Admission Requirements

Applying for the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology

The application deadline for fall 2026 admission is February 15, 2026

  • Two-year students should apply through CSDCAS directly.
  • Applicants with no speech-language pathology pre-professional background should apply for the post-baccalaureate three-year program through the Sacred Heart University graduate online application, and students who complete at least six of the eight online prerequisite series (OPS) courses may also use this route.
    • Both SHU internal and OPS students who have completed six courses will be given a preferential application status to our MS-SLP program. This status will guarantee them an interview to our program and eligibility for early admission, if they have met all application criteria for admission.

Admissions offers will begin as early as February 1 and will continue through April 1. After that date, students who have been interviewed and placed on a waiting list may continue to receive offers of admission through the first day of classes in August. However, to take advantage of our rolling admissions policy, it is to your advantage to apply as early as possible.

Admission Requirements

All Students

To be admitted to SHU’s graduate program in SLP, all students must:

  • Successfully complete all required prerequisites for the appropriate track by the end of the summer prior to enrollment in a graduate program
  • Hold a bachelor of science or arts degree from an accredited college or university
  • Have a minimum 3.0 cumulative and prerequisite GPA with no individual prerequisite course grade below a C

Other admissions requirements for all students include:

  • Application (see above for stipulations)
  • Nonrefundable application fee
  • Standardized test score report (no minimum score set)
    • Examples: GRE, SAT, ACT, Praxis
  • Two letters of recommendation from academic sources (professor or academic advisor)
  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Transcripts from all prior schools must be submitted for review, regardless of whether or not transferred courses appear on the current school transcript
  • Admission essay - respond to the Mission and Vision Statements of the Sacred Heart Department of Communication Disorders
    • Be sure to describe your personal views of inclusion and diversity and how they relate to your future clinical practice
    • Essay should be 500-1000 words
  • Successful interview with the Speech-Language Pathology Admissions Committee
  • In addition to the requirements already listed for all students, view additional requirements specific to your track

Tracks

  • Bachelor of science or arts degree with an overall GPA of at least 3.0
  • Documentation of 25 hours of observation of speech-language pathology practice by an ASHA certified SLP documented on the SHU observation form.
  • Successful completion of the courses below or their equivalents with no grade below C and a GPA of at least 3.0

General Science Prerequisites

  • Biological sciences | 3 CR (e.g., BI 103 or BI 111) 
  • Physical sciences | 3 CR  (e.g., PY 103 or CH 120) 
  • Statistics | 3 CR (e.g., MA 131)
  • Social/behavioral sciences | 3 CR (e.g., PS 110)
  • Child Development | 3 CR (e.g., PS 252)

Communication Disorders Prerequisites

  • CMD 200 Introduction to Communication Disorders | 3 CR
  • CMD 210 Phonetics | 3 CR
  • CMD 300 Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Swallowing | 3 CR
  • CMD 310 Introduction to Audiology | 3 CR 
  • CMD 320 Speech Science | 3 CR  
  • CMD 330 Development of Language | 3 CR   
  • CMD 340 Neurological Bases of Communication and Swallowing | 3 CR 
  • CMD 350 Introduction to Clinical Methods and Observation | 3 CR

No more than one CMD prerequisite may be repeated by any applicant.

Grades of pass or satisfactory will only be accepted for courses taken between January 2020 and August 2021.

To partially fulfill requirements of the State of Connecticut for endorsement as a school SLP, it is recommended that all students applying for the SLP graduate program complete a minimum of six semester hours of credit in professional education, prior to matriculation, in areas such as:

  • Foundations of Education
  • Psychology: e.g. Child, Adolescent, Developmental, Educational, or Cognitive Learning
  • Classroom Instruction and Management

The three-year track is designed for students who have not completed an undergraduate degree in communication disorders. Those admitted to the three-year track will complete the SLP prerequisites live, on-campus, full time, during the first year, and then progress to the graduate program for two more years.

In addition to the requirements already listed above for all students, applicants to the 3-year track must provide documentation of:

  • Bachelor of science or arts degree from an accredited institution with an overall GPA of at least 3.0
  • Successful completion of the following, general science prerequisites or their equivalents with no grade below C and a GPA of at least 3.0:
    • Biological sciences | 3 CR
    • Physical sciences | 3 CR
    • Statistics | 3 CR
    • Social/behavioral sciences | 6 CR

Students in the three-year track must complete the first year of pre-clinical coursework with a GPA of at least 3.0 in order to advance to the next level of the graduate program.

No more than six credits of SLP prerequisites (see requirements for two-year track, above) may be taken prior to applying for the three-year track. No more than one SLP prerequisite may be repeated by any applicant.

Students who would like to complete the SLP prerequisites online can enroll in the CMD Online Prerequisite Series (CMD-OPS). However, in contrast to the three-year track, entry into the CMD-OPS does not guarantee admission to SHU's SLP graduate program. If OPS students complete six or eight of the OPS courses prior to the time they apply for admission, they may be eligible for preferential application status (See above).