Admission Requirements

Degree Requirements

In order to apply to the Distance Learning Master’s Degree Program students must meet one of the following criteria:

  1. Completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences/Speech-Language Pathology
  2. For students with an undergraduate degree in another field, you must have completed all 10 prerequisite courses listed below by June of the year you are applying. For example, if you are applying for the Cohort 23 application deadline (June 1, 2021), you must have completed your prerequisite coursework by June 2021 in order for your application to be considered.

Prerequisite Coursework Requirements

The following course work is required to be admitted into this program:

  • Twelve semester units of basic coursework including CD 405 (phonetics), CD 410 (hearing science), CD 415 (speech and language development), CD 442 (speech science) or the equivalent.
  • Three semester units in diagnostic methods. Coursework may include tests and measurements, standardized and non-standardized evaluation procedures or theory and practice in assessment of individuals and policies in governing administration and interpretation of tests or CD 469A.
  • Nine semester units of coursework in the management of communicative disorders Including:
    • Phonology and articulation disorders or CD 451
    • Language disorders or CD 462
    • Coursework related to fluency and fluency disorders or CD 450
    • Six semester units of courses in basic audiometry and auditory habilitation such as CD 445, CD 446 or the equivalent.

The following list includes course descriptions for all 10 required prerequisite courses:

  • CD 405 (previously CD 340) Phonetics: Study of general phonetics principles; articulatory, acoustic and linguistic aspects of the sound systems of standard and non-standard dialects of American English; introduction to the application of phonetics to disordered sound systems.
  • CD 410 (previously CD 345) Hearing Science: Study of physics of sound, anatomy and physiology of the ear, and measurement of perception of sound. Brief survey of causes of hearing impairment and habilitation procedures.
  • CD 415 (previously CD 360) Speech & Language Development: Study of speech and language development in relation to normal learning and growth processes; brief introduction to (2nd) second language acquisition.
  • CD 442 Speech Science: Structure and function of neuro-muscular systems used in respiration, phonation, resonance, and articulation; fundamentals of sound production and transmission applied to speech.
  • CD 469A Diagnostic Methods in Communication Disorders: Basic concepts of standardized and non-standardized evaluation procedures for children and adults with mild to moderate communicative disorders. Theory and application of clinical writing including the case history and the assessment report.
  • CD 451 Phonology & Articulatory Disorders: Examination of theories of normal and disordered acquisition of phonology and articulatory production as well as basic phonologic assessment methods and treatment planning. Both functional and structural disorders are emphasized including cleft lip and palate and related craniofacial syndromes.
  • CD 462 Language Disorders I: Ways of conceptualizing language disorders, disorders of parts of language; introduction to data collection, transcription and language analysis; introduction to the concept of differential diagnosis; introduction to diagnostic populations with associated developmental language disorders.
  • CD 445 Audiometry & Hearing Conservation: Study of basic battery of audiologic tests, including equipment calibration procedures, pure tone and speech audiometry, clinical masking, and the study of school and industrial identification audiometry and hearing conservation. Familiarization with basic equipment.
  • CD 446 Auditory Habilitation: Theory and methods of habilitation of hearing-impaired adults and children, including assessment of hearing handicap, habilitation management, speech-reading, and amplification with individual and group hearing aids.
  • CD 450 Fluency and Disorders of Fluency: Study of the etiology, characteristics, and clinic assessment of typical/atypical stuttering in adults and children. The efficacy and efficiency of therapeutic management of fluency disorders are discussed. In addition, multicultural implications for assessment and treatment will be presented.

In addition, the following coursework is required in order to meet ASHA Standard IV-A: The applicant must have demonstrated knowledge of the biological sciences, physical sciences, statistics, and the social/behavioral sciences.

In order to meet the current ASHA standards you must have completed a basic undergraduate course in each of the following areas earning a grade of “C” or better:

  • Biological Science – Biological Science encompasses the study and characterization of living organisms and the investigation of the science behind living things. Broad areas of acceptable coursework in biological science includes: anatomy, biophysics, cell and molecular biology, computational biology, ecology and evolution, environmental biology, forensic biology, genetics, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biosciences, natural science, neurobiology, physiology and zoology.
  • Physical Science – Acceptable courses in physical sciences should include physics or chemistry. Physical Science deals with matter, energy, motion, and force. A broad survey of physics principles to enable students to appreciate the role of physics in everyday experiences in today's society and technology. Chemistry coursework can include selected concepts and topics designed to give students an appreciation for how chemistry impacts everyday life, especially energy and the environment; the study of substances.
  • Social/Behavioral Science – The systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behavior through controlled and naturalistic observation and disciplined scientific experimentation. These areas of study attempt to accomplish legitimate, objective conclusions through rigorous formulations and observation. Acceptable courses in social/behavioral sciences can include psychology, sociology, anthropology, ethnic and cultural studies, archeology, economics, gender and sexuality studies, political science, psychobiology, or criminology and cognitive science.
  • Statistics – Statistics is "the science of learning from data, and of measuring, controlling, and communicating uncertainty; and it thereby provides the navigation essential for controlling the course of scientific and societal advances." The course can be through the math department (elementary statistics, introduction to statistics) or it can be a statistics course in the behavioral sciences (i.e. psychology, sociology, etc.)

These courses may be lower or upper division courses (they may be from a community college or a four-year college). The courses must qualify for credit toward a college degree (i.e., college extension classes do not count), but may be taken after graduating from college. There is no minimum or maximum number of semester or quarter units for any course.

Applicants must have completed all 4 of the required courses in order for their application to be reviewed. Applications without the minimum required ASHA coursework will be deemed incomplete and will not be reviewed for admission purposes.

GPA Requirements

  • The university requires a minimum 2.5 undergraduate GPA; however, in order to have a competitive application, a GPA of 3.5 or above in CDS coursework is advised. The average GPA for our previous cohort was 3.79. Admission is very competitive.

Universities Offering Online Equivalent Prerequisite Courses

The course equivalencies are provided as a service to our applicants to aid in decisions regarding prerequisite course work. The information provided is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of spring 2011, and is subject to change without the notification of the university. Please be sure to double-check course numbers, names, and descriptions for accuracy and equivalency with provided CSUN course descriptions. Admission procedures to each university differ, and all questions about course enrollment should be addressed directly to each individual university.

International Students

The program is not admitting international students at this time.  All students must reside in the United States during the duration of the program to be eligible for admission.

Admission to the University

Students must submit an online application to the program and be admitted prior to taking the first class in the program. Students are required to provide official transcripts from the required institutions of higher education.

Before submitting your application, please ensure you meet all University admission requirements, including a minimum GPA of 2.5.