

Philosophy
The master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation represent the most scholarly work produced by a graduate student in the School of Health Professions. The thesis must demonstrate a mastery of the techniques of research, a thorough understanding of the subject matter and its background, and a high degree of skill in organizing and presenting the materials. The student is expected to complete the work independently under the supervision of an approved thesis committee and within a specified period of time prior to graduation.
Above all, scientific rigor and scholarly performance characterize thesis research. These guiding principles are especially embodied in the oral defense of the thesis. Successful completion indicates, in part, that a student has mastered the information and therefore earned the right to be considered an expert in his or her area of research.
Enrollment
A master’s thesis requires the completion of a minimum of 6 credit hours of research under the direction of a graduate faculty member, typically the chair of the thesis committee. The student will enroll in thesis research courses (e.g., HPSH 6000) for 1-3 hours per semester over four semesters (spring 1, summer 1, fall 2, spring 2). The exact number of hours a student enrolls in each semester is determined via conversation with the student’s thesis chairperson. The student must be enrolled in at least 1 credit hour during the semester in which the thesis is defended. In order to register in the appropriate section, students must identify a thesis advisor prior to enrolling in thesis research.
Committee
The master’s thesis committee will consist of three faculty members; exceptions may be made to include up to five committee members if deemed necessary by the student and student’s advisor. The thesis chair must possess an earned doctorate degree. The other committee members may include faculty with a doctorate or master’s degree and may be in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences or an alternative department at TTUHSC or TTU. The committee members should be able to support an aspect of the student’s project, including but not limited to research design, data analysis, content expertise, subject recruitment. The student is expected to first identify a chairperson willing to chair the thesis committee and identify a topic (see below). Once these factors have been identified, the student is expected to personally ask each potential committee member about their willingness to serve. The student should present an overview of the intended topic as well as the intended purpose the committee member will fulfill
Topic
Selection of a topic for thesis research should be influenced primarily by the student’s interests and secondarily by the faculty’s expertise and availability of necessary resources required for eventual completion. The student and advisor are urged to identify a research project that can be completed within 4 semesters and that will be the student’s independent work. Specifically, the research questions should not be provided from an existing project the advisor is conducting. Possible sources of data/methodologies include but aren’t limited to:
  • Case studies (choosing a client in the clinic or in the community)
  • Replication study
  • Chart review
  • Descriptive study
  • Experimental design
Research questions could involve typical or disordered populations of any age. Research questions could also be derived from existing data or existing projects, so long as the question represents a unique/independent focus of the student.
Expectations
The topic and focus of the thesis project are between the student and advisor. However, there are certain expectations for all students choosing to complete a thesis for graduation credit. These expectations are listed below:
  • The thesis will include 5 chapters including an introduction, literature review, methods, results, and discussion.
  • Students will decide to complete a thesis in lieu of comprehensive exams during their first fall semester. All students MUST defend by Spring Break of their final spring semester. See a tentative timeline below.
  • The student must distribute the first 3 chapters (introduction, literature review, methods) 2 weeks prior to the prospectus meeting to each committee member. These chapters must be completed and in final form (see Prospectus Meeting below for more details).
  • The student may not under any circumstances begin data collection or data analysis prior to the prospectus meeting.
  • The student is expected to schedule regular meetings with each committee member throughout the process.
  • The student must schedule a meeting with the program director once a thesis chair has been selected.
Prospectus Meeting
A prospectus meeting must be convened before the student proceeds with the thesis/dissertation project. This meeting is to last no longer than 2 hours. For this meeting, the student is expected to present a brief overview of the first three chapters (approximately 20-30 minutes) and then open it up for committee members to comment, question, and suggest changes to support the student’s ultimate success. All thesis/dissertation committee members are obliged to attend and determine if the project as proposed is viable for continuation. Students should be prepared to present the entire committee with the first three chapters of their thesis (i.e., Introduction, Review of Literature, and Methods) two weeks in advance of the scheduled meeting. Evidence of a well-developed rationale, literature review, statement of the hypothesis, and research design will facilitate approval.
Students must not collect any data until their proposed thesis has been approved by the committee. In the event of using human subjects, approval must also be obtained from the TTUHSC Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB).
At the conclusion of the meeting, the committee will vote as to the approval, conditional approval (with conditions specified), or disapproval of the proposed project. This action will constitute an agreement between the student and the committee in regard to further pursuing the proposed research. Committee approval will be documented in writing and signed by all committee members (see Prospectus form). Any substantive changes in study design must be approved by the entire committee in writing.
Oral Defense
The oral defense is a public forum in which the candidate presents his or her area of research and answers questions directed to him or her by the committee members, other professionals, and private citizens. The candidate will be instructed to make a public presentation of the thesis or dissertation research. The presentation should provide a concise review of the salient literature and the hypothesis and rationale. In addition, the presentation should describe the subject population, methods and procedures, and an overview of the results. Finally, the candidate should make brief comments concerning the implications. Following the public presentation, the candidate will defend his or her thesis in a closed-door meeting with the thesis committee. The defense should not exceed 2 hours, although final deliberations by the committee or subsequent discussions with the candidate may take longer. Students should defend their thesis before the deadline of the semester that she or he intends to graduate.
Once the examination period has been completed, the committee chair will ask the candidate to be excused while the committee reviews the candidate’s performance. After all due deliberations have concluded, the chair will call for a vote from the committee in regards to passing, passing with revisions (as specified in writing by the committee), or failing. A majority vote will be used in reaching a decision. The chair will record the votes for possible future reference. The candidate will then be invited back into the room and given the decision of the committee. Revisions, if warranted, will also be explained at that time.
The room number, date, and time of the thesis defense must be approved two weeks in advance, and public notices must be posted. Copies of the thesis must be distributed to each committee member two weeks prior to the defense.
In the event that a student does not successfully defend his or her thesis and the scope of the problem exceeds what would typically be required in a major revision, the committee may fail the student. In the event of failure, the student may follow the remediation guidelines set by his or her respective academic program.
Format and style
The thesis must be written in a clear and grammatically correct manner. The final format must conform to the standards of the respective department within the School of Health Professions and the TTU Graduate School (https://www.depts.ttu.edu/gradschool/academic/ThesesDissertation.php). All theses must follow the guidelines specified in the current Graduate School Thesis-Dissertation Formatting Guidelines
The student must schedule a meeting with the Office of the Dean representative prior to beginning writing any chapters to discuss proper formatting. Once the final defense has been approved, students must again contact the Office of the Dean representative to submit the final document.
Grading
Each enrollment in thesis will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis.
Tentative Timeline
1st Fall Semester:
  • Choose to complete a thesis
  • Identify a thesis chair
  • Begin exploring possible topics
  • By early November, register for at least 1 hour of thesis course for spring
Over Winter Break:
  • Read several research articles to further identify possible topics/gaps in the literature
1st Spring Semester:
  • Identify a topic and research questions/aims
  • Identify possible committee members
  • Schedule meetings with each committee member
  • Finalize research questions
  • Schedule a meeting with Michelle Broselow to establish proper formatting for chapters
  • Write introduction, literature review, and methods
  • Register for 1-3 hours of thesis course for summer
Summer Semester:
  • Schedule Prospectus Meeting
  • Complete IRB paperwork, if applicable
  • Register for 1-3 hours of thesis course for fall
2nd Fall Semester:
  • Begin data collection (if applicable)
  • Complete data analyses
  • Write the Results chapter
  • Begin writing the Discussion chapter
  • Register for 1-3 hours of thesis course for summer
2nd Spring Semester:
  • Finalize Results and Discussion chapter
  • Create any necessary tables, figures, appendices
  • Schedule and complete Oral defense before spring break
  • Schedule meeting with Dean's representative
Reference: SHP OP: ST. 18 Thesis and Dissertation

Thesis Committee Selection Form
Date:
Student’s Full Legal Name:                                                    R#:
Thesis committee must include a minimum of three members, not to exceed five members including the chair.
By signing, I agree to be an active member on _________________________’s committee through completion of the oral defense.
Signatures
Graduate Student                 ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Chairperson        ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Member              ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Member              ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Member              ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Member              ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature

Prospectus
Date:
Student’s Full Legal Name:                                                                R#:
Title of Thesis: _______________________________________
By signing, I agree that ____________________ has successfully defended the first three chapters (introduction, literature review, methods) and is approved to begin data collection and analysis.
Signatures
Graduate Student                 ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Chairperson        ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Member              ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Member              ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Member              ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Member              ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature

Oral Defense
Date:
Student’s Full Legal Name:                                                                R#:
Title of Thesis: _______________________________________
By signing, I agree that ___________________ has successfully defended his/her thesis and has made all edits as requested by the committee.
Signatures
Graduate Student                 ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Chairperson        ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Member              ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Member              ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Member              ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature
Committee Member              ________________________   ________________________
Print Name                                                            Signature

Completion of Degree Requirements Form
  • Thesis
  • Prospectus
  • Oral defense
Title:
Signatures
____________________________                   _________________
Graduate Student                                              Date
____________________________                   _________________
Committee Chairperson                                    Date
____________________________                   _________________
Committee Member                                           Date
____________________________                   _________________
Committee Member                                           Date
____________________________                    _________________
Committee Member                                            Date
*The following signatures are ONLY required for the Thesis Oral Defense:
____________________________                     _________________
*Department Chair                                               Date
__________________________________         _________________
*Dean of the School of Health Professions          Date