Degree Programs
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Helping—it’s at the heart of all our students.
Everyone deserves the ability to communicate effectively. If you’d like to help people who have communication disorders, you’re in the right place.
Programs
This is where you’ll make it happen.
With a bachelor of science in communication sciences and disorders or a master of science in speech-language pathology, you’ll learn how to work with individuals who have communication impairments.
M.S. IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY
This is the next step toward your future.
The graduate program in speech-language pathology at Purdue Fort Wayne will prepare you for a career as a speech-language pathologist across a range of clinical settings, including birth-to-three centers, public schools, acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and everything in between.
M.S. in Speech-language pathology Application and Requirements
Get the details here.
We have two information sessions about our M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology program planned in Fall 2024. An in-person information session will be held on Friday, October 4, 2024 from 2-4pm in CLCB 104. A virtual information session will be held on Friday, October 11, 2024 from 2-4pm on Zoom. These events will include a program overview, information about our facilities, and a Q&A with the Graduate Program Director, faculty, and students. Please email [email protected] for more details and register using the following links:
Friday, October 4, 2024 (in-person) https://apply.pfw.edu/register/SLP_Info_10.04
Friday, October 11, 2024 (virtual) https://apply.pfw.edu/register/SLP_Info_10.11
To be eligible to apply, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited university prior to the start of the graduate program
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 = A scale) from the most recently earned undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree
- Successful completion of the prerequisite coursework as described in the Prerequisite Coursework section
- A virtual interview is required as part of the admissions process. Applicants will be notified if they have been selected for an interview and more details will be provided at that time
- If accepted, students must pass a background check prior to beginning the program
Applicants must have completed coursework in biological sciences, physical sciences, behavioral/social sciences, and statistics that meet the requirements to be certified as a speech-language pathologist by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Additionally, applicants must have completed undergraduate coursework in Communication Sciences and Disorders sufficient to provide the prerequisite knowledge for graduate courses. All prerequisite coursework must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
Prerequisites Required before Starting the Graduate Program
Applicants must have completed, or be scheduled to complete prior to the start of the program, coursework in the following content areas to be eligible for admission to the program:
- Phonetics
- Language development
- Speech anatomy and physiology
- Acoustics or speech science
- An upper-level course on speech and/or language disorders (not an Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders course)
Prerequisites Required before Starting the Graduate Program or to Be Completed during the Graduate Program
Applicants must also have completed, or be scheduled to complete prior to the start of the program, coursework in the following content areas to be eligible for admission to the program or have a deficiency in a maximum of two of these areas:
- Neuroanatomy and neurophysiology
- Audiological assessment
- Aural rehabilitation
- Biological science (a course that is entirely or in part related to human or animal biology)
- Physical science (a course in chemistry or physics)
- Social/behavioral science (a course in psychology, sociology, anthropology, or public health)
- Statistics (a stand-alone course with statistics in the title)
Students who have a deficiency in a maximum of two of these prerequisites will be considered for admission but must meet that coursework deficiency no later than the end of the spring semester of the first year of the graduate program, in addition to completing the typical graduate program curriculum. Accepted students are strongly encouraged to complete any deficiencies with summer courses prior to the start of the program.
Transcripts
Self-uploading a copy of your official transcripts directly to your Purdue University application can save you money on transcript fees and also ensure that your transcripts are received on time. To do this, request an official copy of your transcripts and then create a PDF version of that transcript to upload. Some universities add security features to electronic transcripts such that the file cannot be opened after a certain time has passed. Make sure that your uploaded copy is a standard PDF without these added security features. If you self-upload a copy of your transcripts, make sure that they are copies of your official transcripts. Submitting an unofficial printout of classes and grades does not meet the transcript requirement. The CSDCAS application requires you to submit official transcripts directly to CSDCAS. The option to upload a copy of your official transcripts applies only to the Purdue University application.
Recommendation Letters
If you are a current student or have recently graduated, we strongly suggest that at least two letters are from faculty. When choosing who to ask to write your recommendation letters, keep in mind that these letters help tell us whether you will be successful in graduate school in both classes and clinical experiences. Ask people who know you well enough to provide information about your academic, professional, or clinical skills. References from personal friends or family members are discouraged. You can enter the contact information for your three recommenders into the CSDCAS application before you submit it. This will allow your recommenders plenty of time to complete the recommendation prior to the deadline. A link to the recommendation system will be sent directly to each of your recommenders.
Personal Essay
As part of the CSDCAS application, you will submit a personal essay in addition to listing your experiences and achievements (often found in a resume) in another section. In the personal essay, you will describe your interest in graduate study in speech-language pathology, your reasons for wanting to study at Purdue University Fort Wayne, and your professional plans and career goals. The personal essay is a way for the admissions committee to get to know you above and beyond what is listed in your experiences and achievements, and the grades found on your transcripts.
Prerequisite Coursework
For the prerequisite coursework requirements, there does not need to be a one-to-one correspondence between the prerequisite content and undergraduate course(s). Depending on the curriculum at the applicant’s institution, a single course may meet more than one of the prerequisite content area requirements or a combination of several courses may meet one content area requirement. However, in most cases, one 3-credit semester-long course is needed to fulfill each prerequisite. The most frequent exception is if a university offers a combined audiological assessment and aural rehabilitation course. If that course substantially covers both assessment and treatment, it can fulfill the prerequisite requirement for both audiological assessment and aural rehabilitation.
Purdue University Graduate Application
Purdue University allows you to apply to more than one of the Purdue campuses using the same application without needing to pay an additional application fee. Within the Purdue University system, Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW) and Purdue West Lafayette (PWL) have graduate programs in speech-language pathology. If you would like to apply to more than one of these programs, you will need to indicate on your application which programs are your first and second choices. Review committees can see which program you ranked as your first choice. You must submit a separate CSDCAS application for each program you apply to.
Completing Your Applications
Both the CSDCAS and Purdue University applications are available in August each year for applying to the program the following summer. You can create accounts in each system early in the process to ensure you are aware of all requirements.
GRE Scores
GRE scores are no longer required or requested as part of our application.
Christopher M. Grindrod, PhD
Graduate Program Director
[email protected]
260-481-6455
Purdue University Fort Wayne
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Classroom Clinic Building, Room 117
2101 East Coliseum Boulevard
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805
Applicants must apply to the program by submitting two applications: 1) a Purdue University Graduate application and 2) a Centralized Application Service for Communication Science & Disorders Programs (CSDCAS) application. The application deadline is January 15. The admissions committee reviews all applications received by the deadline so submitting your application early will not increase your chances of being admitted. Admissions decisions are based on a holistic review of each applicant’s materials.
Purdue University Graduate Application
- On the application, identify Purdue Fort Wayne as the campus you are applying to. You can apply to multiple Purdue campuses with the same Purdue University application, but you must submit a separate CSDCAS application for each program. If you apply to more than one Purdue campus, you will need to indicate which program is your first choice. Review committees can see that information during the admissions process.
- Submit transcripts from all postsecondary institutions attended. Details on submitting transcripts as part of the Purdue University application are provided on this website. You can submit transcripts in one of two ways.
- Upload a copy of your official transcripts directly to your Purdue University application. If you are accepted, you will be required to submit official transcripts directly from each university later.
- Send official transcripts directly from each university attended to the Purdue Fort Wayne Office of Graduate Studies at [email protected].
- International applicants whose native language is not English need to submit proof of English proficiency. Details about documenting English proficiency are provided on this website.
- Recommenders do not need to submit references to Purdue University, only on CSDCAS.
- You do not need to include a personal statement in your Purdue University application, only on CSDCAS.
CSDCAS Application
- Request that official transcripts from all US institutions attended be sent to CSDCAS.
- Submit a personal essay of 500 words or less describing your interest in graduate study in speech-language pathology, your reasons for wanting to study at Purdue University Fort Wayne, and your professional plans and career goals. You also may explain any special circumstances relevant to your background and elaborate on your unique abilities, awards, achievements, scholarly publications, and/or professional history.
- Submit three letters of recommendation via the CSDCAS recommender portal.
- International applicants need to request that official evaluations of transcripts from all foreign institutions be sent to CSDCAS in one of the following ways.
- Use the World Education Services (WES) link in the Academic History section of the application to order your official WES evaluation.
- Use the Download Evaluation Request Form in the Academic History section of the application to request an evaluation from an evaluation service other than WES.
To begin in summer: January 15
The Master of Science (M.S.) education program in speech-language pathology (residential) at Purdue University Fort Wayne is a Candidate for Accreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700. Candidacy is a “preaccreditation” status with the CAA, awarded to developing or emerging programs for a maximum period of five years.
We have two information sessions about our M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology program planned in Fall 2024. An in-person information session will be held on Friday, October 4, 2024 from 2-4pm in CLCB 104. A virtual information session will be held on Friday, October 11, 2024 from 2-4pm on Zoom. These events will include a program overview, information about our facilities, and a Q&A with the Graduate Program Director, faculty, and students. Please email [email protected] for more details and register using the following links:
Friday, October 4, 2024 (in-person) https://apply.pfw.edu/register/SLP_Info_10.04
Friday, October 11, 2024 (virtual) https://apply.pfw.edu/register/SLP_Info_10.11
Applicants must apply to the program by submitting two applications: 1) a Purdue University Graduate application and 2) a Centralized Application Service for Communication Science & Disorders Programs (CSDCAS) application. The application deadline is January 15. The admissions committee reviews all applications received by the deadline so submitting your application early will not increase your chances of being admitted. Admissions decisions are based on a holistic review of each applicant’s materials.
To be eligible to apply, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited university prior to the start of the graduate program
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 = A scale) from the most recently earned undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree
- Successful completion of the prerequisite coursework as described in the Prerequisite Coursework section
- A virtual interview is required as part of the admissions process. Applicants will be notified if they have been selected for an interview and more details will be provided at that time
- If accepted, students must pass a background check prior to beginning the program
Purdue University Graduate Application
- On the application, identify Purdue Fort Wayne as the campus you are applying to. You can apply to multiple Purdue campuses with the same Purdue University application, but you must submit a separate CSDCAS application for each program. If you apply to more than one Purdue campus, you will need to indicate which program is your first choice. Review committees can see that information during the admissions process.
- Submit transcripts from all postsecondary institutions attended. Details on submitting transcripts as part of the Purdue University application are provided on this website. You can submit transcripts in one of two ways.
- Upload a copy of your official transcripts directly to your Purdue University application. If you are accepted, you will be required to submit official transcripts directly from each university later.
- Send official transcripts directly from each university attended to the Purdue Fort Wayne Office of Graduate Studies at [email protected].
- International applicants whose native language is not English need to submit proof of English proficiency. Details about documenting English proficiency are provided on this website.
- Recommenders do not need to submit references to Purdue University, only on CSDCAS.
- You do not need to include a personal statement in your Purdue University application, only on CSDCAS.
CSDCAS Application
- Request that official transcripts from all US institutions attended be sent to CSDCAS.
- Submit a personal essay of 500 words or less describing your interest in graduate study in speech-language pathology, your reasons for wanting to study at Purdue University Fort Wayne, and your professional plans and career goals. You also may explain any special circumstances relevant to your background and elaborate on your unique abilities, awards, achievements, scholarly publications, and/or professional history.
- Submit three letters of recommendation via the CSDCAS recommender portal.
- International applicants need to request that official evaluations of transcripts from all foreign institutions be sent to CSDCAS in one of the following ways.
- Use the World Education Services (WES) link in the Academic History section of the application to order your official WES evaluation.
- Use the Download Evaluation Request Form in the Academic History section of the application to request an evaluation from an evaluation service other than WES.
Applicants must have completed coursework in biological sciences, physical sciences, behavioral/social sciences, and statistics that meet the requirements to be certified as a speech-language pathologist by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Additionally, applicants must have completed undergraduate coursework in Communication Sciences and Disorders sufficient to provide the prerequisite knowledge for graduate courses. All prerequisite coursework must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
Prerequisites Required before Starting the Graduate Program
Applicants must have completed, or be scheduled to complete prior to the start of the program, coursework in the following content areas to be eligible for admission to the program:
- Phonetics
- Language development
- Speech anatomy and physiology
- Acoustics or speech science
- An upper-level course on speech and/or language disorders (not an Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders course)
Prerequisites Required before Starting the Graduate Program or to Be Completed during the Graduate Program
Applicants must also have completed, or be scheduled to complete prior to the start of the program, coursework in the following content areas to be eligible for admission to the program or have a deficiency in a maximum of two of these areas:
- Neuroanatomy and neurophysiology
- Audiological assessment
- Aural rehabilitation
- Biological science (a course that is entirely or in part related to human or animal biology)
- Physical science (a course in chemistry or physics)
- Social/behavioral science (a course in psychology, sociology, anthropology, or public health)
- Statistics (a stand-alone course with statistics in the title)
Students who have a deficiency in a maximum of two of these prerequisites will be considered for admission but must meet that coursework deficiency no later than the end of the spring semester of the first year of the graduate program, in addition to completing the typical graduate program curriculum. Accepted students are strongly encouraged to complete any deficiencies with summer courses prior to the start of the program.
To begin in summer: January 15
Transcripts
Self-uploading a copy of your official transcripts directly to your Purdue University application can save you money on transcript fees and also ensure that your transcripts are received on time. To do this, request an official copy of your transcripts and then create a PDF version of that transcript to upload. Some universities add security features to electronic transcripts such that the file cannot be opened after a certain time has passed. Make sure that your uploaded copy is a standard PDF without these added security features. If you self-upload a copy of your transcripts, make sure that they are copies of your official transcripts. Submitting an unofficial printout of classes and grades does not meet the transcript requirement. The CSDCAS application requires you to submit official transcripts directly to CSDCAS. The option to upload a copy of your official transcripts applies only to the Purdue University application.
Recommendation Letters
If you are a current student or have recently graduated, we strongly suggest that at least two letters are from faculty. When choosing who to ask to write your recommendation letters, keep in mind that these letters help tell us whether you will be successful in graduate school in both classes and clinical experiences. Ask people who know you well enough to provide information about your academic, professional, or clinical skills. References from personal friends or family members are discouraged. You can enter the contact information for your three recommenders into the CSDCAS application before you submit it. This will allow your recommenders plenty of time to complete the recommendation prior to the deadline. A link to the recommendation system will be sent directly to each of your recommenders.
Personal Essay
As part of the CSDCAS application, you will submit a personal essay in addition to listing your experiences and achievements (often found in a resume) in another section. In the personal essay, you will describe your interest in graduate study in speech-language pathology, your reasons for wanting to study at Purdue University Fort Wayne, and your professional plans and career goals. The personal essay is a way for the admissions committee to get to know you above and beyond what is listed in your experiences and achievements, and the grades found on your transcripts.
Prerequisite Coursework
For the prerequisite coursework requirements, there does not need to be a one-to-one correspondence between the prerequisite content and undergraduate course(s). Depending on the curriculum at the applicant’s institution, a single course may meet more than one of the prerequisite content area requirements or a combination of several courses may meet one content area requirement. However, in most cases, one 3-credit semester-long course is needed to fulfill each prerequisite. The most frequent exception is if a university offers a combined audiological assessment and aural rehabilitation course. If that course substantially covers both assessment and treatment, it can fulfill the prerequisite requirement for both audiological assessment and aural rehabilitation.
Purdue University Graduate Application
Purdue University allows you to apply to more than one of the Purdue campuses using the same application without needing to pay an additional application fee. Within the Purdue University system, Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW) and Purdue West Lafayette (PWL) have graduate programs in speech-language pathology. If you would like to apply to more than one of these programs, you will need to indicate on your application which programs are your first and second choices. Review committees can see which program you ranked as your first choice. You must submit a separate CSDCAS application for each program you apply to.
Completing Your Applications
Both the CSDCAS and Purdue University applications are available in August each year for applying to the program the following summer. You can create accounts in each system early in the process to ensure you are aware of all requirements.
GRE Scores
GRE scores are no longer required or requested as part of our application.
The Master of Science (M.S.) education program in speech-language pathology (residential) at Purdue University Fort Wayne is a Candidate for Accreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700. Candidacy is a “preaccreditation” status with the CAA, awarded to developing or emerging programs for a maximum period of five years.
Christopher M. Grindrod, PhD
Graduate Program Director
[email protected]
260-481-6455
Purdue University Fort Wayne
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Classroom Clinic Building, Room 117
2101 East Coliseum Boulevard
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805
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