Enrollment in the Master of Science program is limited to approximately 26 students for MedSLP, 26 students for EdSLP, and 4 students for CoreSLP each year, and the application process is competitive. Candidates must meet the following entrance requirements to apply and should also review the UW Graduate School Admissions Requirements before applying.

1. Essential Functions of Speech & Hearing Sciences Graduate Education

The University of Washington Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences and the Master of Science degree programs in speech-language pathology are responsible for ensuring that holders of the M.S. degree have been educated to competently implement a broad spectrum of speech-language pathology care across a variety of practice settings and clinical situations, to apply for licensure in the state of Washington, and to apply for certification through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

As an accredited speech and hearing sciences program, the University of Washington curriculum for the M.S. program adheres to the standards and guidelines of the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. The education of speech-language pathologists requires the assimilation of knowledge, acquisition of skills, and development of critical thinking and judgment through patient/client care experiences in preparation for an entry-level, independent and semi-autonomous practice. The practice of speech-langauge pathology emphasizes collaboration with the patient/client, their families and caregivers, and other healthcare and educational professionals.

The curriculum leading to the M.S. in speech-language pathology requires students to engage in diverse, complex, and specific experiences essential to the acquisition and practice of essential speech-language pathology skills and functions. Students must possess certain skills and abilities to successfully complete both the academic and clinical components of the curriculum with or without reasonable accommodations for disabilities. Unique combinations of abilities in these five areas are required to satisfactorily perform these functions: 1) intellectual-cognitive, 2) communication, 3) motor, 4) sensory-observational, and 5) behavioral-social abilities. In addition to being essential to the successful completion of the M.S. requirements, these functions are necessary to ensure the health and safety of patients/families, fellow students, faculty, and other professions with whom we interact.

The five areas of essential functions necessary to acquire or demonstrate competence in a discipline as complex as speech-language pathology, and needed for successful admission and continuance by candidates for the M.S. at the University of Washington in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, in addition to the standards of behavior and academic conduct set forth in the UW Student Conduct Code, are outlined in the Department’s Essential Functions document.

The purpose of the Department’s Essential Functions document is to clearly outline for prospective candidates the technical standards and requirements for the M.S. degree program and profession of speech-language pathology. These technical standards exist in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination against qualified candidates with a disability who can meet the essential requirements of a program with resonable modifications of policies, practices and services. Accepted students are required to acknowledge and sign the Department’s Essential Functions document prior to entering the program. Thus, all applicants should carefully review these essential abilities before completing the admissions materials. If there are questions, please reach out to our graduate advisors right away and/or the UW Disability Resources for Students Office.

2. Citizenship & Visa Status

The Graduate School and department accept applications from U.S. citizens, permanent residents (green card holders), immigrants and international applicants. Graduate School admission requirements and application procedures are the same for all applicants regardless of residency, citizenship and visa status.

International students must have a visa status that allows academic study at the UW. This status includes temporary U.S. visas such as F-1 student visas, J-1 exchange visitors, H-1 temporary worker, dependent visas or any other non-immigrant classifications. Students who will study on an F-1 or J-1 visa will be required to complete additional steps after confirming their intention to enroll before the Graduate School can process their visa paperwork. Consult the Graduate School Admissions website to find out more about minimum eligibility requirements and required materials for international applicants.

Please note, in order for students to be considered state residents for tuition purposes, they first must be able to prove that they are U.S. citizens, have U.S. permanent resident cards, or have a qualifying visa (A, E, G, H1, I, K or L). For questions concerning how to establish residency in Washington State, please contact the Residence Classification Office at 206-543-5932, resquest@u.washington.edu or visit the UW Residency Office Website.

3. Bachelor's Degree

All applicants MUST have one of the following undergraduate degrees:

1) Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution with a major in Speech and Hearing Sciences, Communication Disorders, Communication Sciences & Disorders or a similarly named major

OR

2) An undergraduate degree in another major (from a regionally accredited institution), with sufficient undergraduate coursework in Speech and Hearing Sciences, Communication Disorders, Communication Sciences and Disorders or a similarly named program.

4. Prerequisite Coursework

As an accredited graduate program, the Master of Science curriculum adheres to the standards and guidelines set by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. Please review the ASHA web site for complete information about the 2020 standards, taking special note of the undergraduate science and statistics coursework requirements.

The following ASHA-required undergraduate coursework is a prerequisite to graduate study and clinical certification. All applicants should take the time to identify courses that meet these requirements in advance of applying to graduate school. To meet the prerequisite coursework requirements, credits may be used from college-level coursework taken any time in the past. Courses may be taken at any accredited institution of higher education, including community colleges, colleges, or universities.

We strongly recommend that all competitive applicants complete this coursework prior to entry into the program. Due to the rigorous graduate curriculum, students cannot complete these undergraduate coursework requirements during the graduate program and still finish within two years.

1) Speech and Hearing Sciences Coursework

Individuals applying to the graduate program will be asked to summarize their undergraduate coursework in speech and hearing sciences. Because course titles are not uniform across universities, knowledge acquired from speech and hearing coursework will be reported to the graduate admissions committee by the applicant in the following ASHA-defined areas:

• Phonetics
• Anatomy & Physiology of the Speech Mechanism
• Speech & Language Development
• Speech & Language Disorders
• Audiology & Hearing Disorders
• Acoustics / Hearing Science
• Treatment of Communication Disorders
• Swallowing Mechanisms
• Social-Cultural Aspects of Communication

2) Basic Science and Statistics Coursework

Applicants must have completed a minimum of 1 course in each of the following areas:

• Biological sciences (biology)
• Physical sciences (physics or chemistry)
• Statistics
• Social sciences and behavioral sciences

For additional details, please review the ASHA Prerequisite Course Content Areas webpage.

Courses used to fulfill these requirements must have the following attributes:

• They must be taken outside the Speech and Hearing Sciences department
• They must appear by name/number on your official college transcript with a final grade
• They can consist of any number of credits
• They can be taken for a grade, credit/no credit, pass/fail, or satisfactory/unsatisfactory, but students must achieve a “credit”, “pass”, “satisfactory” or numeric grade of at least 0.7

In lieu of specific courses, these requirements may also be satisfied by Advanced Placement credit or International Baccalaureate credit. However, students must have transcript record of these credits. CLEP or DSST examinations for credit are NOT accepted for these requirements.

Applicants presenting prerequisite speech and hearing sciences coursework completed more than ten years prior to application to our graduate program may be asked to provide evidence of currency in various subject areas. Phone or in-person interviews may be required.

5. National Criminal Background Check

All graduate students in the department are required to complete and successfully pass a national criminal background check as a condition of admission. Instructions are provided to new students and the background check must be completed within 30 days of accepting the department’s offer of admission. The background check fee is paid directly to the department’s vendor, Verified Credentials. In addition, students in the program are required to complete a repeat background check during their second year in the program prior to starting their community internship(s).

It is important that students in our programs receive certification that there is no evidence of a Child and Adult Abuse Law (CAAL) conviction or criminal history. If there is a conviction that would prevent the student from completing the required clinical experiences in our programs, and thus prevent him/her from fulfilling the program requirements, he/she will be denied admission. A non-CAAL conviction/criminal history record, however, does not necessarily disqualify an individual for admission. When considering individuals for admission, conviction/criminal history records are reviewed as they relate to the content and nature of the curriculum and the safety and security of clients and the public.Should the background check provide evidence of a positive criminal history or raise any areas of concern related to a student’s participation in a graduate program, he/she will be contacted by a representative of the Speech & Hearing Sciences Department.

6. English Language Proficiency

All applicants to the Master of Science (M.S.) program whose native language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency. No waivers of this requirement can be granted. This prerequisite knowledge is necessary for providing ethical and effective services to individuals with communication impairments and is necessary for successful implementation of clinical services with clients and exchange of information with other professionals (see Essential Functions).

The Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences follows the UW Graduate School policies and guidelines for admission of individuals who are nonnative speakers of English.  Applicants should review the UW Graduate School's Understanding the Application Process, which outlines each of the three required minimum admission requirements for Degree, GPA, and English Proficiency. 

To be admitted into the department’s M.S. program, all nonnative English speakers are required to demonstrate English language proficiency as outlined in UW Graduate School Policy 3.2. Please be aware that the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences requires higher test score minimums than outlined in UW Graduate School Policy 3.2. This is to ensure that any accepted student demonstrates advanced levels of English proficiency and the ability to manage high language demands, which are required in our M.S. program. The department will not admit applicants with scores below our required score minimums, nor will we give approval to provisionally admit students with scores below this score requirement. The score requirements are as follows:

• TOEFL iBT® total test scores of 105 or higher AND minimum scores of 26 on both the Speaking and Listening subtests.
• IELTS total test scores of 7.5 or higher AND minimum scores of 7.5 on both the Speaking and Listening segments.

Please note that the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences also deviates from UW Graduate School Policy 3.2 in that we will not accept the following scores as evidence of English language proficiency for the M.S. program:

• TOEFL iBT® Superscores, also known as MyBest™ Scores
• TOEFL ITP Plus China® scores 
• Duolingo English scores

Applicants should review UW Graduate School Policy 5.2 and note that English proficiency requirements for students who work as teaching assistants (TAs) are more extensive than those for admission.  

7. Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA)

To be considered for admission, applicants are required to have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) during the last 90 quarter or 60 semester credit hours of study.

In addition, to remain competitive applicants should have a GPA of at least 3.0 (B) in the prerequisite undergraduate Speech and Hearing coursework with no single course graded less than 2.0 (C). It is highly recommended that all prerequisite coursework grades be at 2.5 or above.

8. Identified Mentor (CoreSLP Applicants ONLY)

Applicants MUST have an identified professorial faculty mentor at the University of Washington with whom they will study in order to apply to the M.S. - CoreSLP program. This mentor must have research holdings in the areas of speech, language, cognitive-communication, or swallowing.  Before applying, applicants must contact this proposed mentor(s) directly to discuss their research interests and secure the mentor’s support for their application. Any application submitted without the official support of a faculty mentor will not be reviewed.

The best times to contact faculty about M.S. - CoreSLP applications and mentorship are Autumn quarter (September – November) and Spring quarter (March – early June) quarters. Most faculty are not available during Summer quarter (mid June – August). Faculty research interests and contact information can be found on our faculty directory page.

In your personal statement, please also address the fit between your selected mentor and your research and career goals.

Application Requirements