Admission Standards

The following are the minimum criteria used by the Graduate School and the School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology in processing admission applications. It is not unusual for many more qualified individuals to apply than can be admitted to the program; therefore, meeting these requirements does not guarantee that an applicant will be admitted to the program.

Full Admission

Students with a minimum overall and in-field GPA of 3.0 or higher will be considered for the speech-language pathology program. Admission is competitive.

Applicants to the program must possess a bachelor's degree in speech-language pathology or complete a post-baccalaureate sequence of courses in speech-language pathology and audiology from an accredited university. The CSDCAS application, which includes the letters of recommendation, resume, essay, and transcripts, is required of all applicants. Applicants must also demonstrate competency in oral and written communication and language. GRE scores are temporarily waived for our program. 

Click here for more detailed admission information.

Background Check

Our program requires that admitted students pass a background check prior to beginning the program. Background screenings may include checking state and federal criminal records and sex offender registries. If your background screening shows that you have a criminal record or are listed as a sex offender, you may not be able to secure clinical placements. This background check would be conducted after students accept an offer of admission and before they begin the program. The State of Ohio may deny licensure for individuals who have been found guilty of committing acts which are contrary to public health and safety. When you apply for our program, you are attesting that you understand that your enrollment is subject to completing a background check.

Pre-Requisite Coursework

Applicants to the program should complete the academic course requirements for ASHA Standards IV-A (general education) and IV-B (in-field) prior to entering the graduate program.  These courses must be taken for credit and grade (not pass-fail or audit). In order to count as a prerequisite, the course should be 3 credit hours or more with a grade of C or higher in general education courses, and a grade of B- or higher in in-field courses. (Note: This change in the minimum B- requirement for in-field prerequisite courses will be effective starting with those applying to start the campus-based program in 2022 and the distance learning program in 2023).

1. Biological Science - a human/animal biological science course other than the anatomy and physiology of the speech and hearing mechanism (human anatomy, physiology, general biology, cell biology, etc.)
2. Statistics – “stand alone” statistics course (not a research methods course) – may be in either a Math or Psychology department
3. Physical science – chemistry or physics required
4. Social science - psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc.

The following ASHA Standard IV-B (in-field) courses should also be completed at the undergraduate level:

1. Biological bases - anatomy of the speech and hearing mechanism
2. Acoustic bases - speech and hearing science
3. Developmental bases - language acquisition/development
4. Linguistic bases - phonetics or linguistics

ASHA Standard V-C should be taken at the undergraduate level and prior to any direct contact with clients. Students should take a course that addresses clinical methods and techniques and allows them to accrue 25 guided clinical observation hours.  The observation hours must be within the ASHA Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology and must be under the supervision of a qualified SLP who holds a current ASHA certification. During the observations, there should be communication between the clinical educator and observer, rather than passive experiences where the student merely views sessions and/or videos. Guided clinical supervision may occur simultaneously during the student’s observation or afterwards through review and approval of the student’s written reports or summaries. Students may use video recordings of client services for observation purposes.”

All in-field courses must be taken for credit/grade.

Our program has a 7-year limit for undergraduate coursework.  Students wishing to apply to our graduate program, who have a bachelor’s degree in SLP that is greater than 7 years old, will need to take some of the pre-requisite courses again.  These would be considered as post-baccalaureate courses.  We will work individually with students, based on their transcripts and experiences, to determine which courses need to be taken.