The PhD program in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) has four tracks:

1. Bachelor’s to PhD with clinical track in speech-language pathology (SLP)
2. Bachelor’s to PhD with clinical track in audiology (Aud)
3. Bachelor’s to PhD nonclinical track
4. Completed SLP Master’s/Doctor of Audiology (AuD) to PhD track 

Admission

To be considered for admission, please submit the following, as well as the supporting documents listed below under minimum requirements for each track.

1. Application for admission to the WSU Graduate School, including official transcripts from all institutions attended.
2. Three letters of recommendation.
3. Statement of purpose.
4. Professional resume.
5. 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.

Additional Minimum Requirements for Application to the PhD Graduate Program Tracks

There are different minimum requirements for the different tracks in the PhD program. Please review these requirements before applying to a specific track. Admission to all of the tracks in the CSD PhD program is restricted to students whose abilities, experience and previous coursework indicate that they are likely to be able to complete the doctoral program successfully. It is expected that the applicant will have acquired sufficient knowledge in communication sciences and disorders to be prepared for entry into an integrated program of advanced study and research. Applications are reviewed on a continuing basis.

1. Bachelor’s to PhD with Clinical Track in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP)¹

   1. Hold a bachelor's degree with a major in CSD 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. If the student’s major was not in CSD, prerequisite undergraduate coursework as required for entry into the SLP master’s degree program (for SLP) or as determined by program faculty (for audiology) must be completed prior to application to the PhD program.
   2. Minimum grade requirements: 3.500 overall GPA and 3.600 GPA in CSD major coursework.
   3. Official scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within the last five years. 
   4. Following review of application documents, highly rated applicants will be offered an interview. Please note that this is an exceptionally competitive, low-acceptance program and not all applicants will be offered an interview.
   5. Completion of interview with program faculty/clinical supervisors, which will include (but is not limited to) an assessment of academic potential, professional goals, motivation and commitment to the profession, and interpersonal and communication skills.

2. Bachelor’s to PhD with Clinical Track in Audiology¹

   1. Hold a bachelor's degree with a major in CSD 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. If the student’s major was not in CSD, prerequisite undergraduate coursework as required for entry into the SLP master’s degree program (for SLP) or as determined by program faculty (for audiology) must be completed prior to application to the PhD program.
   2. Minimum grade requirements: 3.500 overall GPA and 3.600 GPA in CSD major coursework.
   3. Official scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within the last five years. 
   4. Following review of application documents, highly rated applicants will be offered an interview. Please note that this is an exceptionally competitive, low-acceptance program and not all applicants will be offered an interview.
   5. Completion of interview with program faculty/clinical supervisors, which will include (but is not limited to) an assessment of academic potential, professional goals, motivation and commitment to the profession, and interpersonal and communication skills.

3. Bachelor’s to PhD Nonclinical Track

   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: 3.250 overall GPA and 3.500 GPA in the last 60 credit hours.
   3. Official scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) taken within the last five years.
   4. Following review of application documents, qualified applicants will be offered an interview. Not all applicants will be offered an interview.
   5. Completion of interview with program faculty/clinical supervisors, which will include (but is not limited to) an assessment of academic potential, professional goals, motivation and commitment to the profession, and interpersonal and communication skills. 

4. Completed SLP Master’s/Doctor of Audiology (AuD) to PhD Track

   1. Hold a master’s degree in SLP or Doctor of Audiology degree from a CAA accredited program.
   2. Minimum grade requirements: 3.250 overall GPA and 3.500 GPA in the awarded graduate degree program.
   3. Official scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) taken within the last five years.
   4. Following review of application documents, qualified applicants will be offered an interview. Not all applicants will be offered an interview.
   5. Completion of interview with program faculty/clinical supervisors, which will include (but is not limited to) an assessment of academic potential, professional goals, motivation and commitment to the profession, and interpersonal and communication skills.

¹

Please note: This is an exceptionally competitive, low-acceptance program.

Program Requirements

Although some program requirements are common to all PhD tracks, each track also has specific program requirements that are detailed below.

Program Requirements for ALL PhD Tracks

All tracks require coursework and practica designed to build knowledge and skills as an effective researcher in CSD. All tracks include the following coursework: statistics and research design (12 credit hours); grant writing (1 credit hour); university teaching (2 credit hours); teaching practicum (1 credit hour); research practicum (3 credit hours); courses in area of expertise (12 credit hours at the 900 level); and dissertation research (12 credit hours, minimum). These courses total 43 credit hours.

Alternative courses than the ones listed above may be used with approval from the department.

Bachelor’s to PhD with Clinical Track in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP)

This track requires 57 credit hours in addition to the 43 credit hours for all PhD tracks, for a total of 100 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. Students in this track complete all requirements (both academic and clinical) for the Master of Arts (MA) in speech-language pathology and may be awarded the MA along the way to the PhD degree. Students are required to take three of the MA courses at the 900 level. Award of the MA degree occurs once the student has completed all academic and clinical requirements for that degree, as described in the Graduate Catalog. Students in this track also typically complete their Clinical Fellowship (CF) following the awarding of the MA degree (See American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for specific requirements for the CF). In addition, students will be required to complete a public-based presentation of a data-based project prior to master’s comprehensive exam.

Bachelor’s to PhD with Clinical Track in Audiology (Aud)

This track requires 88 credit hours in addition to the 43 credit hours for all PhD tracks, for a total of 131 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. Students in this track complete all requirements (both academic and clinical) for the Doctor of Audiology degree (excluding PHS 804), and may be awarded the AuD along the way to the PhD degree. Students are required to take three of the MA courses at the 900 level. Award of the AuD degree occurs once the student has completed all academic and clinical requirements for that degree, as described in the Graduate Catalog^.

Bachelor’s to PhD Nonclinical Track

This track requires 21 credit hours in addition to the 43 credit hours for all PhD tracks, for a total of 64 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. Students in this track complete 12 credit hours of foundational courses in communication sciences and disorders (to be determined by their doctoral committee), as well as a minimum of 9 credit hours of elective coursework at the 900-level, designed to deepen their knowledge and skills in their specific area(s) of specialization. In addition, students will be required to complete a public-based presentation of a data-based project prior to their PhD qualifying exam.

Completed SLP Master’s/Doctor of Audiology (AuD) to PhD Track 

This track requires 9 credit hours in addition to the 43 credit hours for all PhD tracks, for a total of 52 credit hours beyond the Master’s in SLP or Doctor of Audiology degrees. Students in this track complete 9 credit hours of elective coursework at the 900 level designed to deepen their knowledge and skills in their specific area(s) of specialization.

Note: For all tracks, a doctoral student becomes a candidate for the degree after passing the qualifying examination, which typically is taken during the semester the plan of study requirements (coursework) are completed (exclusive of dissertation hours). Doctoral candidates enroll in at least 2 dissertation credit hours each semester (including the semester of graduation). The final requirements for the PhD are the completion of original research, the dissertation and an oral defense.

Applied Learning

Students in the PhD in communication sciences and disorders program are required to complete an applied learning or research experience to graduate from the program. The requirement can be met by the completion of the required dissertation.