Postbaccalaureate curriculum in communication sciences and disorders

Wayne State's postbaccalaureate curriculum in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) is a non-degree/certificate path for students interested in speech-language pathology or audiology, who currently hold a four-year degree in some field, but do not have their undergraduate degree in the discipline. These students are interested in obtaining their master's degree but need additional coursework before applying to our graduate program.

This curriculum offers the opportunity for students who have a degree in a field other than communication sciences and disorders to complete the academic requirements needed to apply for admission to an M.A. or Au.D. graduate program at Wayne State or another institution.

Important: Completing the CSD postbaccalaureate curriculum does not lead to a second bachelor's degree or certificate and does not guarantee admission to WSU's M.A.-SLP or Au.D. program.

Postbaccalaureate curriculum in communication sciences and disorders requirements

Post-bachelor courses are not required for students applying only to the Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) program.

  • ASHA general education

    Students who plan to pursue an M.A. in speech-language pathology or doctor of audiology (Au.D.) degree and the ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology (CCC-A) or Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) must complete undergraduate general education courses that meet the ASHA requirements below.

    Only courses appearing on the student's official transcript will be counted as meeting ASHA requirements.

    • College mathematics: Three semester hours (STA 1020 or equivalent required for WSU graduate programs)
    • Biological sciences: Three semester hours
    • Physical sciences: Three semester hours
    • Behavioral-social sciences: Six semester hours
  • Au.D. postbaccalaureate pre-requisite coursework

    The Au.D. program requires a bachelor's degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0. Currently the department does not require any specific prerequisite courses to qualify for the AuD program.

  • Au.D. advanced coursework

    The Au.D. program requires a bachelor's degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0. Currently the department does not require any specific prerequisite courses to qualify for the AuD program.

  • SLP pre-requisite foundational coursework
    Course Title Credits Fall Winter Spring/summer Prerequisites
    SLP 5080 Phonetics 3 WSU WSU   N/A
    SLP 5090 Anatomy & Physiology of the Speech Mechanism 3 WSU   WSU N/A
    SLP 5300 Introduction to Speech-Language Pathology 3 WSU WSU   N/A
    AUD 5400 Introduction to Audiology 3 WSU WSU   N/A
    SLP 5320 Normal Language Acquisition 3 WSU WSU   N/A
  • SLP pre-requisite advanced coursework

    It is departmental policy that a student may earn one grade of "C" or below in the CSD foundation courses (SLP 5300, 5320, 5080, 5090, and AUD 5400). If two or more grades of "C" or below are earned, students will not be allowed to register for advanced coursework or declare CSD as a major. Students must also have and maintain an overall GPA of 2.75 and a major GPA of 3.0 to register for advanced coursework in any given semester.

    Course Title Credits Fall Winter Spring/summer Prerequisites
    SLP 5120 Speech Science 3 WSU WSU   SLP 5080; 5090
    SLP 5310 Clinical Methods 3 WSU WSU WSU SLP 5080; 5090; 5300; 5320
    SLP 6460 Language and Phonological Disorders 3 WSU WSU   SLP 5080;5300; 5320
    SLP 6480 Organic Disorders 3 WSU WSU   SLP 5090,5300, 5320
    AUD 5420 Introduction to Aural Rehabilitation 3   WSU WSU AUD 5400

Coursework

For inquiries related to non-degree coursework, please contact Faith Doyle (faith.doyle@wayne.edu).

Entry-level degrees for clinical practice

To be employed as a certified speech-language pathologist or audiologist in any work setting, students must obtain a graduate degree in speech-language pathology or audiology:

All places in these graduate programs are filled on a competitive basis. However, the department's postbaccalaureate coursework will provide students with the academic prerequisites to apply to other graduate programs in Michigan and nationwide. See ASHA's EdFind service for a complete listing of programs offering degrees in audiology and speech-language pathology.