Admission Requirements

The Master of Arts degree program in Speech-Language Pathology is designed to provide in-depth knowledge and skills in the areas required for a career in speech-language pathology. This program of study provides students with the knowledge to pursue a satisfying and rewarding career in health care, medicine, research, or education.

Applicants must meet the following admission requirements:

  • Bachelor's degree. For students who enroll in the program, an official transcript with Bachelor's degree posted must be received by the CSD department prior to the beginning of the first semester. 
  • 3.0 minimum overall undergraduate grade point average.  
  • A minimum score of 100 IBT on the TOEFL for students whose native language is not English. 
  • A grade of "B-" or better is required in communication sciences and disorders courses (see courses below with an *).
    • Due to COVID-19, we will accept prerequisite coursework with grade of PASS (or equivalent). We encourage students to have grades of B- or higher reported instead of PASS.
  • 25 hours of guided observations completed by start of program (August 1)

A "B-" or better is also strongly recommended for all ASHA required courses. Students entering the professional preparation program in speech-language pathology must have either an undergraduate degree with a major in communication disorders (with all required prerequisites below completed) or complete a set of prerequisite courses prior to beginning the graduate program. The table below shows the minimum required courses. All of the content areas below must be completed prior to enrollment in the graduate program.  If an offer of admission is made, the Department of CSD reserves the right to rescind the offer if all prerequisites are not completed as directed.  Once admitted, failure to complete prerequisites may prolong your program, increase the total cost of your degree, and possibly delay graduation.

Students who do not meet the admission requirements stated above may be admitted on a provisional basis. These students must maintain a 3.0 average during each of their first two semesters of study to be admitted to full status and to be eligible for financial aid if available.

Prerequisites for Non-SLHS Majors

If you currently have or will have an undergraduate degree other than in Speech Language Hearing Sciences (or Communication Sciences and Disorders) you will be considered a “leveling” student, meaning that you need to take prerequisite courses before entering the graduate program. 

SLP Prerequisite Requirements

Students entering the MA program in speech-language pathology must complete required prerequisite coursework prior to entering the SLP graduate program.  The chart below lists the prerequisite content needed as well as the courses offered at the University of Cincinnati that fulfill these requirements.

Upon acceptance into our program, we will review your prerequisites in detail. Please note that you must earn a B- or better in communication sciences & disorders coursework. If you do have a grade lower than a B- we expect you to retake the course prior to starting your graduate program. Verification of courses in CSDCAS does not confirm that a course meets our required criteria.

        *Please visit ASHA Prerequisites for more details on these requirements.

Required Prerequisite Coursework 
  Required Content Area UC Course Name UC Course Number  
Biological Science (General Biology, Cell Biology, Human Anatomy and/or Physiology)
*Course must be taken in Biology Dept
Introductory Biology I OR Introductory Biology 2 BIOL 1021  BIOL 1022
 
Physical Science (cannot be Astronomy)
*Course must be taken in Phys/Chem Dept
 
How Things Work OR Physics of Sound & Music PHYS 1017,1018, 1005C
 
Social/Behavioral Science
Any intro/general psychology or sociology course.  Intro anthropology may be accepted

Intro to Psychology

Intro to Sociology

PSYC 1001

SOC 1001

 
Statistics
Must be a stand-alone course, covering t-tests, analyses of variance, chi-square, regression, and correlation
Intro to Statistics OR Elementary Statistics I STAT 1031 or 1034
 
Lifespan Development: Birth through Aging
(course cannot be taken through CSD department)
 
Developmental Psychology OR
Lifespan Human Development

PSYC 2040

HDCE 2004
 

 
*Anatomy & Physiology of Voice & Speech Production
Anatomy & Physiology of Speech Production, Swallowing & Hearing CSD 2010 
 
*Introductory Course in Audiology
Audiology 1: Basic Audiometry, Anatomy & Hearing Disorders
CSD 3061 
 
*Normal Speech-Language Development or Acquisition
Speech & Language Development 
CSD 3080 
 
*Phonetics, including Phonetic Transcription
Phonetics
CSD 2071   

**Syntax

(semester course of this content alone)

Syntax
CSD 3072

 

*Neurological Foundations of Communication

 

Neurological Foundations of Communication
CSD 4012 
 
*A Clinical Process Course(s)
(covering: Professional Issues, Report writing, Assessment/Intervention.  A course in a specific disorder area (eg. language disorders) may fulfill this requirement. An Introductory course to CSD will not fulfill this requirement.)

Clinical Processes in CSD

CSD 4024 

 

 
*Research Methods 
Must be a stand-alone course. Most disciplines offer a course to fulfill the requirement, e.g., Psychology, Communications, Health Sciences. An independent study involving empirical research or working in a research lab WILL NOT fulfill this.

Research Methods in Health Sciences

 

HLTH  3098 

 

 

 

* Communication sciences and disorders prerequisites that require a "B-" or better and must be completed prior to entering the program.

** Communication sciences and disorders prerequisite that requires a "B-" or better and may be completed during the graduate program.

Prerequisite Completion Timeline

The prerequisite courses can be taken at any time during or following your undergraduate degree program. The prerequisites must be completed before starting the graduate program fall semester (we do not allow master’s students to begin the graduate program other than fall semester). Students cannot take the prerequisites concurrently with the graduate program courses. However, students may apply for admission into the graduate program while taking the prerequisite courses. Because admission to the graduate program is competitive, successful completion of the prerequisite courses does not guarantee admission into the graduate program. Grades for the prerequisite courses are just one part of the complete application file.

Registering for Prerequisites at UC

Register for the prerequisite classes online at OneStop. Information about course offerings, fees, registration dates, and answers to frequently asked questions can also be found on the Onestop website.  Until such time as you are accepted into the graduate program, you will be taking classes through the OneStop Student Service Center.

Prior to registration, complete a Basic Data Form . Please allow 3 business days for processing. The university Office of the Registrar will contact you by email with registration credentials.

Students must register for at least one class before the first day of the semester to avoid a Late Registration Fee. Payments are due within 7 days of registration. Late Payment fees accumulate after that 7 days.

Guided Clinical Observation Requirement (ASHA 2020 Standards)

The Required 25 Hours Guided Clinical Observation portion of ASHA Standard V-C of the 2020 Standards and Implementation procedures MUST be completed prior to any direct contact with clients/patients. During most undergraduate studies or prerequisite coursework, students will take a course that addresses clinical methods and allows them to accrue 25 guided clinical observation hours. Students who have been accepted to the graduate program but have not yet earned the required guided observation hours should contact UC’s graduate program immediately to inquire about opportunities to earn the required hours prior to the start of the graduate program. The guided observation hours must be within the ASHA Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology and must be under the supervision of a qualified SLP clinician who holds current state licensure, ASHA certification designated by CCC-SLP and has earned a minimum of 2 hours of professional development/continuing education in the area of clinical instruction/supervision. During the observations, there should be communication between the SLP and observer, rather than passive experiences where the student merely views live sessions and/or videos without direct feedback/input. Guided clinical observation discussions/reflections may occur concurrently between student and SLP during the student’s observation or afterwards through review and approval of the student’s written reflections or through an oral debriefing conversation. Guided observation hours must be completed no more than 5 years prior to the start of the graduate program, and the SLP must meet the above-described licensure and certification requirements and 2020 standards for any observations completed in 2020 and later. A record form needs to be completed and maintained for all 25 guided clinical observation hours, which must include: date, population (adult/pediatric), type (evaluation/treatment), site, SLP state license number & ASHA number (state/ASHA), supervisor signature, guided discussion completed (yes/no), and number of minutes observed.

Students are required to complete and obtain documentation of 25 guided observation hours by August 1. Students will be instructed after August 1st on how to submit documentation of guided observation hours. For students who earned an undergraduate bachelor’s degree in Speech Language Hearing Sciences at the University of Cincinnati, your observation and clinical hours have already been verified by the department.  If entering UC’s MA SLP program(s) from an outside university, documentation will be accepted via a record form which includes the aforementioned details or through a signed document by an administrator/director of the program on university letterhead, which signifies the required 25 guided clinical observation hours have been met. If you have not completed the required guided observation hours, we suggest you complete them at Simucase (there is a charge): because this website follows the ASHA 2020 standards.

Please visit the ASHA Certification Standards webpage for more details. 

Headshot of Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

College of Allied Health Sciences

3225 Eden Avenue P.O. Box 670379 | Cincinnati, OH 45267

Phone: 513-558-8501