Background Check and Fingerprinting
The SIUE graduate program in speech-language pathology includes on-campus and externship clinical experiences. Many of these experiences will require a criminal background check and/or fingerprinting. An externship site may deny a student's participation in the clinical experiences because of a felony or misdemeanor conviction or record of child abuse. Clinical sites may also deny participation in clinical experiences for other reasons, such as failure of a required drug test or inability to produce an appropriate health clearance. As participation in clinical experiences, rotations or fieldwork is a required part of the curriculum and a requirement for graduation, denial of participation by a clinical site may result in delay of graduation or the inability to graduate from the program. For more information about background check and fingerprinting requirements specific to school externship placements, please visit the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior Student Services Office. Information specific to non-school placements are specific to each site and will be provided at the time of clinical assignment.
Following completion of the graduate program in speech-language pathology, you may choose to pursue professional licensure. Please review the licensure requirements specific to the discipline by contacting the specific licensing board or the state to which you may apply for licensure/certification. SIUE provides information specific to the speech-language pathology program meeting the educational requirements as established by the various regulatory boards. It is your responsibility to understand the criteria necessary for licensure and to ensure compliance with those criteria.
If you have questions or concerns about these requirements and your ability to participate in an externship experience or be licensed, please contact Dr. Steffany Chleboun, graduate program director. Your signature on your CSDCAS application shall serve as your acknowledgment that you are aware of the potential impact of a previous felony or misdemeanor conviction, or record of child abuse, that you have conducted due diligence in determining your potential eligibility for licensure, and that you are aware that certain factors may prevent your eligibility for licensure.