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The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association requires that all applicants to the Master of Science program (MS) have completed, as part of their undergraduate preparation, academic coursework in each of the following areas: a biological science, a physical science (chemistry or physics), a behavioral and/or social science, and statistics. Applicants with a background in speech-language pathology (SLP) should apply for fall term while those without an SLP academic background should apply for the summer term.

Applicants to the MS program must apply online through CSDCAS. All information about the application process and deadline (December 15) are available on the CSDCAS site. Please note there are two listings for USC in the CSDCAS portal, so you must carefully choose whether you are applying for the MS-Res (on-campus, face-to-face) OR the MS-DE (distance education, part-time). You may not apply to both.

The doctoral program has rolling admissions and prospective doctoral students will apply through the USC Graduate School.  Applicants for the doctoral program in COMD are encouraged to apply by December 15^th to compete for University research awards but admission is offered on a rolling basis. Applications must be received by December 15^th to be considered for departmental funding for the following Fall semester, although applicants applying after this deadline may be selected to receive funding directly from their mentor’s grants as funds are available.

Applicants who are accepted receive funding through individual research labs in the department. Prospective Ph.D. students should contact the department to discuss their proposed concentration area (i.e., the area in which they intend to conduct research). A personal interview  is required. Prior to admission, the applicant must obtain a commitment from a COMD faculty member agreeing to serve as the applicant’s research mentor and direct his/her dissertation. 

 

Prerequisites

All applicants to the graduate programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders must have completed college-level coursework in the each following: 1) a human biological science (not marine biology, etc.), 2) a social/behavioral science (e.g. psychology), 3) Physics or Chemistry, and 4) statistics. These must be stand-alone courses, and not simply material that is part of a course covering a broad range of topics. Our department does not consider a course for which content is limited to the anatomy and physiology of the speech, language, and hearing systems (as taught in a CSD program) as meeting the biology requirement. Similarly, a course in "speech science" taught in a CSD program is not a satisfactory substitute for a course in physics. All four requirements must be met prior to enrolling in our graduate program. Under no circumstances will an applicant, even if admitted, be permitted to enroll in graduate courses if any of these prerequisite courses has not been completed.

Expand allPossible Content Areas for General Biology:

• General Biology
• Cellular biology: the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms; they may exist as independent units of life (as in monads) or may form colonies or tissues as in higher plants and animals
• Cybernetics biology: the field of science concerned with processes of communication and control (especially the comparison of these processes in biological and artificial systems)
• Bioscience, life science: any of the branches of natural science dealing with the structure and behavior of living organisms
• Ecology: the branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their environment
• Cytology: the branch of biology that studies the structure and function of cells
• Embryology: the branch of biology that studies the formation and early development of living organisms
• Evolutionism, theory of evolution, Theory of organic evolution: a scientific theory of the origin of species of plants and animals
• Genetic science, genetics: the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms
• Microbiology: the branch of biology that studies microorganisms and their effects on humans
• Molecular biology: the branch of biology that studies the structure and activity of macromolecules essential to life (and especially with their genetic role)
• Morphology: the branch of biology that deals with the structure of animals and plants
• Neurobiology: the branch of biology that deals with the anatomy and physiology and pathology of the nervous system
• Physiology: the branch of the biological sciences dealing with the functioning of organisms
• Radiobiology: the branch of biology that studies the effects of radiation on living organisms
• Sociobiology: the branch of biology that conducts comparative studies of the social organization of animals,  including human beings, with regard to its evolutionary history 

Possible Content Areas for General Physics

• Basic physical principles for non-majors
• Basic principles of mechanics
• Basic principles of sound
• Basic principles of thermodynamics
• Basic principles of optics
• Basic principles of electricity and magnetism
• Courses may include practical examples of the role of physics in other disciplines

Basic Content Areas for General Chemistry

• Atomic structure
• Chemical bonding
• Radioactivity
• Behavior of gases and solutions
• Behavior of acid and bases
• Hydrocarbons
• Functional groups and important biological molecules
• Chemical principles in human or animal physiology

Verification of CAA Standards

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is accredited by the Council of Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA). The CAA developed standards, representing a set of knowledge and skills, that students must meet to apply for ASHA certification. The Department provides opportunities via courses and clinical experiences for students to demonstrate competency in these knowledge and skills representing those standards. At the end of their program, the Department chair, based on data and documentation supplied from the Department faculty and relevant others, will complete and sign a verification form that confirms whether the student has met some or all of the CAA standards.

 

Application Requirements Include:

• Official transcripts from all schools or colleges previously attended
• Grade point average of 3.00/4.00 or higher
• For the MS program, submission of GRE scores is optional. Institution code - 5821 (U of South Carolina CSDCAS)
• For the PhD program, submission of GRE scores is optional. Institution code - 5818 (U of South Carolina Columbia)
• Three letters of recommendation (at least two from former professors)
  • The only exception to this requirement can be made for students who have not taken college-level classes within the past 10 years. Such students may send up to three letters from clinical advisors and/or employers that can speak to their relevant professional development and skills (MS).
• Resume or CV (PhD only)
• Written personal statement, including answers to two essay questions (MS); Statement of Purpose and Objectives describing your academic and research interests, relevant work experiences, academic/professional goals and objectives (PhD)

Additional Program Requirements

• All master’s degree students (MS) must complete a program of study in accordance with the academic and clinical requirements of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
• Students must fulfill the residency and other general requirements established by The Graduate School of the University of South Carolina and in accordance with ASHA guidelines for training.
• No foreign language is required for the master’s degree programs.

MS in Speech-Language Pathology

Minimum Scores Required

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders also utilizes the Graduate School’s minimum undergraduate GPA for admission (3.0 on a 4.0 scale). The mean GPA for students admitted into the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders master’s programs across the last three years was 3.79.

The Graduate School and the Department do not have a required GRE score for admittance.  Across the past three years, for students admitted into the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders master’s programs, the mean Verbal GRE score was 155 (67^th percentile) and the mean Quantitative GRE score was 153 (52^nd percentile).

All academic records of graduate students admitted since 2015 are maintained on line through PhGrad. Prior to 2015, hard copies of student records are kept in file cabinets located outside the Graduate Director’s office. Student academic records are maintained at least seven years.

Letters of Recommendation

All MS applicants must provide three letters of recommendations.  Please note: At least two of the letters must come specifically from professors with whom you have taken academic courses.  Your employer, school administrator, external practicum supervisor, etc. may attest to your work ethic, but they have not had you in class.

The only exception to this requirement can be made for students who have not taken college-level classes within the past 10 years. Such students may send up to three letters from clinical advisors and/or employers that can speak to their relevant professional development and skills.

Apply to the Master's Degree Program in Speech-Language Pathology

Applications for the MS program are only accepted through the CSDCAS centralized application system. You must apply online through this system. All information about the process and the deadline (December 15th) are available at the site. In addition to the CSDCAS application fee, the University requires a supplemental application fee of $50. This will be paid as part of the CSDCAS application process. Please note there are two listings for USC in the CSDCAS portal, so you must carefully choose whether you are applying for the residential MS (MS-Res, on-campus, face-to-face)OR the MS via distance education (MS-DE, part-time). You may not apply to both.

When you apply, please ask that your GRE scores be sent using the following code that is specific to our program: DI Code 5821. Using this code will assure your score is sent to CSDCAS.

To request an information packet sent by mail, please complete this form. 

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Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Program Requirements

The Ph.D. program generally consists of two years of academic coursework and research beyond the master's degree plus a third year of research culminating in a dissertation. Applicants who did not complete a research (data-based) master's thesis will be required to complete such a project prior to the dissertation year. Each student's course of study is individualized to accommodate previous experiences and specialty interests. All doctoral students are expected to complete coursework in statistics/research preparation, speech and hearing science, and communication sciences/disorders and related areas.

Prospective Ph.D. students should contact the department to discuss their proposed concentration area (i.e., the area in which they intend to conduct research). A personal interview is required. Prior to admission, the applicant must obtain a commitment from a COMD faculty member agreeing to serve as the applicant’s research mentor and direct his/her dissertation. Find a list of COMD faculty members here. 

Application Deadline

There is no application deadline for the Ph.D. Program.  However, applicants should consult the University’s academic calendars and apply well in advance of the semester in which they wish to take coursework. 

How to Apply

A completed application for the Ph.D. degree consists of the following:

1. Graduate School application (completed online)
2. School of Public Health Supplemental Application (complete online as part of the graduate school application)
3. Transcripts from all school attended
4. Scores from the Graduate Record Exam
5. Three letters of recommendation
6. The applicant's personal statement of intentions, and
7. The applicant's resume