POST-DEGREE LEVELING PROGRAM FOR MCD

Not a Communication Disorders undergraduate?  

 The MCD is a professional degree, required for state licensure and the Certificate of Clinical Competence.  For students wishing to pursue the MCD, a pre-professional degree in communication disorders is strongly recommended.  However, applicants with undergraduate degrees in majors other than speech-language pathology may make application to the MCD program upon meeting the requirements, which include 38 credit hours of leveling coursework.  Applicants must identify the specific year for which they are applying, and will be considered for admission only after indicating in writing that they understand admission for the targeted year is contingent on their provision of evidence (in the form of an official transcript) of having successfully completed all of the core specified leveling requirements.  Such evidence must be received prior to the first day of classes for the targeted year, if admitted.  In the event documentation is not provided by that time, the admission decision will be considered null and void.  The applicant may, however, re-apply for admission for a subsequent year.  All equivalents/course substitutions must be approved by the CD Admissions and Credits Committee. 

Students should be aware that admission to the MCD program is competitive and based on space available.  Completion of the leveling requirements does not imply or guarantee admission to the MCD.

View an explanation of how our leveling program works >>
View the Non-CD Undergraduate Leveling Requirements for MCD Qualification >>

In the event that the leveling courses are not completed at A-State, students wishing to apply for the MCD program must still meet screening requirements prior to being considered for admission.  

Application materials for the MCD may be submitted during the spring semester after screening.    Deadline is February 15th, annually.

Master of Communication Disorders

The Graduate Program in Communication Disorders meets the rigorous requirements for accreditation for speech-language pathology from the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-hearing Association (ASHA).  It has been designed to lead to state licensure and the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology issued by ASHA.    

The successful student is expected to have demonstrated expertise and in-depth knowledge of the normal communication processes, development, and disorders thereof; evaluation procedures to assess the bases of such disorders; and clinical techniques that have been shown to improve or eradicate them.  In addition, competency must be demonstrated in the related areas of human anatomy and physiology, psychological dynamics, and research.

The Master of Communication Disorders degree consists of 49 semester hours beyond the Bachelor's degree, including credit for clinical practice.  A minimum of 400 supervised clinical practicum hours must be accrued during the completion of the program.  Clinical practice consists of direct clinical experience supervised by the Communication Disorders faculty and/or clinical instructor.  Each candidate and the advisor will plan and design a program of study to ensure that professional requirements will be met.

Application materials are due Feb. 15th, annually, and the selected cohort begins the program in the first summer term.  The program is designed for full time attendance, and is an academically and clinically intense 19 months, with commencement in December the following year.  

While minimum GPA and GRE scores are required in order to apply, successful applicants should consider the GPA's and GRE scores of those admitted previously.  The following information relates to the Summer 2019 MCD admissions:
Average GRE (Verbal and Quantitative):       300  (minimum to apply is 285)
Average GPA Overall:                                     3.80  (minimum to apply is 3.0)
Average GPA in the major:                             3.90  (minimum to apply is 3.25 on "last 60 hours")
Number of applicants:                                    125
Admitted class size:                                         30

The link below (View the MCD degree information) will redirect you to the page maintained by the Registrar's Office for information on how to apply.

You may also open the departmental version of the degree plan (PDF file, 1 page) from the info box on this page named "Important Files for MCD."

View the MCD degree information >>