Application Process

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Students who have completed all prerequisite courses, obtained 2 letters of recommendation, taken the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and written a narrative statement, may apply for admission to the Department of Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology master of science degree program through the Hunter College Graduate Admissions Office. Graduate Admissions accepts electronic applications. 

• February 1 is the deadline for admissions each year

• Letters of Reference:  it is suggested that applicants obtain at least 2 letters of reference from individuals who can speak to your potential of success in both our graduate program and in the profession of speech-language pathology. 

• Narrative statement: the admissions committee seeks candidates who have an excellent command of both written and oral communication. The narrative statement is the obvious choice for an applicant to not necessarily discuss how or why they wish to go into the field of speech-language pathology, but more about the contributions they hope to make to the field during graduate school and after, as professionals. Narrative statements are considered serious expressions of each candidate's ability to succinctly offer insight about themselves from a professional perspective.

• Prerequisite courses are important! The necessary prerequisite courses are set by the Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CFCC) which is a semi-autonomous credentialing body of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Their purpose is to lay a foundation of knowledge in communication sciences, physical sciences, biological sciences, social sciences, statistics and English. Clinicians applying for ASHA certification in speech-languge pathology must show proof of completing these requirements. As Hunter College is an accredited program, the CFCC depends on the department to verify completion of these prerequisites. Click here for the prerequisite worksheet. Note: you must enter the worksheet information on the ApplyYourself electronic admissions application. Failure to do so indicates an incomplete application and will be rejected.

Communication Sciences prerequisites include at least 3 credits in each of the following topic areas. Only a grade of "B" or better is accepted by Hunter College. Pass/fail courses are not accepted. Please note: because the following 5 courses are foundations courses in the field of Speech-Language Pathology, only applications with each of these courses completed will be considered:

• Introduction to language, language development, or introduction to linguistics
• Phonetics (American English with transcription)
• Anatomy and physiology of speech mechanisms
• Introduction to speech pathology (an overview course about the field of speech pathology)
• Introduction to audiology (an overview course about acoustics, anatomy & physiology of auditory system, hearing testing and rehab) 

In addition, according to CFCC/ASHA certification standards, clinicians entering the field must also complete include at least 3 credits in each of the following topic areas. Only a grade of "B" or better is accepted by the Department of Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology. Advanced placement (AP) will be accepted as long as the course is on an official college transcript, and, meets the topic requirment. Pass/fail courses and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) are not accepted by this department.

• Physical science in chemistry or physics (no lab is required)
• Biological science (biophysics, cell and molecular biology, computational biology, ecology and evolution, environmental biology, forensic biology, genetics, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biosciences, neurobiology, anatomy and physiology of the body, veterinary science and zoology)
• Statistics (psychological or mathematical statistics - must be a stand alone course, and not part of other coursework)
• Social sciences (a minimum of 6 credits are required for this area) courses include: psychology, criminology, anthropology, gender and sexual studies, and social economics
• English (intensive writing course)

Only a grade of "B" or better is accepted by the Department of Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology. Advanced placement (AP) will be accepted as long as the course is on an official college transcript, and, meets the topic requirment. Pass/fail courses and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) are not accepted by this department.

• All components and information in the application must be present and correct
• Each year, the applicant pool sets the acceptable GRE scores and grade point averages (GPA)

Prospective students whose native language is not English and who have completed all or part of their post-secondary education in a country where English is not the native language must possess the ability to read English with ease, understand rapid idiomatic English as used in lectures and group discussions and express thoughts quickly and efficiently in spoken as well as written English. Admission is offered only to those students who are fully prepared in English as demonstrated in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The TOEFL requirement is determined by your academic background and is not affected by your US legal status (US citizenship or US permanent residency do not exempt you from the TOEFL requirement)

The following minimum scores must be obtained:

Paper Based Test: 550
Computer Administered Test: 213
Internet Based Test: 60 (less speaking component)

Admissions to the Department of Speech-Language & Audiology master of science degree program is highly competitive with each applicant pool generating its own level of qualitative standards. Applicants are advised to ensure all components of their applications are accurate and contain correctly entered information.