Speech-Language Pathology, M.S.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for admission to the Master of Science in Speech Pathology must meet all admission requirements described in the Admissions Policies and Procedures section of this Bulletin for general unconditional admission to graduate school. Additionally, applicants are required to have a minimum 3.0 GPA both overall and within the last 60 hours completed in order to be considered for unconditional admission. Applicants not meeting these minimums may be considered for conditional admission if the cohort is not filled. The admission test required by the CSD Department is the Graduate Records Examination (GRE). The department does not have a minimum required GRE score for admissions, but a competitive score is encouraged. The CSD Department admits new full-time graduate students only in the Fall semester and limits enrollment to up to 25 new students each year. Applicants are reviewed according to several parameters that include GPA, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and successful completion of a personal interview with members of the CSD faculty. Visit the UM CSD webpage for a link to the external CSDCAS application portal where the application and procedural information can be found. Applicants will be notified by the CSD Department after the January application deadline (exact date posted on the departmental website) regarding scheduling an interview if deemed warranted.

Application Process

Applications are to be submitted through CSDCAS at https://csdcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login

• If you have, or will have, a completed bachelor’s degree in communication science & disorders, Speech-Language Pathology, or Speech/Hearing Sciences you will apply to the M.S. SLP Traditional track on CSDCAS.
• If you have, or will have, a completed bachelor’s degree in a field other than CSD, SLP, or Speech/Hearing Sciences you will apply to the M.S. SLP Non-background track on CSDCAS.

Application requirements for the Speech-Language Pathology master’s program are:

• One (1) official transcript each from ALL colleges/universities attended sent to CSDCAS Verification Department, P.O. Box 9113, Watertown, MA 02471
• Official GRE test scores. Scores must be sent to CSDCAS using the Code 2345. Scores sent to the University of Montevallo will not be counted toward a completed application.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 overall and a minimum GPA of 3.0 on the last 60 hours completed. Applicants not meeting the minimum GPA requirement may be considered for conditional admission if the cohort is not filled.
• Three (3) recommendation forms. Any exceptions to the credentials of the reviewer (listed below) must be preapproved by Dr. Claire Edwards, the Graduate Program Coordinator.
  • CSD, SLP, or Speech/Hearing Sciences Majors: These forms are to be completed by faculty/staff members in CSD who directly taught, advised, or supervised the applicant.
  • Degree in a field not listed above: These forms are to be completed by faculty/staff members within the applicant’s field of study who directly taught, advised, or supervised the applicant. All supporting documents must be received by CSDCAS before the January deadline. The exact deadline each year will be posted at the UM CSD webpage but will always be in January. Failure to comply with these instructions will result in an incomplete application.

**While the University of Montevallo does not require an application fee for our program, CSDCAS does have fees for use of their services. Information about those fees can be found on CSDCAS’s webpage.

A personal interview may be required as part of the admissions process. Applicants will be notified by the program after the January deadline regarding scheduling of an interview if deemed warranted.

If you experience problems or have questions regarding the admissions process, contact:

• CSDCAS Customer Service: (617) 612-2030 or csdcasinfo@csdcas.org
• Allison Thomas, Graduate Admissions Assistant: (205) 665-6510 or athoma24@montevallo.edu
• Dr. Claire Edwards, Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator: (205) 665-6724 or edwardsc@montevallo.edu

Admissions Categories

Applicants with a degree in CSD are considered traditional applicants. A limited number of applicants without undergraduate degrees in CSD will be considered for nontraditional admission. Applicants in this category hold undergraduate degrees in other disciplines and either (A) have some CSD coursework, or (B) have no CSD coursework.

A. Applicants with undergraduate degrees in other disciplines who have coursework in CSD may apply to the traditional 2-year M.S. Speech-Language Pathology program under the following conditions:

1. Applicants must apply and meet the same requirements as the CSD-background applicants.
2. Applicants must complete 25 hours of clinical observation prior to entry into the M.S. program at UM. Students are encouraged to enroll in CSD 463 Clinical Observation.

3. Applicants must ultimately complete 8 courses and show evidence of completing of the 25 observation hours. As differentiated below, some classes may be completed concurrently with the M.S. degree. Courses not falling into the exact parameters will be evaluated for approval by the Program Coordinator and Department Chair. Applicants must provide evidence that they have successfully completed or are currently enrolled in the following coursework in CSD by the application January deadline of the application year (exact date posted on the website).

CSD 253 Phonetics
CSD 291 Normal Language Development
CSD 380 Anatomy & Physiology of Speech
CSD 393 Language Disorders
CSD 394 Articulation and Phonological Disorders (Speech Sound Disorders)

CSD 411 Audiology

CSD 471 Aural Rehabilitation

CSD 475 Speech Science

 

B. Applicants with degrees in other disciplines with limited or no coursework in CSD may apply to the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology program through the 3-year non-background program under the following conditions:

1. Applicants must apply and meet the same requirements as the CSD background applicants.
2. If a non-background student is accepted and enrolls, the student is considered a graduate student and is thus subject to all rules and regulations of the graduate level while taking the 2 semesters of undergraduate pre-requisite courses. Students who do not maintain a 3.0 GPA while taking the pre-requisite courses will be placed on academic warning, consistent with the graduate school policies.
3. The undergraduate pre-requisite coursework for non-background students (passed with a C or better) is as follows:

CSD 253 Phonetics
CSD 291 Normal Language Development
CSD 380 Anatomy & Physiology of Speech
CSD 393 Language Disorders
CSD 394 Articulation and Phonological Disorders (Speech Sound Disorders)

CSD 475 Speech Science

 

Applicants must complete the following courses before completing the MS SLP:
CSD 411 Audiology
CSD 471 Aural Rehabilitation

Applicants in either non-background categories may be asked to provide additional information to be considered for admission. If the pre-requisite coursework is not passed with a C or better, the applicant will not be allowed to start the traditional 2-year program.

The CSD graduate program provides all academic and practicum requirements leading to the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and state licensure by the Alabama Board of Examiners in Speech Pathology and Audiology (ABESPA). Students who wish to apply for an Alabama Class A teacher certification to work in the public schools would seek certification through the public school system at the time of employment. The UM SLP MS program is not provided as part of a teacher certification program and thus the University cannot issue teaching certificates to graduates of the program. Students who wish to apply for teacher certification in another state may be subject to additional requirements not met through this program. 

Degree Requirements for Graduate SLP Students

1. The Master of Science degree in SLP requires that the student satisfactorily complete an integrated program with a minimum of 75 semester hours (including combined undergraduate and graduate courses). The Master of Science (non-thesis) program includes 39 graduate hours of required coursework plus 17 hours of clinical practicum. (Specific coursework and practicum categories follow.) The Master of Science thesis program includes 39 graduate hours of required coursework, up to six thesis hours, and 17 hours of clinical practicum. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in the graduate program in order to remain in the program and complete the degree.
2. Following is a listing of academic coursework and clinical practicum requirements:

Academic Coursework: 75 semester credit hours (SCH)

A. Basic Science Coursework/Basic Sciences
Transcript credit for each of the following areas: biological sciences, chemistry or physics, social/behavioral sciences, and statistics

B. Basic Human Communication Processes
Must have knowledge of basic human communication and swallowing processes, including their biological, neurological, acoustic, psychological, developmental, and linguistic and cultural bases. Must have undergraduate speech and hearing transcript credit.

C. Professional Coursework
Must demonstrate knowledge of the nature of speech, language, hearing, and communication disorders and differences and swallowing disorders, including the etiologies, characteristics, anatomical/physiological, acoustic, psychological, developmental, and linguistic and cultural correlates. Specific knowledge must be demonstrated in the following areas:

• articulation
• fluency
• voice and resonance
• receptive and expressive language in speaking, listening, reading, writing, and manual modalities
• hearing and the impact on speech and language
• swallowing
• cognitive aspects of communication
• social aspects of communication
• communication modalities

3. Supervised Clinical Observation and Practicum: 400 clock hours (CH)
4. Clinical Observation (25 CH)
5. Clinical Practicum (375 total CH)
6. 325 CH at graduate level in SLP
7. Graduate SLP students must pass the departmental comprehensive examination for graduation with the M.S. degree. Students typically take this examination during the Fall semester of their second year of the program. Students in the thesis program submit an accepted thesis in lieu of taking a portion of comprehensive exams. Meeting these requirements in a timely manner helps to ensure that students will meet the expected May graduation date.

Available Graduate Tracks

There are two tracks available for Speech-Language Pathology graduate students in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders.

Non-Thesis Track
Non-Thesis Track is available for students interested in pursuing a professional career in Speech-Language Pathology. Students in the Non-Thesis Track are required to complete comprehensive examinations taken during the semester before the final externship.

Thesis Track
The Thesis Track is available for students who may be interested in research in communication disorders and/or interested in pursuing a doctorate in Speech-Language Pathology or a related field. In addition to the thesis, students in the thesis track will be required to complete a portion of the comprehensive examinations.

Additional Information

For additional information, visit the Program’s website by clinking here.