Eligibility
Students who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders (including a course in Speech Science) with a GPA of 3.0 are eligible to apply for our graduate program. Students with a Bachelor’s degree in a different field should see “What if I don’t have a CSD major?” below.
Before entering the program, all students must have completed a course in each of the following areas. These are usually taken as part of the undergraduate general education requirements. On a case-by-case basis, it may be possible to take one of these courses while enrolled in the graduate program. For more information about ASHA certification standards for these content areas, see Standard IV-A.
- Statistics
- Biological Sciences
- e.g., biology, anatomy, genetics.
- A CSD-specific anatomy and physiology course will not count towards this requirement.
- Physical Sciences
- physics or chemistry
- Social/Behavioral Sciences
- e.g., psychology, sociology, anthropology.
What if I don’t have a CSD major?
Exceptional students who do not have a CSD major can choose to 1) apply for conditional admission to the graduate program and, if accepted, complete the required core courses as a conditionally-admitted graduate student, or 2) enroll as a non-degree seeking undergraduate student at the University of Mississippi or elsewhere and apply for the graduate program while completing the required core courses or their equivalents.
Required core courses for non-CSD majors
- CSD 205 (Anatomy and Physiology)
- CSD 211 (Phonetics)
- CSD 216 (Normal Language Development)
- CSD 351 (Audiology)
- CSD 452 (Speech Science)
- CSD 495 (Clinical Science)
- 6 additional credits focusing on disordered speech or language, e.g.
- CSD 301 (Speech Sound Disorders)
- CSD 316 (Atypical Language Development)
- CSD 356 (Aural Rehab)
- CSD 405 (Voice and Fluency)
Additionally, students must take a course in each of the following areas, if they did not already do so as part of their Bachelor’s degree.
- Statistics, Social Science, Biological Science, Physical Science (Physics or Chemistry)
Option 1: Conditional admission to the graduate program
Conditional admission into the graduate program may be granted to exceptional students who did not complete a CSD major or complete core leveling courses elsewhere if they are otherwise competitive with our applicant pool.
Conditionally-admitted students will complete the required core courses over a year. This may require taking summer and/or winter courses. When necessary, conditionally-admitted students will be able to take prerequisite courses as co-requisites.
Conditionally admitted students must achieve a GPA of 3.75 in the core courses in order to continue into the graduate program.
Before applying, please contact the department chair or graduate program coordinator to determine your eligibility and if this is the best plan for you.
Option 2: Non-degree seeking undergraduate students
Any student can enroll at the University of Mississippi as a non-degree-seeking undergraduate student and apply for the graduate program while completing the required core courses. Students enrolled as a non-degree-seeking undergraduate should be aware that they will not be allowed to take prerequisite courses as co-requisites. It may therefore take up to two years, including summer and winter courses, to complete the required core courses. Note the following prerequisite requirements.
- 205 is a prerequisite for 452 and 351
- 211 is a prerequisite for 301
- 216 is a prerequisite for 316
- 301, 316, and 351 are prerequisites for 495
Students may also choose to complete the required core courses elsewhere. Equivalency between courses offered elsewhere and our required core courses will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Note: Coursework from massive open online courses (MOOCs) is not accepted. Examples of MOOCs include, but are not limited to: Educause, MOOC.org, edX, Coursera, and Khan Academy.
Learn more about Prerequisite Course Content Areas Related to SLP Certification Standards.