ASHA requirements - physical science

[clydeyo12]

I am trying to determine which courses I need to take to meet the ASHA requirements for biological sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, and social/behavioral sciences. I'm pretty sure I have all of them covered except the physical science (someone correct me if I'm wrong):

 

math: stats, psych stats

biological sciences: biological psychology, biology of birds

social/behavioral sciences: adolescent psych, personality psych, abnormal psych, etc.

 

Does anyone know what qualifies as a physical science? I know chemistry and physics probably, but anything else? I would much rather take something like geology or astronomy if those qualify.

 

Thanks! Are there any other "gen ed" requirements I am missing?

[Inny]

I think Astronomy qualifies for physical sciences. 

[Nebraska19]

I think for the physical science requirement you just need to take a physical science class with a lab. Somebody can correct me if I am wrong though.

[kingspeech]

I thought which classes to accept was at the schools' discretion, and that ASHA ultimately approved their decisions through accreditation reviews.

Edited March 23, 2013 by kingspeech

[kelsahhbeth]

Hey!

I'm a first year grad student so im way too familiar with asha's changes. Asha just changed the physical science requirements this year to a chemistry or physics class if you become certified after September 1 2014, which if you're going to start this fall you will be. But fortunately they don't specify the credit amount the class has to be or if it has to be graded or not so I have a few classmates who are taking a one credit chemistry seminar that is just pass/no pass.

[ESLtoSLP]

I think for the physical science requirement you just need to take a physical science class with a lab. Somebody can correct me if I am wrong though.

 

 

I have never seen any mention of a required lab credit in any of the ASHA materials.

[clydeyo12]

Great info kelsahhbeth! In this instance, less is definitely more! This seems like a really pointless requirement but oh well...

[starbunnytwinkle]

Yikes! I did not know that! I took Geology and was told by my advisor when I started my Communication Disorders undergrad program that GEOL would suffice for my physical science requirement. I hope that doesn't count against me when schools look at my application. =/

[midnight]

Hey!

I'm a first year grad student so im way too familiar with asha's changes. Asha just changed the physical science requirements this year to a chemistry or physics class if you become certified after September 1 2014, which if you're going to start this fall you will be. But fortunately they don't specify the credit amount the class has to be or if it has to be graded or not so I have a few classmates who are taking a one credit chemistry seminar that is just pass/no pass.

 

I wish I could find a seminar like that. Everything around here seems to be four credits with lab!

 

I think I'll opt for physics since it seems more relevant to SLP (acoustics, waves, sound).

[rcacemek]

Does anyone know whether it has to be for credit or not? I found a non-credit online community college Intro Chem class for $100, but it seems too good to be true... 

[midnight]

I think Astronomy qualifies for physical sciences. 

 

The new ASHA requirements state that acceptable physical science courses include only physics or chem:

 

http://www.asha.org/Certification/2014-Speech-Language-Pathology-Certification-Standards/#Standard_IV

Standard IV-A

The applicant must have demonstrated knowledge of the biological sciences, physical sciences, statistics, and the social/behavioral sciences.

Implementation: Acceptable courses in biological sciences should emphasize a content area related to human or animal sciences (e.g., biology, human anatomy and physiology, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, human genetics, veterinary science). Acceptable courses in physical sciences should include physics or chemistry. Acceptable courses in social/behavioral sciences should include psychology, sociology, anthropology, or public health. A stand-alone course in statistics is required. Research methodology courses in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) may not be used to satisfy the statistics requirement. A course in biological and physical sciences specifically related to CSD may not be applied for certification purposes to this category unless the course fulfills a university requirement in one of these areas.

 

--

 

Does anyone know whether it has to be for credit or not? I found a non-credit online community college Intro Chem class for $100, but it seems too good to be true...

 

The old ASHA standards specified that courses needed to be for-credit: "The applicant must demonstrate through transcript credit (which could include course work, advanced placement, CLEP, or examination of equivalency) for each of the following areas: biological sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, and the social/behavioral sciences." However, the new ASHA standards seem to have omitted that part, which is just weird! I would like some clarification....

Edited March 23, 2013 by midnight streetlight

[eihpos]

I'm signed up for nutrition this term (it's a chem class with no lab) and hoping that passes!  My advisor told me anything that is listed under chem or physics was acceptable.  

[lexical_gap]

I actually had a meeting with my department curriculum advisor about this very subject.  I had taken a non-physics or chemistry physical science class and was told that it would not count; it MUST be physics or chemistry.  As a result, I completed an accelerated online physics course over winter break to meet the requirement.  My advisor assured me that course would count, despite it not having a lab component.

 

The reason I was given was because ASHA wants you to have a knowledge base of complex processes and systems and how they work that isn't CSD based.  Check with your advisor of both your current program and your grad program.  Since they are the ones submitting your certification information to ASHA, they are the ones will ultimately decide what gets sent.

Edited March 24, 2013 by lexical_gap

[kelsahhbeth]

My advice is to take a physics or chem class as soon as you can! I have friends who took astronomy/geology and are now having to take the extra class in top of their graduate classes/clinic. I ended up doing intro to physics online for pass/no pass. I think as long as something says on phys/chem on your transcript that's all that matters!

[Zera86]

I know that ASHA has technically changed the requirement to physics or chemistry, but I believe your graduate school can somewhat bend the rule if they're convinced a difference course fulfilled the requirement.  For example, astronomy can possibly be argued to contain enough physics.  I'm not sure how true this actually is, but when I was visiting my top choice grad school in the fall, I asked the graduate advisor about it (so I could take a physics/chem class in the spring semester if I needed to), and he said that he would count my astronomy class toward the requirement, and that his physical science requirement was astronomy and it had served him just fine.  

 

Perhaps check with individual advisors?  The problem is that ASHA doesn't grandfather us in with what requirements were in place when we started our programs, so it's feasible the requirements could change again before we graduate with the masters and get certified, or even change back to the previous, broader criteria for physical science.  

[midnight]

I know that ASHA has technically changed the requirement to physics or chemistry, but I believe your graduate school can somewhat bend the rule if they're convinced a difference course fulfilled the requirement.  For example, astronomy can possibly be argued to contain enough physics.  I'm not sure how true this actually is, but when I was visiting my top choice grad school in the fall, I asked the graduate advisor about it (so I could take a physics/chem class in the spring semester if I needed to), and he said that he would count my astronomy class toward the requirement, and that his physical science requirement was astronomy and it had served him just fine.

 

Was your astronomy course listed as ASTR or PHYS at your school? I still might be a bit worried that it doesn't count for the new requirement if it's only listed as ASTR, but of course I'm not sure how much power each program has to determine what's what when reporting to ASHA.

 

I wonder if I'll get a clear reply if I email ASHA about the new reqs?

 

ETA: I went ahead and emailed ASHA about the specifics of the physical sciences reqs. When I get a response, I'll post it here.

Edited March 24, 2013 by midnight streetlight

[Tuck]

Well shoot. I have an environmental geology class and physical geology with a lab that I thought would count. Maybe I need to take an introductory physics or chemistry course at a community college this summer. One more thing to do before moving...

 

On the biological sciences: "Acceptable courses in biological sciences should emphasize a content area related to human or animal sciences (e.g., biology, human anatomy and physiology, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, human genetics, veterinary science)." Is that basically saying "anything but cell and molecular biology?"

 

I took two statistics classes in undergrad, but it's been so long that I've forgotten most of the material, which really worries me since I want to go into research.

[midnight]

Tuck, there might be statistics classes available on Coursera or other similar sites that could be good for review.

[lauren8908]

I can't believe they can just change the requirements like that. I can see for incoming freshman, but most people finish out their gen eds the first two years of college. It's nice to know that you took a wasted class. I actually took "basic physical science" with a lab. The funny thing is, my college only has three courses listed under "physical science", including basic physical science, intro to environmental chemistry, and astronomy. All of the physics and chemistry courses are listed under their own names and not under "physical science." 

[tlsstc]

The ASHA website says should include physics or chemistry, so hopefully if the course has some physics or chemistry in it (like astronomy) it would count.  What a pain.

 

I did discover self-paced online courses from UT Austin when I was looking for a statistics class

http://www.utexas.edu/ce/uex/online/

http://courses.webhost.utexas.edu/dec/college/searchcollege.cfmhttp://courses.webhost.utexas.edu/dec/college/searchcollege.cfm

 

There is one bio and several physics classes, and only $550 per class!

[Ms.slp]

Does anyone know whether it has to be for credit or not? I found a non-credit online community college Intro Chem class for $100, but it seems too good to be true... 

Do you mind sharing that link

[midnight]

Well, I got this reply from ASHA, but it doesn't answer all of the questions I asked (e.g., if courses need to be for credit):

 

"ASHA will accept the course if it is listed as ASTR on a transcript towards meeting the physical science requirement. The courses for physical science does not need to include a lab portion."
 

[mystiqueSLP]

I am trying to determine which courses I need to take to meet the ASHA requirements for biological sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, and social/behavioral sciences. I'm pretty sure I have all of them covered except the physical science (someone correct me if I'm wrong):

 

math: stats, psych stats

biological sciences: biological psychology, biology of birds

social/behavioral sciences: adolescent psych, personality psych, abnormal psych, etc.

 

Does anyone know what qualifies as a physical science? I know chemistry and physics probably, but anything else? I would much rather take something like geology or astronomy if those qualify.

 

Thanks! Are there any other "gen ed" requirements I am missing?

 

Stats and psych stats are the only ones that fulfill math? My psych stats course was called "Quantitative Methods in Psychology", would that count?

[midnight]

Stats and psych stats are the only ones that fulfill math? My psych stats course was called "Quantitative Methods in Psychology", would that count?

 

I feel like the quant methods class is likely fine as long as the course description includes statistics.

Edited March 29, 2013 by midnight streetlight

[la912]

Well, I got this reply from ASHA, but it doesn't answer all of the questions I asked (e.g., if courses need to be for credit):

 

"ASHA will accept the course if it is listed as ASTR on a transcript towards meeting the physical science requirement. The courses for physical science does not need to include a lab portion."

 

Do you think taking a Coursera Chem or Physics class could count for the credit?