Admission

Minimum requirements for application to the MA-CSD graduate program:

1. Hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or a recognized institution in another country whose requirements for the bachelor's degree are substantially equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree.
2. Minimum grade requirements: 2.750 overall GPA and 3.000 GPA in the last 60 semester credit hours. Receive a grade that generates at least 2.000 credit points per credit hour in all prerequisite courses.
3. Three letters of recommendation (applicants can submit more than three).
4. Professional resume.
5. Completion of interview with program faculty/clinical supervisors, which will include--but not be limited to--an assessment of academic potential, motivation and commitment to the profession, and interpersonal and communication skills. Not all applicants will be offered an interview.
6. Applicants whose native language is not English must submit official scores for either the TOEFL, the academic module of the IELTS examination, or the PTE-Academic examination, taken within the last two years. No waivers are allowed. Minimum acceptable scores to be considered for admission are: TOEFL - 100 internet-based with a score of 23 or higher on the speaking portion; IELTS - an overall band score of 7.5; PTE-Academic - a score of 73.

To be considered for admission, the following steps must be completed by the published deadline:

1. Online application for admission to the WSU Graduate School, including upload of transcripts from all institutions attended. Applicants who received a BA or BS from Wichita State University only need to submit an unofficial transcript.
2. Application to the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS), including all transcripts, letters of recommendation and supporting documents.

Notes:

1. Application to the MA-CSD graduate program is extremely competitive, which means there are more applications submitted than positions offered each year.
2. The ability to meet the essential functions for students in the clinical speech-language pathology program is required (contact the program for more information).
3. Refer to the CSD department's website¹ for complete information.

Admission to the MA-CSD program is considered for students who have completed an undergraduate major in the area of speech, language and hearing disorders. Selected undergraduate or closely allied courses may be considered. Additionally, students with a degree from another field will be considered for admission after completion of prerequisite courses. Admission is for fall semester only. The deadline to submit a completed CSDCAS application is February 1 (11:59 p.m. CST). The Graduate School application, application fee and transcripts are also due by February 1.

Undergraduate students may request early admission to the MA-CSD program under the senior rule policy if they:

1. Meet the requirements for senior rule status as described in the Graduate School policies section of the Graduate Catalog;
2. Meet GPA requirements for senior rule status and have a 3.700 GPA in the last 60 credit hours; and
3. Provide three letters of recommendation from CSD faculty or clinical educators. Two letters from CSD faculty and one letter from a faculty member in a related academic area is acceptable.

Consult the department for an application packet. Early admission is contingent on faculty review of all application materials.

Applicants admitted to the MA-CSD program for the fall semester of each year will be required to complete a criminal background check, medical clearance, research training via the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program), and additional requirements prior to beginning the fall semester. Full details of these requirements will be sent to applicants following admission to the program.

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Program Requirements

The Master of Arts (MA) in communication sciences and disorders may be earned with an emphasis in speech-language pathology. This program requires students to complete 57 credit hours (thesis or nonthesis track) across five or six semesters. Prospective students with an undergraduate degree in another field should review the department website for details on prerequisite coursework ([1] undergraduate CSD courses and [2] ASHA-required foundational courses, namely, social/behavioral sciences, biological sciences, statistics and a physical sciences course taught by a department of physics or a department of chemistry). Please consult a CSD advisor prior to applying to the program.

A plan of study must be filed within the first year of the program. Transfer credit policies are listed in the appropriate section of the Graduate Catalog.

Students in the MA-CSD program must successfully complete HIPAA training annually. Please refer to departmental policies for details.

Successful completion of the program requires the following:

1. Satisfactory performance on all didactic and clinical evaluative measures as determined by program faculty, clinical educators and externship supervisors with at least a 3.000 GPA;
2. Satisfactory performance in completing a mentored research project (i.e., nonthesis project or thesis); and
3. A passing score on the department's summative assessment.

Further, students must enroll in a clinical practicum course every semester during the master’s program to complete the necessary clinical hours for graduation via supervised practicums at the WSU Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, hospital, school or other practice environment. To ensure that the placement will provide candidates the best clinical opportunities, the placement of the candidate may or may not be in the metropolitan area of Wichita. Although WSU has a number of sites established, the candidate may also independently seek placement for that experience. However, the final decision as to the suitability and location will be approved by the program faculty. A competency-based evaluation of the student’s performance will be made at regular intervals throughout the clinical experience.

Before graduation, students must have successfully completed a minimum of 400 clinical clock hours (at least 25 observation hours and at least 375 clinical hours) to satisfy requirements of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) for the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP) and must have demonstrated clinical competency in completing those hours as determined by both in-house and external clinical supervisors. Students must also have demonstrated knowledge and skills learning outcomes in compliance with ASHA standards for certification.

Students enrolled in the department’s clinical practicum courses are required to provide proof of medical clearance (see department for details) prior to the start of the course and to renew annually. Semester clinic fees will also apply. The cost of professional liability insurance coverage (not less than $1 million per single claim/$3 million aggregate per year) and general liability insurance coverage (not less than $1 million per single claim/$3 million aggregate per year) is included in the program fee. Students are required to obtain a criminal background check at their own expense as part of the clinical placements. Students should consult the beginning of the College of Health Professions section of the catalog for additional requirements which may be needed to participate in clinical settings. In addition, applications for external practicum placements must be made one year in advance and are subject to departmental approval.

Applied Learning

Students in the Master of Arts program are required to complete both an applied learning experience and a research experience to graduate from the program. The applied learning experience requirement can be met by successfully completing two external clinical practicums, specifically CSD 821 and CSD 823. The research experience requirement can be met by successfully completing the nonthesis option (three semesters of CSD 891) or the thesis option (one semester of CSD 891, one semester of CSD 895, and one semester of CSD 899).