Prospective Students
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders prepares students to become skilled clinicians, clinical scientists and researchers in speech-language pathology and related fields. Future students will find information here about prerequisites, graduate preparation, clinical experiences, specialty training opportunities, applications, tuition and more.
The department welcomes all students and is committed to treating every student with respect and dignity. The department does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national or ethnic origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, citizenship or covered veteran status.
Students applying to the master’s program are not required to have completed undergraduate coursework in speech-language pathology before admission. However, all students must complete prerequisite coursework in four areas before beginning graduate courses:
- Biology
- Social or behavioral science, such as psychology
- General physics or chemistry
- Statistics
These must be stand-alone college-level courses. Courses that only include related content as part of a broader class may not meet the requirement. For example, anatomy and physiology of the speech, language and hearing systems does not meet the biology requirement, and a speech science course does not replace a physics course.
All four prerequisite areas must be completed before enrolling in graduate courses. Admitted students will not be permitted to begin graduate coursework until these requirements are met.
Examples of acceptable content areas include:
- Biology
Relevant coursework may include general biology, cellular biology, ecology, genetics, microbiology, molecular biology, morphology, neurobiology, physiology or other biological science content focused on living organisms. - Social or Behavioral Science
Relevant coursework may include anthropology, ethnic and cultural studies, economics, gender and sexuality studies, geography, political science, psychology, psychobiology, criminology or cognitive science. - General Physics or Chemistry
Physics coursework may include mechanics, sound, thermodynamics, optics, electricity and magnetism or other basic physical principles. Chemistry coursework may include atomic structure, chemical bonding, radioactivity, gases and solutions, acids and bases, hydrocarbons, functional groups or chemical principles related to physiology. - Statistics
Statistics coursework must focus on basic statistics. Courses directly related to communication sciences and disorders are not accepted as statistics prerequisites. Research methods courses are also not accepted unless the course clearly separates statistics from research methods.
- Biology
Students do not need specific background courses, such as anatomy and physiology or phonetics, to be admitted to the master’s program. Students admitted without a speech-language pathology background can complete required background courses through COMD before beginning the core master’s degree coursework.
Students must earn a grade of B or higher in these background courses to continue in the program.
Students who want to begin the graduate program “with a background” should have an undergraduate degree in communication disorders, speech-language pathology or speech and hearing sciences. They should also have completed a minimum of 25 clock hours of supervised clinical observation.
Students with undergraduate degrees in another field may still be considered “with a background” if they have completed the required observation hours and earned a B or higher in each of the following three-credit courses:
- Anatomy of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism
- Phonetics, including transcription of disordered speech
- Normal Language Development
- Articulation Disorders in children and adults
These courses must be completed by the application deadline. Students who earned lower than a B in any of these courses must apply as students without a background and retake the course through USC before moving into core master’s coursework.
COMD Registration Policy for Undergraduate Students' Enrollment in COMD 500-level Courses
Registration preference for COMD 501, 507, 526, and 570 are given with preference to the following majors, in order: Public Health, Psychology, and all other majors. Registration is restricted to Juniors and Seniors for all coursework. Special instructor permission is not required.A minimum of 25 clinical observation hours is not required for admission. However, students who want to enter with a background must have observation hours that were obtained through a speech-language pathology course or as part of an undergraduate speech-language pathology major.
Observation hours must be guided and supervised. Volunteer or shadowing experiences completed independently do not count toward this requirement.
USC undergraduate students may be eligible to enroll in select COMD 500-level courses. Registration preference for COMD 501, 507, 526 and 570 is given first to Public Health majors, then Psychology majors, then all other majors. Registration is restricted to juniors and seniors. Special instructor permission is not required.
COMD is committed to preparing students for a wide range of professional settings. Students complete supervised practicum experiences in the Montgomery Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic and may also gain experience through external placements.
USC maintains relationships with more than 700 external practicum sites in South Carolina and across the United States. These include hospitals, rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities, community clinics, auditory-verbal centers, public and private schools, and private practices.
Clinical placements are coordinated by practicum administrators, who consider each student’s academic preparation, clinical skills, learning style and progress toward graduation requirements. These experiences help prepare graduates for careers as speech-language pathologists.
Students interested in hospital and rehabilitation settings may have opportunities to gain additional experience in neurogenic disorders. The department has active research in this area and maintains clinical affiliations with area medical centers.
A limited number of master’s students may receive additional training related to brain dysfunction, including stroke, head injury, dementia and progressive diseases. Opportunities may include monthly meetings, guest speakers, case studies, stroke support groups, workshops, practicum assignments in medical and rehabilitation sites, and internships focused on neurogenic populations.
COMD offers specialized training opportunities for a limited number of master’s students interested in hearing loss and cochlear implants.
Students may participate in a working Cochlear Implant Team and gain experience with pre-implant evaluations, team meetings, operating room observation, device programming, auditory-verbal therapy, aural rehabilitation, support groups, specialized coursework and a 10-week internship focused on children and adults with hearing loss.These experiences can help students prepare for future work with individuals who use cochlear implants or hearing aids and may serve as a step toward international certification in auditory-verbal therapy.
Passing the PRAXIS exam is required for national certification and is often required for state licensure. Students can review the department’s PRAXIS pass rates, program completion rates and other student outcome data.
Students may also have opportunities to pursue leadership development through programs such as the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Minority Student Leadership Program. This national program provides focused leadership training and gives selected students the opportunity to connect with leaders in audiology, speech-language pathology, speech, language and hearing sciences.
All full-time students are required by the university to have health and accident insurance. Students are automatically charged for university-sponsored health insurance unless they provide evidence of other coverage.
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders requires all students admitted to the master’s program to maintain health insurance throughout the program. Students must also meet and maintain additional immunization and health care requirements. COMD provides professional liability insurance and workers’ compensation policies for practicum students.
Students should review current tuition and fee information through the university. Tuition and fees may vary based on enrollment status and are subject to change.
View current Tuition and Fee information.
Students interested in programs leading to licensure should review state and university licensure information before applying or enrolling.
International applicants should review general Graduate School requirements, including visa information and support through International Student Services.
Transcripts from international applicants must be in English or officially translated into English. The school must also provide an official grading scale.
The department requires a TOEFL score of 4.5 or higher for students whose native language is not English. This requirement reflects the language-focused nature of the field and the importance of strong verbal and written communication skills in clinical and academic settings. Special circumstances may allow for alternate English testing. Applicants should contact the doctoral program director for more information.
The department offers open house opportunities for prospective students to learn more about the master’s program and ask questions. Dates, times and registration details should be updated each admissions cycle.
Applicants to the Master of Science program in Speech-Language Pathology must submit all application materials through CSDCAS by the posted deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Submission of GRE scores is optional for COMD applications.Applicants to the doctoral program are admitted on a rolling basis. Students who want to be considered for department funding should submit applications by the posted funding deadline.
Applications to the doctoral program should be submitted through the USC Graduate School portal. GRE scores are optional for COMD applications.
If you are interested in applying to our Master of Science program in Speech-Language Pathology, please download our information packet for prospective applicants.