The students make up the first cohort of a recently established online master's degree program in speech-language pathology sponsored by CSUN's colleges of Health and Human Development and Extended Learning.

The students will receive their diplomas at the College of Health and Human Development's ceremony at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 30, on the Oviatt Lawn in the center of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

For many of the students, commencement will be the first time have they ever set foot on the Northridge campus. The graduates completed their coursework via Web, e-mail and fax while engaging in supervised fieldwork.

"The program allowed me to custom-fit class schedules around my job and family," said Denise Duff, a graduate from Huntington Beach. "I could attend class early in the morning or late at night. I could go to class in my pajamas and slippers."

The three-year program trains therapists in schools, hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers to help people overcome speech impediments caused by conditions such as autism, strokes, accidents and birth defects.

Professors in the program gave tests over the computer and communicated through e-mail, computer discussions and chat rooms.

The speech-language pathology degree is the only online master's offered at Cal State Northridge at the moment. University officials said future programs, including in engineering, are in discussion stages.