Funding Opportunities Available in AAC
Masters Level Preservice Training Program
What is the Penn State AAC Project?
Penn State has developed a high quality program preparing speech language pathologists with
specialized competencies to work with children and adults who have significant communication
disabilities and require augmentative and alternative communication (e.g., signs, communication
boards, computer-based assistive technology). Traineeships are occasionally available for
students who seek to work within educational settings.
What opportunities does the Penn State AAC Project provide?
In addition to the general academic coursework preparing students to be licensed as speech
language pathologists, graduate students have other opportunities to develop competencies in
AAC.
- Specialized coursework includes seminars and technical labs to develop competencies and
skills in AAC. These courses are additional to the standard graduate curriculum.
- Supporting coursework including courses in regular and special education, as well as
human development to prepare students for employment in educational settings. Each student will
need to earn teachers certification during the Masters program for traineeships. Penn State
offers several supporting courses that fulfill these requirements.
- Research experiences on projects designed to improve the lives of individuals with
disabilities. Each student will participate in one or more research project throughout the
2-year program.
- Clinical experiences with individuals who require AAC and their families, including a 15 week
externship in an educational setting that provides state of the art AAC services. (Many of these
opportunities are available to all graduate students enrolled in the Department of Communication
Sciences and Disorders.)
What are the benefits available with the traineeships?
- Full Tuition (in-state or out-of-state)
- Monthly stipend
- Travel fund to cover costs associated with attending national or international conferences
in AAC to participate in presentations of research projects and to seek further knowledge in
AAC
- Computer fees
What are the responsibilities of students on the Penn State AAC Project?
- Students who have funding support participate in research projects, maintain and update the
clinical library, maintain the technical lab, participate in AAC colloquium, and learn and
explore individual systems.
- The availability of the traineeships support the critical need for speech language
pathologists trained in the specialized competencies to provide state-of-the-art AAC services
for children with significant communication disabilities. Each student on a traineeship will be
committed to working for two (2) years in an educational setting (ages 0-21) and providing AAC
services for every year of funding through the grant. A student that is funded for both years
of the Masters program will be committed to providing AAC services in an educational setting
for a minimum of four (4) years.
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