In addition to the University of Iowa's Regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, the Master of Arts (M.A.) education program in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology {residential} at the University of Iowa is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.

Admission decisions are based on an applicant's credentials in relation to those of other individuals applying. Admissions are made only for the fall semester, and generally 24-25 students enter the program each year.

The Admissions Committee reviews all applicants and all aspects of your application. In addition to your test scores and coursework, we consider your experience with vulnerable populations, your leadership, your interests, your referral letters, and your critical thinking skills. We are also committed to maximizing the diversity of our graduate student population.

To be admitted to the University of Iowa’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders' M.A. program, you must meet the following requirements:

1. Agree to adhere to ASHA’s Code of Ethics. In particular, students must be prepared to adhere to ASHA’s rules regarding nondiscrimination “on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity/gender expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, disability, culture, language, or dialect” and sign the Nondiscrimination Notification.
2. Attest that you possess the essential functions required to practice speech-language pathology, as outlined in the Student Success Document.
3. Have fulfilled the prerequisite coursework requirements (see section immediately below).
4. Have earned a Grade Point Average (GPA) that meets or exceeds the program's admission criteria (please see below).

Required Undergraduate Coursework
The following courses (or their equivalent) are required for graduation with an M.A. in Speech Pathology and Audiology program. If you have an undergraduate degree in communication sciences and disorders, you will likely have already completed most of this coursework in your undergraduate program. Students who have not taken these courses will need to take them during the M.A. program; however, taking prerequisite coursework during the graduate program may extend the length of the M.A. program.

The following courses are typically taken outside of departments of communication sciences and disorders (CSD). CSD courses cannot be used to fulfill these requirements.

• a biological science course (human or animal biology)
• a physical science course (physics or chemistry)
• a social/behavioral science course (e.g. psychology)
• an introductory course in statistics

The following courses are typically taken within a CSD department:

• Phonology/Phonetics (3 credits)
• Anatomy and Physiology of Speech (3 credits)
• Hearing Science/Speech Science/Acoustics (3-4 credits)
• Neurological bases of Speech, Language, and Hearing (3 credits)
• Language Acquisition (3 credits)
• Hearing Loss and Audiometry (3 credits)
• Aural Rehabilitation (3 credits)
• Developmental Speech and Language Disorders (3-5 credits)

Accepted students use the linked form to track completion of prerequisite courses. The form can be used as a draft in considering an applicant's readiness for graduate-level study.

In addition, applicants are required to have completed 25 hours of clinical observation documented by a practitioner with ASHA certification before beginning the graduate program.

Students who have an undergraduate degree that is not in CSD may: 1) complete the prerequisite courses as a non-degree seeking student and then apply to the two-year program; or 2) apply as a three-year student, taking the required prerequisite coursework during their first year.

GRE/GPA requirements
The M.A. program no longer requires scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Criteria for admission to the Graduate College of the University of Iowa are available on the Graduate College website. There are no additional requirements for admission other than those imposed by the Graduate College, but applicants with GPAs of less than 3.4 in undergraduate study are not likely to be accepted. 

All applications to the Master of Arts in Speech Pathology and Audiology must be made through the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS), as well as through the University of Iowa Graduate College.

To apply, you must submit the following: 

• transcripts from all previously attended institutions
• three letters of recommendation
• answer to the Critical Thinking Questions

Some materials will be submitted to CSDCAS and some to the University of Iowa. CSDCAS will require submission of transcripts and the names of your references. The University of Iowa application will require your official transcripts after you have been admitted into the program.

1. Apply to Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS) and to University of Iowa Graduate College. It is the applicant’s responsibility to meet the application deadlines.
   
   The CSDCAS portal is found at https://csdcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login.

   CSDCAS Application Deadline: January 15th (midnight, Eastern time) for admission for the following fall semester.

   The University of Iowa portal is found at https://grad.admissions.uiowa.edu/apply.

   UI Graduate College Application Deadline: February 1st for admission for the following fall semester.

2. Submit your application materials to CSDCAS.
   
   You do not need to submit a personal statement/essay or recommendation letters to the University of Iowa. If the UI online form does not allow you to skip over these items, write “see CSDCAS app.”
    
3. All official transcripts MUST be sent to CSDCAS at: CSDCAS Transcript Processing Center, P.O. Box 9113, Watertown, MA 02471.
   
   You may wait until you hear that you have been admitted into the program to send transcripts to the University of Iowa. If denied admission, you do not have to send transcripts to Iowa.

 Once admitted, please submit all official transcripts to: Enrollment Management
2900 University Capitol Centre
201 S. Clinton St.
Iowa City, IA 52242

4. GRE's: The Admissions Committee decided that GRE (Graduate Record Exam) scores will not be required from applicants at this time. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Kristi Hendrickson, Chair of the Admissions Committee (kristi-hendrickson@uiowa.edu).
    
5. Grad College and GPA: Criteria for admission to the Graduate College of the university of Iowa are available on the Graduate College website. There are no additional requirements for admission other than those imposed by the Graduate College, but applicants with GPAs of less than 3.0 in undergraduate study are not likely to be accepted.

Questions?

• CSDCAS Customer Service is available Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, EST. Phone: 617-612-2030; Email: csdcasinfo@csdcas.org. The website also has a live chat feature.
   
• For more information on CSDCAS, visit CSDCAS's Frequently Asked Questions.
   
• For specific questions regarding the Iowa MA-SLP Program, please visit the Graduate Advising page.

Interviews and Visit Days
Once the applications have been reviewed, interviews will be arranged via Zoom. Students who have been admitted to the M.A. program will be invited to a Visit Day in February or March. Visit Day gives applicants an opportunity to participate in a day-long set of activities to familiarize them with Iowa's M.A. program.

When will I hear a decision about admission?
Students will be notified of their application status in March.

The M.A. program generally requires two years/five semesters to complete: Year 1: Fall, Spring Summer; Year 2: Fall, Spring. For updated information on courses, curriculum, and requirements of the Master of Arts in Speech Pathology and Audiology, visit the UI General Catalog.

Entering M.A. students will be reviewed for the completion of ASHA Prerequisites that are required preparation for the M.A. program and the M.A. clinical courses. The department may accept comparable courses taken at the undergraduate level pending relevant documentation. If you have questions regarding your prerequisite coursework, please contact the department at speech-path-aud@uiowa.edu

Once the required coursework is completed, students are able to customize their program by selecting from a wide range of elective coursework to prepare for a future career in a variety of professional settings. 

All students complete a seminar in Evidence-Based Practice, which prepares them to be sophisticated consumers of research. In addition, students have the opportunity to pursue a thesis or to work in labs on a semester basis.

Students who wish to maximize their preparation to provide culturally and linguistically responsive speech and language assessment and support for bilingual/multilingual children can add the Certificate in Multilingualism and Culturally Responsive Practice or register for elective coursework.

A current listing of coursework and course descriptions for the M.A. degree are available in the UI General Catalog.

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa uses an expert model and team approach to clinical education. Each student typically rotates through six specialty-based clinical teams. These teams may include Aural Rehabilitation, Early Childhood, General Speech and Language Disorders including a focus on autism, Acquired Neurogenic Speech and Language Disorders, AAC, Voice Disorders, and Fluency Disorders. These teams are led by UI CSD clinical faculty at the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic. Students typically obtain 175 to 200 hours of supervision from UI CSD faculty prior to outplacements. This one-on-one teaching model is intended to help students develop clinical skills including client-centered interactions, critical thinking skills and clinical decision making. To learn more about our clinical areas, visit the Clinical Services section.

During the summer sessions, there are a number of intensive therapy programs held at the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic. All students participate in UI SHINE, a program for kids and teens who stutter or those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Students assigned to the Aural Rehabilitation summer team may participate in Communication Explorers, a joint program with SLP and AuD students working together to treat preschool-aged children with hearing loss. During the summer sessions, other students may rotate through the Social Climbers program or one of the Language and Literacy Clubs, focused on pragmatic language skills or literacy skills.

All students engage in Inter-professional Education (IPE) activities during their two-year M.A. program, through large group and small group activities in collaboration with students in Audiology, Physical Therapy, Nursing, Medical Education, and the Physician Assistant programs.

Because the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic is a billing clinic, students are trained in current billing procedures, diagnosis and treatment coding, and advocacy strategies for clinical services.

Outplacement Opportunities
Students have the option for a part-time mini-outplacement in the fall semester of their second year. All students complete two full-time 8-week outplacements in the spring semester of their second year. 

We currently have contracts with over 100 clinical sites. Students work with the Clinical Director to arrange their spring outplacement experiences. Here are a few examples of sites where we have placed students:

Locally

• University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (Iowa City, Iowa)
• Veterans Administration Medical Center (Iowa City, Iowa)
• Area Education Agency school district (Iowa City, Coralville, and Williamsburg, Iowa)
• Child Serve and Enrichment Center (Iowa City or Coralville, Iowa)
• On With Life (Coralville, Iowa)
• Center for Development and Disabilities (CDD), Iowa City, Iowa

Nationally

• Blain Block Institute for Voice (Dayton, Ohio)
• Cincinnati Children’s hospital (Cincinnati, Oh)
• Encompass Rehab (several locations in the country)
• Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital (Lincoln or Omaha, Nebraska)
• Mayo Clinics (Jacksonville, Florida)
• Mercy hospitals (Des Moines, Iowa)
• On With Life (Des Moines, Iowa)
• Private practices across the country
• School districts across the country
• ShirleyRyan Ability Lab (Chicago, IL)
• Stanford Hospitals and Clinics (Stanford, California)

The M.A. degree is primarily a clinical degree. However, as a practicing clinician, it is important to be able to critically read and integrate information from professional journals. All M.A. students are required to complete the Evidence-Based Practice Seminar. This course provides an introduction to the design and conduct of research and evidence-based clinical practice in the field.

Students also have the opportunity to pursue an M.A. thesis project under the direction of a faculty member. CSD faculty engage in a wide range of research; see the our Research pages for more details. Examples of recently completed theses include: "Comparing Satisfaction with Social Networks of Adults with and without Aphasia," "Effects of Fitzmaurice Voicework on the Voices of Graduate Student Actors," and "Co-speech Gesture Integration in Hippocampal Amnesia."

There is little question that the greatest strength of CSD is its people, with faculty originating from diverse backgrounds and professional and academic experiences. CSD's strong alumni network and professor emeriti (many of whom live locally) contribute valuable resources as teachers, mentors, and connectors.

By keeping our graduate cohorts small, students receive ample one-on-one interaction with faculty, whether learning through coursework or mentorship in their primary areas of research and clinical interests. Faculty descriptions of professional interests, contact information and photos are under the People pages.

Building a sense of community is an important goal of our program. Incoming M.A. students participate in a one week “boot camp” prior to the first semester of classes. The purpose of this camp is to obtain initial instruction in foundations of clinical practice, get oriented to the clinic, and participate in social events which are organized to help the students get to know each other and the faculty.  Community building continues with our Camp Wapsi event, which is generally scheduled during the first month of the first semester.  This two-day event, filled with team building experiences, is held at a local YMCA camp and is attended by first and second year Speech Pathology and Audiology students and faculty.  

Many graduate students become active members of the UI NSSLHA group. Our departmental group has consistently earned GOLD chapter honors from ASHA, due to its work in advocacy, philanthropy, and professional development. Students have the opportunity to attend the state ISHA convention during their first Fall semester in the program and the ASHA convention during their second Fall semester.

Current tuition and fees are listed in the Office of the Registrar's Tuition and Fees Rate Tables.

All MA-SLP students are considered for funding based on merit and availability of funds. Funding is awarded via tuition scholarships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships.

For more funding opportunities, consult Resources and the Graduate College's Funding page. 

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is located in the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center on the west (medical) side of the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City. 

Virtual Information Days

Learn more about our graduate programs and how to apply during our virtual information days, offered over the summer and in the fall. 

• July 31, 2024, 2:00pm CST
  • Register here
• October information Day TBD

Contact

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center
250 Hawkins Drive
Iowa City, Iowa 52242
319-335-8718
speech-path-aud@uiowa.edu

For specific questions regarding the Graduate Program, please visit the Graduate Advising page for contact information.