IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Department’s two graduate programs (Traditional M.A. and Special Cohort M.A) are ONLY for students who have met undergraduate pre-requisite requirements. STUDENTS MUST HAVE EITHER A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN COMMUNICATIVE DISORDERS (CD) –OR- A BAHCELOR’S DEGREE IN ANOTHER FIELD AND AT LEAST 30 SEMESTER UNITS (45 QUARTER UNITS) IN CD, BY THE FIRST SEMESTER OF GRADUATE ENROLLMENT TO APPLY. Students who do not meet these requirements are not eligible to apply and will not be accepted into either of our graduate programs. Students with a Bachelor’s degree in another field, interested in completing undergraduate pre-requisites at CSULB should refer to the information under “Master’s Preparatory Program” on the Department’s website.
The primary goal of the Graduate Program is to prepare students as professional speech-language pathologists. This goal has the following objectives:
To provide our students with:
The Department maintains a Speech-Language Clinic where graduate students receive training in the application of the various methods and procedures learned in upper division classes and graduate seminars. The Department maintains five disorder-specific speech-language clinics, including a newly created clinic in Autism. The Department is also fortunate to have a sixth clinic specifically designed for culturally and linguistically diverse clients. Each of our clinic rooms has audio and visual monitoring equipment for direct supervision and each contains computers for presentation of clinical program. Graduate students are also able to obtain clinical experiences in a large variety of hospitals and facilities in the L.A. and Orange Counties. The Long Beach V.A. Medical Center is located next to the CSULB campus.
The Department has two programs leading to a M.A. in Communicative Disorders: (a) a traditional program, and (b) a special cohort program. Both programs are nationally accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA). The traditional program is a state supported program in which courses are offered Monday-Friday, primarily mid-to-late afternoon, during Spring and Fall semesters. The special cohort program is self-supported and offered in conjunction with the College of Continuing and Professional Education (CCPE). Special cohort courses are offered Friday evenings, Saturdays and 6 weeks during the Summer. For a comparison of similarities and differences between these two programs, please see the chart below.
Traditional M.A. Program vs. Special Cohort M.A. Program Comparison Chart.
Students must select which graduate program meets their individual needs as transfer between programs in not an option. Regardless of the graduate program selected, admission is based on: (a) undergraduate grade point average of the last 60 units, (b) grade point average in communicative disorders coursework, (c) relevant clinical or educational experience, with name of person to corroborate same, and (d) GRE scores. Acceptance to either program is highly competitive. Average GPA for admission to either program ranges from 3.65 – 4.0 (for both cumulative and CD specific coursework). The Department does not require a minimum GRE score, but GRE scores are one of the factors used in admission decisions.
Traditional (State Funded) Program
Applications for the Traditional M.A. Program are now available (below). Applications and supporting materials are due to the Department and the University December 1st 2012, for the 2013-2014 academic term.
Special Cohort (Self-Support) Program
The application period for the Special Cohort M.A. Program for the 2012-2013 term has passed. The Department is no longer accepting applications. Acceptance the Special Cohort M.A. program occurs every two years. The next term of enrollment for the Special Cohort M.A. Program will be for the 2014-2015 term, with applications due December 1, 2013. Please check back after September 15, 2013 for updated application materials for the Special Cohort M.A. Program
We offer monthly Information Sessions on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:00pm. The meetings are held in the months of September, October and November, as well as February, March and April. Please meet us in the lobby of the LAB (Language Arts Building) located on the CSULB campus near 7th Street. No reservations are required.
Due to the large volume of applications per year to both our M.A. programs, the Department is not able to offer individualized advising to program applicants. If after attending one of our Information Sessions and reviewing this website, you have additional questions about our programs offered through CCPE (Special Cohort M.A. Program or Master’s Preparatory Program), please e-mail the department at csulb.cd.ccpe@gmail.com or call us at (562) 985-2920. For additional questions regarding the Traditional M.A. Program, please contact Dr. Jennifer Ostergren at jennifer.ostergren@csulb.edu.
