MA in Communication Sciences and Disorders
Admission Requirements
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.
Students entering the professional preparation program in speech-language pathology must have a well-rounded undergraduate degree with a major in communication disorders or complete a set of prerequisite courses related to science and human communication prior to beginning the graduate program.
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 quarters of study to be admitted to full status and to be eligible for financial aid if available.
Prerequisites for Non-CSD Majors
If you currently have or will have an undergraduate degree other than in Communication Sciences and Disorders, you will be considered a “leveling” student, meaning that you need to take prerequisite courses before entering the Graduate Program.
The following chart lists the requirements you must meet prior to entering the graduate program. Column 1 provides the general requirement or names a specific course. You are likely to have fulfilled some of these requirements as part of your undergraduate program. If not, column 2 provides a suggested University of Cincinnati course that would fulfill it. Other classes may be substituted, particularly for the general biology, physical sciences or social/behavior sciences classes. Column 3 contains courses that may be taken through the internet.
* Other courses in this category may be accepted.
** Three quarter or two semester classes including diagnostics, therapeutic methods or any course in a specific communication disorder, e.g. articulation, child language disorders, may be substituted for the sum of all three courses.
Before beginning any of the prerequisite coursework, potential leveling students must complete, the CSD Leveling Initial Request Form and submit it one month prior to beginning any coursework. This is required for all leveling students. The form and any questions should be sent to Dr. Carney Sotto at sottocd@uc.edu. Failure to submit and complete this form on time may prevent you from registering for the prerequisite CSD courses. Students registering for prerequisite CSD courses without completing this form, will be administratively dropped from those courses.
It is helpful for students to make arrangements to complete 25 hours of observation before beginning the graduate program. Contact Mrs. Phyllis Breen at 513-558-8510.
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 quarter (we do not allow master’s students to begin the graduate program other than fall quarter). 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.
The leveling courses are offered at U.C. during fall, winter, spring, and summer quarters. These courses are generally offered between 8:00am and 5:00pm Monday through Friday.
Register for the prerequisite classes online through www.onestop.uc.edu. Information about course offerings called the Schedule of Classes, days, times, fees, registration dates, and answers to frequently asked questions is available at 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, contact the OneStop Center (556-1000 or www.onestop.uc.edu) to request a Basic Data Form (PDF) and a Registration Form (PDF). Both forms must be completed and returned to the Office of the Registrar for processing 24 hours before online web registration can occur. Both forms may be mailed or faxed to the Office of the Registrar, University of Cincinnati, P.O. Box 210060, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0060, Fax: (513) 556-5708 or delivered in person to the OneStop Student Service Center, 220 University Pavilion, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0091 where they will be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar.
NOTE: Our department may not offer all leveling courses during the summer quarter, so you are not likely to be able to complete these courses during the summer prior to entering into the graduate program. Students have the option of taking and completing these courses from UC on-site or on-line, or from other universities either on-site or on-line. All prerequisite courses must be completed prior to the start of graduate school fall quarter.
Some of the universities that may offer one or more of these courses on-line or on-site are Idaho State University, California State University at Northridge, Western Kentucky University, Ohio State University, LaSalle University, University of Akron, Longwood University, University of Northern Colorado. Other course providers may be found through the Internet.
Financial Assistance
The program has a number of University Graduate Scholarships that can be awarded to first-year students on the basis of quality of academic record. Students who do not receive scholarships during the first year of study are still eligible for scholarships during summer and the second year of study. International students who receive tuition grants and/or stipends must participate in the Oral English Proficiency Testing. In order to be eligible for financial aid, students must be enrolled for full-time study.