Applying to the M.A. and Au.D. programs

Prerequisite requirements for admission to the Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology (M.A.) or Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) program include coursework in behavioral and social sciences, mathematics, natural science, human communication, language acquisition, phonetics, acoustics and/or speech science and an introductory course in human communication disorders. Most students have also completed additional introductory coursework in speech-language pathology and audiology.

Admission is based on academic performance, recommendations and a personal essay. Transcripts, scores and a completed application must be submitted in total prior to consideration for admission.

CSDCAS application

Important: Applications for the M.A. program must be submitted through CSDCAS (Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service).

Complete the CSDCAS M.A. program application

Within CSDCAS, applicants will be required to pay an application fee and submit:

• General application form
• Transcripts
• Personal statement/essay
• Contact information for three letters of recommendation

Wayne State University application

In addition, applicants to the M.A.program must complete Wayne State's graduate application.

Apply for admission

Application procedures and checklist for the M.A. and Au.D. programs

Important: Admitted students must begin the program in the fall semester. The department does not offer the option of beginning the M.A. or Au.D. program in the winter or spring/summer semester.

The department also offers limited student funding in the form of graduate student assistantships.

Step 1: Bachelor's degree

Deadline: Before the start of the graduate program.

Complete bachelor's degree in CSD or any B.A. with appropriate post-bachelor coursework.

Requirements

A bachelor's degree in speech pathology/audiology/communication disorders or a bachelor's degree in any area with appropriate CSD post-bachelor coursework is required.

Step 2: CSDCAS application

Deadline: January 15

Submit your application to CSDCAS.

Requirements

1. Application fee
2. Application form
3. Official transcripts (see details below)
4. Personal statement/essay (one to two pages) (see details below)
5. Three letters of recommendation/reference (see details below)

CSDCAS charges $125 for the first graduate program application and $50 dollars for each additional program (see fee schedule). The application to the CSDCAS Fee Assistance Program has to be submitted before application submission. See a list of speech-pathology and audiology graduate programs participating in the Communication Sciences & Disorders Centralized Application (CSDCAS). For assistance, visit the CSDCAS Applicant Help Center or contact 617-612-2030 or csdcasinfo@csdcas.org.

Step 3: Wayne State application

Deadline: January 15

Submit another application to Wayne State University Graduate School.

Requirements

1. Application fee ($50)
2. Application form
3. Official transcripts from all colleges/universities previously attended (see details below)

Note: You do not have to submit your personal statement or letters of recommendation to Wayne State University.

Step 4: Math requirement

Deadline: Before the start of the graduate program.

Complete a statistics course (for SLP M.A. program only).

Requirements

See statistics courses offered by our math department.

Step 5: For M.A. in SLP only – Altus Suite (admissions assessments of non-cognitive skills)

Deadline: January 15

To complete Altus Suite, visit TakeAltus.com to create an account and complete the following assessments: 

• Casper: 60 to 90-minute online, open-response situational judgment test (SJT) 
• Snapshot: 10-minute one-way video interview with standardized questions

Step 6: International Student application

Deadline: January 15

Requirements

Submit your TOEFL, TWE and SPEAK/TSE scores to Wayne State University (code: 1898). (See details below)

Step 7: Financial assistance

Deadline: See individual application forms (i.e., FAFSA).

Requirements

Apply for financial aid as necessary. See below for tuition costs, departmental graduate student assistantship (GSA), WSU Graduate Professional Scholarship (GPS) and other financial aid.

Au.D. program interview

An Au.D. interview will be held in the WSU CSD department in February, by invitation only.

Detailed application instructions and helpful hints

Please contact the communication sciences and disorders graduate admissions office at csdgradapplications@wayne.edu.

• Personal statement/essay

  A personal statement/essay is required. Please upload your personal statement to CSDCAS Centralized Application Service. The personal statement for audiology should be one to two pages long and should include a description of your career goals and your qualifications for graduate study in audiology. The personal statement for speech-language pathology should be one to two pages long and should be a response to the prompt listed on the CSDCAS site.

• Letters of recommendation/reference

  Three letters of recommendation/reference are required. At least two of these letters should be from academic faculty who can comment on your academic potential for graduate study. As part of your online application through CSDCAS Centralized Application Service, you must provide the names and contact information of three individuals for letters of recommendation/reference. The writers of your three letters will then be sent information that allows them to upload their letters online confidentially.

  All letters of recommendation/reference should be submitted to CSDCAS Centralized Application Service by January 15. All letters of reference should include the street address, email address and phone number of the letter writer. Important: We will not review your application unless we have all three letters by January 15. Submitting a fraudulent letter of recommendation/reference will result in your application being rejected.

• GRE scores

  Note: This is not required for the 2023 cycle for the SLP or Au.D. programs.

  GRE scores from within the past five years are required. If you have taken the GRE but have not had the test scores sent directly to WSU, you must contact the testing service and request that your official scores be sent to Wayne State University CSDCAS (DI code 0699). Important: If you have not taken the GRE yet, write the Wayne State University CSDCAS Designated Institution code (0699) on the test form when you take the GRE to request that your test scores be sent directly to the WSU communication sciences and disorders department.

  You must take the GRE prior to January 1 in order for the test scores to reach WSU before the January 15 deadline. For test information, visit Testing and Evaluation Services. For a schedule of GRE test dates, see the GRE site.

• International student application

  Official transcripts of TOEFL test battery scores (only required for international students who are non-native speakers of English) are required. The minimum scores acceptable for admission are:

  • TOEFL: 600
  • iBT: Score of 100
  • IELTS: Score of 7.5
  • Duolingo: Score of 130

  
  Official scores must be sent directly to Wayne State University (institution code 1898). All exams must be taken prior to January 1 to ensure receipt of the score report by the January 15 deadline. For test schedules and fees, see Testing and Evaluation Services at Wayne State University.

• Transcripts

  You must submit an official transcript from each undergraduate institution you have attended. All the transcripts have to be received by January 15. For admissions purposes, we consider both undergraduate GPA and communication major GPA. GPA is calculated based on your entire undergraduate record from all institutions attended. If you do not submit all of your official transcripts, we will be unable to review your application.

  The transcript from your current undergraduate institution must show your fall semester grades. You must submit all of your transcripts to two different places: 1) To CSDCAS; and, 2) To the WSU Office of Graduate Admissions. To ensure your official transcript is handled properly by CSDCAS, you must first list your school in the Colleges and Universities Attended section of your CSDCAS application.

  According to CSDCAS' instruction for sending transcripts, you should then print the CSDCAS Official Transcript Request Form and give this form to your Registrar's Office to include with your transcript when it is mailed to CSDCAS. At the same time, you should request a second copy for yourself to help you complete the online application. Transcripts must be sent directly from the Office of Registrars in your undergraduate institutions to these two locations.

  CSDCAS Transcript Processing Center
  P.O. Box 9113
  Watertown, MA 02471

  Wayne State University Graduate Admissions
  5057 Woodward, Suite 6304
  Detroit, MI  48202

  International transcripts

  All students with international transcripts must submit an official course-by-course transcript evaluation completed by World Education Services (WES). Please do not send any official academic records to WSU. The official course-by-course transcript evaluation must be transmitted directly from WES to the Office of Graduate Admissions.

• Grade point average

  Our department considers your entire undergraduate record and requires a minimum GPA of 3.0 for serious consideration for regular admission. The average GPA for accepted students is about 3.5 in the past few years.

• Undergraduate major

  Students entering the graduate program must have completed the undergraduate course requirements for admission to speech-language pathology or audiology. This can be accomplished by 1) graduating with an undergraduate degree in communication disorders and/or audiology and speech-language pathology; or 2) by graduating with a bachelor's degree in a different major and then completing pre-requisite courses as a post-bachelor student in our department at Wayne State University or at another institution.

  All applicants can apply for the graduate program while they are still completing these ASHA undergraduate required and CSD re-requisite courses, but they must finish these undergraduate courses before beginning the graduate program. Admission to the post-bachelor program does not guarantee admission to a graduate program in the CSD department. Interested students may contact the undergraduate/post-bachelor advisor. International students holding a three-year undergraduate degree must also contact the post-bachelor advisor.

• Financial resources

  Tuition costs

  Up-to-date tuition information can be obtained from the Wayne State University Office of the Registrar. Students from Michigan, select counties of Ohio (Fulton, Lucas, Ottawa and Williams) and the Canadian province of Ontario pay resident tuition rates (Ohio/Ontario Good Neighbor Policy). Students who reside in other areas are required to pay the non-resident tuition rate.

  Department graduate assistantships

  The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders may award a limited number of graduate assistantships each year. Each graduate assistant is required to work approximately 20 hours per week on department assignments. Awards are given on a competitive basis. To apply for a graduate assistantship, complete the one-page GA application and email it to the admissions coordinator at csdgradapplications@wayne.edu by January 15.

  University financial assistance

  Information regarding the Graduate Professional Scholarship can be obtained by contacting Graduate School. For the most up-to-date information on other university-sponsored awards and loans, please see the Office of Student Financial Aid.