Application Requirements

Communication Sciences and Disorders Foundational Coursework

To apply to Speech@Emerson, you must hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline, from a regionally accredited university or college. If you did not study speech-language pathology (also known as communication sciences and disorders) during your undergraduate program, the Speech@Emerson program offers foundational courses online to help you prepare for applied graduate-level study.

If you have already taken foundational coursework, also known as prerequisite courses, at another institution, these courses and your grades will be reviewed when you apply to the program. All students are required to take and pass foundational courses (with a grade of “B” or better) before enrolling in applied graduate courses.

Coursework in Statistics and Basic Sciences

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certification standards for speech-language pathology require that all applicants for ASHA certification demonstrate undergraduate-level knowledge of statistics and the basic sciences. Applicants must show evidence of completion of courses in statistics and the basic sciences in order to begin their Clinical Fellowship and obtain professional certification. The program does not offer courses in statistics or the basic sciences. We strongly suggest that students complete these courses within their first year in the program. Please note the following required features of this coursework:

  1. These courses can be taken at any accredited institution within the United States and must appear on a transcript. Classes taken at the high school level are not eligible to meet this requirement, with the exception of advanced placement (AP) courses that appear for credit on your college/university transcript. Coursework from massive open online courses (MOOCs) is not accepted.
  2. These courses may be taken online and a lab component is not required.
  3. These courses must be worth a minimum of 3 credit hours each.
  4. You must earn a passing grade (C- or better) for these courses.

Possible content areas include:

  • Statistics. One stand-alone statistics course. Research methodology courses in a CSD program may not fulfill this requirement.
  • Biology. One biological science course, which could include the following content areas: general, cellular, molecular, neurobiology, cybernetics biology, bioscience, ecology, cytology, embryology, evolutionism, genetics, microbiology, morphology, physiology, radiobiology, or sociobiology.
  • Physical Science. (Physical science must be met through chemistry or physics). Must be met through chemistry or physics only. Possible content areas for physics include: basic principles of physics for non-majors, basic principles of mechanics, sound, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and energy. Content areas for chemistry include functional groups and important biological molecules, chemical principles in human or animal physiology (i.e., organic chemistry), atomic structure, chemical bonding, radioactivity, behavior of gases and solutions, behavior of acid and bases, and hydrocarbons.
  • Social or behavioral sciences. Possible content areas include: anthropology, ethnic and cultural studies, archaeology, economics, gender and sexuality studies, geography, political science, psychology, psychobiology, criminology, and cognitive science.

Applicants from the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Oregon will need to demonstrate that all basic science courses and foundational courses are complete in order to meet the 75 total credit hour requirement to satisfy the educational requirements for state licensure.

Find out more about which states the program operates in here.

In addition to the online application, you must submit the following to apply:

Official Transcripts

Official transcripts are required from any institution where you earned a bachelor’s degree, took general education courses, or took foundational courses. All non-US transcripts must be sent to an evaluation agency and should include a course-by-course evaluation, GPA, and degree equivalency.

All official transcripts should be submitted electronically through appsvcs@speech.emerson.edu or by mail to the following address:

Emerson College
Application Processing Center
Speech@Emerson
PO Box 30096 005-001
College Station, TX 77842

Please note: To be considered an official transcript, the transcript must be sent directly from your institution(s) or through an electronic transcript vendor retained by that institution. Unofficial transcripts may be accepted to receive an admissions decision. If admitted, students must submit official transcripts for all US degree-bearing schools where a bachelor’s degree was earned and schools with prerequisite courses.

Résumé

You must submit a current résumé that includes relevant professional and volunteer experience.

Letters of Recommendation

You must submit three letters of recommendation from people best able to assess your educational and professional qualifications for academic study and clinical work as a speech-language pathologist, including your motivations, goals, and clinical potential. We recommend that you reach out to your former professors, mentors, and supervisors to obtain letters that can speak directly to your potential for success in a rigorous academic program.

Essay

Emerson College’s graduate programs form a vibrant and engaged community of creative artists, professionals, scholars, and clinicians who all believe in the power of language and communication to transform society. Your careful responses to the following prompts will help us determine if the program you are applying to is the right fit for you. Please answer each prompt as thoughtfully as possible.

  • How does the focus and curriculum of the program to which you are applying align with your experience and goals? What particular aspects of your current and/or future work do you hope to develop while in graduate school? 250-500 words max.
  • Drawing on your personal, professional, creative and/or academic experience please share an example of a time that you overcame an individual or collective challenge and the approach you took to address that challenge. 250-500 words max.
  • The mission of Emerson College is the betterment of society through communication and the arts. With this in mind, what impact do you want your work to have? 250-500 words max.

The essay prompts must be included in the header of your essay before saving and uploading the file to your application.

Interview

An interview, which will be scheduled following the submission of your online application, is required for admission and will be scheduled by your admissions counselor. The interview will be conducted over video, recorded, and included in your completed application.

English Proficiency

Applicants whose native language is not English must provide evidence of English proficiency by submitting official TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, or Pearson test results.

Application Fee

The application fee for the program is $75, and it is nonrefundable.

Deferral Process

Admitted students may elect, once the non-refundable enrollment deposit is paid, to defer a start date for up to one calendar year from the term for which they were originally admitted. Please connect with the Admissions team with any further questions.

Re-apply Process

If an applicant is not admitted into the Speech@Emerson program, they must wait at least one year after the term that their original application was reviewed. For example, if a prospective student’s previous application was reviewed for September 2019, the earliest term they can reapply for is September 2020. This time period gives applicants the opportunity to strengthen their application before re-applying. Please reach out to the Admissions team with any questions.

Upcoming Deadlines

Speech@Emerson offers three cohorts throughout the year in January, May, and September. Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis. Applications are now being accepted for the May 2024 cohort:

September 2024 Cohort

Priority Deadline:
May 10, 2024

Final Deadline:
June 14, 2024

Classes Start:
September 2024

Take the Next Step

Apply now to take the next step toward becoming a speech-language pathologist with a Master of Sciences in Communication Disorders (M.S.).

Have questions? Request information and an admissions counselor will reach out to answer them.

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