Traditional Students

These students have graduated from high school but have not yet entered college. For these students, the speech-language pathology curriculum is a 5-year professional program leading simultaneously to the baccalaureate and master's degrees.

Undergraduate Admission Requirements

Prospective undergraduate applicants must meet both Misericordia University's and the speech-language pathology department's admission criteria.

Misericordia University's general criteria for acceptance into an undergraduate program are:

  1. Evidence of the completion of 16 Carnegie Units, or evidence of a high school equivalency diploma.
  2. Results of either the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Testing (ACT) program.
  3. A letter of recommendation from the high school principal, a guidance counselor, or a teacher.

The speech-language pathology department includes additional admissions criteria. Traditional students entering the 5-year professional program must have the following criteria to be considered for acceptance into the speech-language pathology department:

  1. Preference will be given to students who have graduated in the top 1/3 of their high school graduating class or achieved a minimum combined SAT score of 1000 or the equivalent ACT score with a minimum 3.0 GPA.
  2. The student must provide an essay of no more than 500 words indicating why the student wishes to pursue a career in speech-language pathology.

Evidence of exposure through volunteerism or service-learning related to working with children and adults is highly desirable.

Graduate Admission Requirements

Graduate study begins in the fourth (traditionally the senior) year and continues through to the fifth year of study. For traditional students to advance to graduate study, certain prerequisite criteria must be met:

  1. Maintain an overall cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
  2. Receive a grade of "C-" or better in the undergraduate speech-language pathology courses.
  3. Successfully master all course objectives for all speech-language pathology courses taken prior to the senior year (first year graduate school).
    1. Students begin their speech-language pathology courses in their freshman year and will typically complete all undergraduate coursework by their junior year. Upon completion of each semester, the progress of each student in terms of which course objectives were and were not mastered during that semester will be reviewed.
    2. For any course objectives not mastered, the student will be given an assignment to assist them in mastering those objectives. Students cannot take graduate level coursework if they have not mastered all objectives.

Once criteria (1) through (3) above are successfully met, the candidate is automatically granted permission to commence to graduate study (i.e., there is no need for the student to make a formal application to graduate school).

Undergraduate Transfer Students

These students are individuals who have completed college-level courses either at Misericordia University or another institution of higher education, and who have a major other than speech-language pathology, but would like to major in speech-language pathology

Undergraduate Admission Requirements

Students who transfer into the program, either from another academic unit within the university or from another institution of higher education, also will be required to meet the department's admission criteria. Students will be required to meet Misericordia University's requirements for a baccalaureate degree by taking the necessary coursework to ensure compliance with the requirements. Please refer to undergraduate admission requirements for traditional students. A recommendation letter from a current professor may be substituted for a letter from a principal, guidance counselor, or teacher.

Graduate Admission Requirements

Please refer to graduate admission requirements for traditional students.

Post-Baccalaureate Majors

These students have earned a baccalaureate degree in communication sciences and disorders or speech-language pathology and are eligible for direct entry into the graduate program in speech-language pathology at Misericordia University.

Graduate Admission Requirements

Students who apply to the graduate program in speech-language pathology and possess a baccalaureate degree in communication sciences and disorders must meet the following departmental admissions criteria:

  1. A cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  2. GRE scores. In certain circumstances, however, the GRE requirement may be waived after consultation with the admission office.
  3. Original academic transcripts.
  4. Two letters of recommendation from professors or instructors in speech-language pathology.
  5. A type-written essay of no more than two double-spaced pages indicating why the student wishes to pursue a career in speech-language pathology.
  6. In addition to meeting the admissions requirement above, applicants for whom English is not their primary language must provide evidence of proficiency in the language. Evidence of English proficiency should be presented in the form of a minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

These individuals are admitted directly into the graduate speech-language pathology program. Students must provide evidence of meeting certain knowledge and skills outcomes obtained during their undergraduate studies. The knowledge and skills outcomes should be documented on the Knowledge and Skills Acquisition (KASA) form used by ASHA for certification purposes. Any student who cannot provide evidence of acquiring certain knowledge and skills outcomes will be required to reconstruct their undergraduate experience so that the KASA form can be completed accurately.

If you are a student about to earn a baccalaureate degree in communication disorders or speech-language pathology, you should contact the chair of your department to inquire about documenting your undergraduate studies using the KASA form from ASHA.

As of January 1, 2005, new ASHA certification standards have taken effect. These standards may require you to take additional coursework to meet the new standards. For example, candidates for certification will be required to show evidence of having completed courses in both the biological and physical sciences. If your undergraduate transcript does not show evidence of having taken a course in the physical sciences, for example, you would be required to take a course in the physical sciences to meet the new certification requirements. Any additional courses you may have to take to meet ASHA's certification standards can be worked into your schedule (e.g., many of the basic science courses are offered during the summer).

Post-Baccalaureate Non-Majors

These students have earned a baccalaureate degree in any discipline other than communication sciences and disorders (e.g., biology, communications, education, English, linguistics).

Graduate Admission Requirements

Students who apply to the graduate program in speech-language pathology and possess a baccalaureate degree in a discipline other than communication sciences and disorders or speech-language pathology must have the following admission requirements:

  1. A cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  2. GRE scores. In certain circumstances, however, the GRE requirement may be waived after consultation with the admissions office.
  3. Original academic transcripts.
  4. Two letters of recommendation.
  5. A type-written essay of no more than two double-spaced pages indicating why the student wishes to pursue a career in speech-language pathology.
  6. In addition to meeting the admissions requirement above, applicants for whom English is not their primary language must provide evidence of proficiency in the language. Evidence of English proficiency should be presented in the form of a minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

Before the candidate can begin graduate studies, he or she must successfully complete prerequisite undergraduate courses. These courses provide the individual with the appropriate framework and background in communication sciences and disorders so that he or she will be prepared to enter graduate study. To be granted entry into graduate study, the candidate must complete prerequisite under-graduate coursework with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00, and must have earned a grade of "C-" or better in each of the courses. For any course objectives not mastered, students will be given an assignment to assist them in mastering those objectives. Students cannot take graduate level coursework if they have not mastered all objectives.

Part-Time Students

These students have earned the baccalaureate degree in communication disorders or speech-language pathology and are working in the public schools.

Graduate Admission Requirements

Please refer to graduate admission requirements for post-baccalaureate majors.

Teacher Certification

Students who plan to work in the school system in Pennsylvania are required to obtain state teacher certification in speech and language disabilities. To be eligible for teacher certification, students must successfully complete the designated special education courses, SLP 300 - Speech-Language Pathology in the Schools class, the PRAXIS series exams (PRAXIS I and II tests; Teaching Speech to Students with Language Impairments test), a school fieldwork (supervised by a licensed speech-language pathologist who has the certificate of clinical competence), and other Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements (6 credits of Math; 6 credits of English - 3 American or British Literature and 3 English Composition; 3 credits of lab science). Students need to obtain a C or better in all classes and maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA. Students from states other than Pennsylvania will need to check the requirements with their state education departments. These students will also need to determine whether their states have reciprocity agreements with Pennsylvania.

Graduation

To graduate with the master of science degree in speech-language pathology, students must meet the following criteria:

  1. Complete all academic coursework.
  2. Complete all clinical practicum requirements.
  3. Pass a comprehensive examination or complete a thesis during the last year of graduate study.
  4. Show evidence of having taken the PRAXIS SLP

Students meeting criteria (1) through (4) above will be eligible for graduation. Traditional 5-year students and undergraduate transfers who have completed both the undergraduate and graduate curricula at Misericordia University will be granted both the bachelor of science degree in health sciences and the master of science degree in speech-language pathology. Students who have completed the graduate curriculum only (i.e., students who earned a baccalaureate degree prior to commencing graduate studies in the speech-language pathology program) will be granted the master of science degree in speech-language pathology.

Statement Concerning Program Accreditation

The master's program in speech-language pathology is accreditated by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. If students have additional questions about Misericordia University's ASHA accreditation status, they should contact the Accreditation Department at ASHA at (301)897-5700, X142. Students may also file grievances with ASHA's Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA). To learn about ASHA's grievance policy, students can go to the following link: www.asha.org

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Speech-language Pathology Major