FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT PRE-REQUISITES NECESSARY FOR ADMISSION TO THE MASTER S DEGREE IN COMMUNICATION SCIENCES & DISORDERS (SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY) 1. Do I have to have a Bachelor s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology? No. If you do not have a bachelor s degree in SLP or a related field like Speech & Hearing Sciences, you may be missing 2 things: undergraduate background courses and SLP pre-requisites. 2. What are undergraduate background courses? This is the background knowledge that the American Speech-Hearing-Language Association says you need to apply for the CCC-SLP (which you do at the end of your master s degree). These are courses like Physics, Biology, Statistics, Psychology, etc. ASHA requires at least 6 credits in Physical & Biological Sciences, at least one course in Statistics, and at least 6 credits in the Social & Behavioral Sciences. You must examine your undergraduate transcript to determine if you have these credits. See the table in this packet labeled Undergraduate Background Courses. Insert your courses into that table to determine if you meet the minimums. 3. What are pre-requisite SLP courses? These are sometimes called leveling courses. These courses are required to have the background speech-language pathology knowledge necessary to be successful in a master s degree program. Every university may require different pre-requisite courses. As of 2012, ECU requires the course content of 8 pre-requisite courses listed elsewhere in this packet. These must be completed with a B or better by the time you enroll in the master s degree programs in CSDI at East Carolina University. 4. How do I complete these courses? You need to find a university or universities that offers the same content as the courses we require. You do not have to complete these courses at ECU even if you want to go to ECU for our master s degree programs. Ultimately, you will provide transcripts from schools showing completion prior to your first enrollment at ECU in the MS program in CSDI. 5. If I take them at another school, will ECU accept them? If you want to take them elsewhere, you need to complete the Course Equivalency Form in this packet and email it with a scanned copy of your transcript, to masterscsdi@ecu.edu. You need to type the course descriptions for the courses you intend to take exactly as they are in the catalog of that university. We will review the course descriptions and let you know if they are equivalent to ECU s pre-requisite requirements. We may require that you provide a syllabus to us to further document the content of a course. You may have these courses reviewed PRIOR to taking them or after taking them. If you take a course and we did NOT review the course content, it may not be acceptable and you may have to repeat a course to be eligible to enroll in our MS programs. Pre-Requisite Information & Course Equivalency Forms Page 1 of 5
6. Can I take them from East Carolina University, Department of CSDI? If you would like to take the pre-requisites from us (online or campus) then we need a letter of intent clearly describing your goals, a GRE score less than 5 years old, and a copy of your unofficial transcript emailed to masterscsdi@ecu.edu on March 1 st at 9:00 AM EST. There are no exceptions to this paperwork requirement. Requests missing transcripts or GREs will not be honored. The first 20 (for online) and 5-10 (for campus) who email and meet our criteria are offered seats. Typically we have about 20 seats for the online pre-requisites and 5-10 seats in the campus pre-requisites. We typically receive 100+ requests for the pre-requisite courses. Email requests will not be accepted prior to March 1 st at 9:00 AM EST. Email requests received after March 1 will be placed on the waiting list, along with the people who did not get chosen on March 1 st. The seats are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Individuals must meet our criteria to be offered a seat and seats are offered in the order in which the requests are received. Complete information is available at www.ecu.edu/csd, then click on Distance Education, then Non-degree seeking students. NOTE: You do not officially apply to ECU as a non-degree graduate student until you are told by the Department of CSDI that you have been given a seat in our pre-requisite courses. See Item 7. We cannot refund application fees if you apply to the Graduate School too soon in the process. 7. If I am offered a seat, when will I take and finish the pre-requisites? If accepted on or after March 1 st, you will first be directed to apply online to the Graduate School as a non-degree graduate student. Do not do this step if you are not offered a seat! You will have to pay $70 and if we do not offer you a seat, you cannot get a refund. Once you are accepted officially by the university as a non-degree graduate student, then the department will enroll you in courses. Non-degree students cannot enroll themselves. There are 3 pre-requisites offered in Fall, 2 in the Spring, and 1 in the Summer. Therefore, if you apply March 1, you would take 3 courses the following Fall, 2 in Spring, and 1 in the Summer. Example: March 1, 2013 application means Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Summer 2014. This may change if we alter the schedule of when we offer classes. The March 1 st process is CSDI s internal process and it s only an email and it s free. NOTE: Taking the pre-requisites through CSDI/ECU does not guarantee admission to the MS programs. 8. If I am taking the pre-requisite SLP courses, when do I apply to graduate school at East Carolina University, Department of CSDI? You cannot enroll in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders master s degree programs until all pre-requisites are completed. You can apply while you are taking them, however. If you apply for the MS program and you have not completed your pre-requisites, and you are chosen for admission, you will be admitted conditionally. This means you must meet certain conditions before you are allowed to enroll in your first semester. The conditions will include that you show proof of completion (transcripts) of all your pre-requisite courses prior to the first day of school in the semester you begin. If you do not have the pre-requisites completed with a B or better, you will not be allowed to enroll. Your admission would be deferred for one year. We do not offer Spring or Summer enrollments; if you do not enroll in the Fall you are expected, then you would be allowed to defer to the next Fall while you finish the pre-requisites. The pre-requisites must be Pre-Requisite Information & Course Equivalency Forms Page 2 of 5
completed with a B or better or you will not meet the conditions of acceptance and you will not be allowed to enroll. Example: A student is taking the pre-requisites in Fall, 2012, Spring 2013 and Summer 2013. He would like to enroll in Fall 2013 for the master s degree. He would therefore apply by the deadline of January 15, 2013. If admitted, he would be a conditional admission and would have to show proof of completion of the courses with a B or better by Fall 2013 or he would be denied admission. NOTE: Having all of the pre-requisite courses completed does make an applicant more competitive in the applicant pool than someone who has only 2-3 completed, for example. 9. Can I take the pre-requisites online? Our online courses are designed for distance education purposes, so you must live at least 50 miles away during the entire time you are enrolled in the pre-requisite courses to continue to take them online. This is true for the master s degree, too. You must live at least 50 miles away from Greenville to be enrolled in our distance education online master s degree. If you move closer than 50 miles, you cannot continue in the DE program and will be admitted to the campus program only if there is a seat available. There is a request process for this. 10. Why do I have to take the GRE for the pre-requisites at ECU? We only offer these pre-requisite SLP courses to individuals who are likely to be admitted to graduate school. There is huge demand for the pre-requisite courses and seats in master s degree programs. We want to make sure that we are offering these seats to individuals who are likely to be admitted to graduate school and therefore, having a GRE requirement ensures that we choose students who are most likely to be admitted to a graduate program either at ECU or elsewhere. The GRE must be less than 5 years old and this requirement is not waived for anyone even if you have a master s degree in another field. This is also true when you apply to our MS programs. We will not waive the requirement for the GRE. Pre-Requisite Information & Course Equivalency Forms Page 3 of 5
East Carolina University Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Pre-Requisite Worksheet This form is intended for people who do not have a bachelor s degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders or Speech- Language Pathology who would like to apply to the master s degree programs in Communication Sciences & Disorders at East Carolina University. Using your undergraduate transcript, fill in courses in A.& B. to determine if you have undergraduate science courses as required by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) for their CCC- SLP credential. If you cannot fill in the minimums, then you would require these undergraduate courses prior to enrolling in a master s degree program. The next section lists the 6 courses ECU requires as speech-language pathology pre-requisites before enrollment in the master s degree program is allowed. These courses should be completed, preferably, prior to applying. If you are taking them during the application process, then your admission would be conditional upon successful completion of the courses with a B or better. UNDERGRADUATE BACKGROUND COURSES A. Biological/Physical Sciences (6 credits) and Statistics STATISTICS IS required!! Course Title University Term/Year S.H. Graduate B. Behavioral/Social Sciences (min. 6 s.h.) (Anthropology, Child Development and Family Relations, Gerontology, Health, Philosophy, Psychology, Rehabilitation Studies, Sociology, Social Work) SLP PRE-REQUISITES COURSES REQUIRED AT EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY 3010. Phonetics Applied phonetics using International Phonetic Alphabet and pertinent modifications. Detailed descriptions of American English speech sounds and transcription of contextual speech representing mainstream and non-mainstream dialects. Transcription abilities developed to assess and treat speech disorders. 3020. Language Development Normal acquisition and development of language from birth through preschool years, components of language, cognitive and communicative prerequisites, and language learning theories. 3040. Anatomy of the Speech and Respiratory Mechanism Anatomy of speech production mechanisms. Central and peripheral nervous systems, respiration, phonation, resonation, and articulation. 3045. Speech Science Physiology and acoustic correlates of speech production mechanism. 3050. Acquisition and Development of Phonology and Articulation Emphasis on birth to five years and critical periods through the early teen years. Content areas include birth cry, babbling, cross linguistic and universal patterns of acquisition, morphophonology, metaphonology, historical and contemporary normative data issues, and interrelation of normal phonological development with other areas of language growth. 4100. Introduction to Audiology Concepts related to normal hearing, causes and effects of defective hearing, and hearing testing procedures. 4110. Aural Rehabilitation Habilitation, rehabilitation of the hearing impaired as related to hearing aid use, speech-reading, auditory training, and total communication. Management philosophies related to children and adults. 4440. Neural Processing in Speech and Language Study of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology including current research of nervous system structures and functions important for speech and language. Critical analyses of current theories of the neurophysiology utilized in speech and language. Pre-Requisite Information & Course Equivalency Forms Page 4 of 5
COURSE EQUIVALENCY FORM If you have taken undergraduate pre-requisite courses in speech-language pathology and would like to determine if they are acceptable for the ECU Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders master s degree in speech-language pathology, please complete the table below. You must type verbatim the course descriptions from your university in the appropriate boxes. Please print, scan, and then email this form AND scanned copies of your unofficial transcripts from the universities to masterscsdi@ecu.edu. Only transcripts accompanied by this form will be reviewed and feedback provided to the student. Student Name: ECU Course number, name & Description CSDI 3010 Phonetics Applied phonetics using International Phonetic Alphabet and pertinent modifications. Detailed descriptions of American English speech sounds and transcription of contextual speech representing mainstream and non-mainstream dialects. Transcription abilities developed to assess and treat speech disorders. CSDI 3040 Anatomy, Physiology Anatomy, physiology, and acoustic correlates of speech production mechanisms. Central and peripheral nervous systems, respiration, phonation, resonation, and articulation. Your university name, Course number, Name, & Description (verbatim from the university catalog) CSDI 3045 Speech Science Physiology and acoustic correlates of speech production mechanism. CSDI 3020 Language Development Normal acquisition and development of language from birth through preschool years, components of language, cognitive and communicative prerequisites, and language learning theories CSDI 4100 Introduction to Audiology Concepts related to normal hearing, causes and effects of defective hearing, and hearing testing procedures. CSDI 4110 Aural Rehabilitation Habilitation, rehabilitation of the hearing impaired as related to hearing aid use, speech-reading, auditory training, and total communication. Management philosophies related to children and adults. CSDI 3050 Acquisition and Development of Phonology and Articulation Emphasis on birth to five years and critical periods through the early teen years. Content areas include birth cry, babbling, cross linguistic and universal patterns of acquisition, morphophonology, metaphonology, historical and contemporary normative data issues, and interrelation of normal phonological development with other areas of language growth. 4440 Neural Processing in Speech and Language Study of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology including current research of nervous system structures and functions important for speech and language. Critical analyses of current theories of the neurophysiology utilized in speech and language. Pre-Requisite Information & Course Equivalency Forms Page 5 of 5