Admission Requirements
Application Procedures
Admission Decisions
Frequently Asked Questions
Materials Required

Applicants must meet the admissions requirements of both the Graduate School and the Department of Communication Disorders. A cumulative undergraduate degree GPA of 3.0 or higher is required for admission to the Graduate School. In order to be considered for admission, you must have either a Bachelor’s Degree in CMD or have completed both ASHA Pre-Requisite Coursework and Pre-Professional Coursework for the SCSU CMD Graduate Program. For questions about required coursework, please reach out to our undergraduate program coordinator, Dr. Kelly Mabry, prior to submitting your application.

Please note: In order to apply to our program you must complete an application in BOTH CSDCAS and in the SCSU Graduate Application Portal.

In order to apply to the Master of Science program in Speech-Language Pathology, you must complete applications in BOTH the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application (CSDCAS) and Southern Connecticut State University’s Graduate Application Portal. It is the responsibility of the applicant to make sure ALL required documents have been received in both CSDCAS and the Graduate Application Portal by the deadline. Applications not completed by the deadline will not be reviewed by the Admissions Committee.

GRE scores are NOT a requirement of the admissions process. However, standardized test scores (SAT, ACT, GRE, or PraxisCore) must be submitted to the SCSU Graduate Application Portal in order to meet the CT State Department of Education Teacher Certification requirements.

It is important that you review BOTH of the application procedures below to ensure your application is complete.  Please note, the two applications are separate portals, therefore, official transcripts must be separately submitted to both CSDCAS and the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

CSDCAS Application Process

Create an account, complete application materials in CSDCAS. Please read the directions outlined in CSDCAS carefully in order to complete your application.

Submit to CSDCAS:

• Official undergraduate and graduate degree transcripts from all colleges or universities attended.
• A resume, no more than 2 pages. See details in the CSDCAS portal.
• A 250-300 word well-written essay. See prompt in the CSDCAS portal.
• A brief, 2 minute video essay. See prompt in the CSDCAS portal.
• Three letters of recommendation (LORs). Chosen recommenders should be able to speak to the applicant’s potential for success as a graduate student, as a professional in the field of speech-language pathology, or both. Faculty and/or direct supervisors of work in a related field with whom you have an established relationship are good choices for appropriate recommenders. Please be advised that if you choose to submit more than three letters of recommendation, the Admission’s Committee will only review the first three LORs listed in your application.
• Foreign transcripts from WES. (International students only).
• GRE scores are not required. However, standardized test scores (SAT, ACT, GRE, or PraxisCore) must be submitted to the SCSU Graduate Application Portal to meet the CT State Department of Education Teacher Certification requirements.

SCSU Graduate Application Process

Submit the SCSU Graduate School application and fee via online submission. Once the Graduate Application is submitted, applicants will be given access to the Graduate Application Portal and will be responsible for submitting required materials to the Graduate School. Applicants MUST check the Graduate Application Portal to make sure all materials have been processed by the Graduate School. If you have any questions, please contact the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Submit to the Graduate Application Portal:

• Official undergraduate and graduate degree transcripts from all colleges or universities attended. Unofficial transcripts will not be accepted. Transcripts can be submitted electronically to:  graddocs@southernct.edu or mailed to the Graduate School at:  501 Crescent Street, Buley Library, Rm 444, New Haven, CT 06515
• Standardized test scores, either ACT, SAT, GRE, or PraxisCore, must be submitted to the SCSU Graduate Application Portal to meet the Connecticut State Department of Education Teacher Certification requirement. Please use SCSU’s code 3662 when submitting scores. Note: Scores currently do not have an expiration date for this requirement.
• Proof of English proficiency (see Graduate Catalog) and WES or ECE transcript evaluation (course-by-course) (INTERNATIONAL transcripts only).
• Please note, when viewing your status online, if you are enrolled in a Bachelor’s Program at the time of applying, your file will indicate an outstanding requirement for proof of Bachelor’s Degree.  This is expected if you have not completed your degree. Your file will be reviewed as complete if this is your only outstanding requirement.  If you are accepted into the program, you will need to submit an official transcript showing proof of degree no later than two weeks prior to the start of the fall term.

PLEASE FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FOR DOCUMENT SUBMISSION OUTLINED ON CSDCAS AND THE GRADUATE ADMISSION WEBSITE. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH APPLICANT TO REVIEW CSDCAS AND THE GRADUATE APPLICATION PORTAL TO VERIFY THAT ALL REQUIRED MATERIALS ARE RECEIVED BY THE DEADLINE.

Admissions decisions are made on a competitive basis. By April 1, an email will be sent notifying applicants a decision has been posted within the Application Portal.  Once logged in, they will see an official decision letter indicating that they have been accepted, wait-listed or denied acceptance to the program. Accepted students have two weeks to reply before their admission status will be revoked. Letters of acceptance or rejection will then be posted in the portal for wait-listed applicants.

Do I need to have an undergraduate degree in Communication Disorders in order to apply to the Master’s Program?
You must either have an undergraduate degree in Communication Disorders or have completed both ASHA Pre-Requisite Coursework and Pre-Professional Coursework listed on for the SCSU CMD graduate program outlined here.  For any questions about required coursework, please reach out to our Undergraduate Coordinator, Dr. Kelly Mabry (mabryk1@southernct.edu), to create a personalized plan PRIOR to applying to our graduate program. Please note: Federal financial aid may not be awarded for undergraduate courses taken while enrolled as a graduate student.

Do I need to submit GRE scores as part of the application process?
No, GRE scores are not required, however, submission of standardized test scores is necessary for the Connecticut State Department of Education requirements for school certification.  In order to meet this requirement for admission, standardized scores from the GRE, PRAXIS Core, ACT, or SAT must be submitted as part of the application process to the Graduate School Application.  Scores do not have an expiration date for this requirement.

Do I need to submit the PRAXIS® Core, formerly PRAXIS® I, SAT or ACT scores?
No, however, submission of standardized test scores is necessary for the Connecticut State Department of Education requirements for Special Services Endorsement. All students complete clinical placements in a public school system, so all students must meet the University’s requirements for school certification. Standardized scores from the GRE, PRAXIS Core, ACT, or SAT are acceptable. Scores do not have an expiration date for this requirement.

Is there a minimum undergraduate GPA required in order to be considered in the admissions process?
The minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA to be considered is 3.0, however, the average cumulative GPA of the incoming class is often higher than 3.5.

Is the Master’s Program in Speech Pathology a full time program?
The Graduate Program in the SCSU Department of Communication Disorders is a full-time program and requires students to take a minimum of 9 – 12 credits per semester to successfully complete all 63 – 66 required credits within 5 semesters. Students enrolling in our program will want to be aware of the time and effort required to successfully engage in the academic and clinical experiences. If you have any questions about this expectation, please reach out to our Graduate Program Coordinator, Dr. Barbara Cook, at cookb5@southernct.edu.

*  Note: In order to meet the Department of Education requirements for Certification, one standardized score (SAT/ACT/PraxisCore or GRE) must be submitted to the Graduate School. Per the Associate Dean of the School of Education who manages this requirement, there is no expiration of the exam scores.