Admission Requirements
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders offers the master of science degree. Students are prepared to practice in a variety of job settings within the field of speech-language pathology and to meet the academic and practicum requirements of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in speech-language pathology. The program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of ASHA.
Applicants for admission should possess a bachelor's degree in communication sciences and disorders or its equivalent. The following courses, or their equivalents, are undergraduate prerequisites for the master's program: COMM 521, Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism; COMM 522, Language Acquisition; COMM 524, Clinical Phonetics; COMM 704, Basic Audiology; COMM 705, Introduction to Auditory Perception and Aural Rehabilitation; COMM 777, Speech and Hearing Science, and KIN 706, Neurology. In addition, a course in statistics is required. Students are also required to have completed course work in typical human development, and both biological and physical sciences in preparation for fulfillment of ASHA requirements.
Applicants with degrees in related fields may be admitted to the Graduate School as provisional students, with the expectation that they will complete the above prerequisites prior to, or concurrent with, graduate courses. Acceptance to the communication sciences and disorders program is based primarily on grade-point average and GRE (Graduate Record Examination) general test scores. Generally, students must have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.00 to be considered for admission. Letters of recommendation are considered, particularly for the awarding of scholarships, assistantships, and other sources of support.