Dr. Michael S. Weiss, Chair
201 Carter Drive
West Chester, PA 19383
Call: 610-436-3401
Fax : 610-436-3388 mweiss@wcupa.edu
Admission Requirements
Requirements for admission to the M.A. program in Communicative
Disorders:
In addition to meeting the general requirements for admission to a
degree program at West Chester University, applicants must:
1. Present an undergraduate background of at least 30 semester hours in the following areas of
study: psychology, human development, linguistics, statistics, speech and language
development, phonetics, speech disorders, language disorders, hearing disorders, basic speech
and hearing science, and clinical experience.
2. Present undergraduate transcripts showing cumulative and major GPAs of at least a 3.0. Please note that the average cumulative GPA was 3.68 and the average major GPA was 3.80 for students who were accepted in to the graduate program during the fall of the current academic year.
4. Submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores. Please note that the average GRE score was 1054 for students who were accepted in to the graduate program during the fall of the current academic year.
5. Submit a log of supervised clinical observation
hours
6. Submit a log of undergraduate clinical practicum hours (if applicable).
7. Submit two letters of recommendation.
Academic competencies expected as a pre-requisite for admission to the M.A.
program:
The list of competencies is provided below. Occasionally, students are admitted to the program even though they are missing one of the competencies on this list. When that occurs, a student is expected to complete a course in which the competency is addressed. This must be done in addition to the standard MA curriculum.
A. Linguistics and Phonetics--Competencies in BOTH areas is required.
A linguistics course which introduces the student to language description, classification,
change, reconstruction, dialectology, and sociolinguistics.
A course which addresses the areas of phonetics, classical phonetic feature system, distinctive
feature system, I.P.A., application of broad and narrow transcription and phonological
principles.
B. Basic Sciences--Competencies in two areas: biological sciences and
physical sciences
A course in biology and a course in the physical sciences are required
by ASHA in order for a student to meet the requirements for the
Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC).
C. Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism
A course which includes a detailed study the of anatomy and physiology of the respiratory,
phonatory, articulatory, auditory and nervous systems. Attention should be given to the way in
which physiological processes support human communication as well as to learning the
structures associated with each system.
D. Speech and Hearing Science: Acoustics
A course which includes the study of the bases of physical measurement, simple harmonic
motion, complex waves, measurement of sound, resonance and filters should be included.
E. Mathematics and Statistics--Competencies in BOTH areas is required.
The mathematics and statistics competency includes: ability to carry out basic computation of
algebraic equations and trigonometric functions, ability to work with exponents and
logarithms, ability to solve word problems, ability to compute basic descriptive statistics and
the ability to compute inferential statistics.
F. Introductory Psychology
A basic course in Psychology that includes: an introduction to the scientific study of behavior. The
multiple bases of human behavior with emphasis on the learning process. The course should
address basic concepts, principles and methodologies used in psychology.
G. Human Development
A course which traces human development through both the childhood and
adult epochs of the lifespan.
H. Speech and Language Development
A course which emphasizes normal communication development: biological, cognitive, social
and ecological bases of language. It should include developmental milestones from
prelinguistic communication to oral language, literacy, and changes associated with aging. It
should also address normal variations in development associated with cultural diversity and
bilingualism.
I. Speech Disorders
A survey course in human communication disorders AND a course in which at least one third
of the content concerns articulation and phonological disorders and which
includes units of study in voice disorders and fluency disorders.
J. Language Disorders
A course whose content emphasizes the clinical management of developmental and acquired
language disorders in children and aging adults. Categories of language disorders, including
risk indicators, etiologies, symptomatologies and maintaining factors associated with each
disorders should be studied. Evaluation and treatment protocols indicated by developmental
theories, processing models and sensitivity to normal variations among culturally diverse
populations should be included.
K. Hearing Disorders
The course should include an introduction to audiology and its relationship to other
educational and medical fields concerned with hearing impairments. It should also include
information pertaining to the developmental, medical, social, physical and psychological
properties of hearing and sound and evaluative techniques for assessing hearing loss.
Clinical competencies expected as a pre-requisite for Admission to the MA Program:
L. Clinical Principles
This course should familiarize students with the evaluative and therapeutic materials and
methods which are applicable in a professional clinical setting.
M. Clinical Observation
At least 25 clock hours of supervised clinical observation must be completed prior to beginning
initial clinical practicum. The department reserves the right to request a log of the completed
observations, signed by the responsible supervisor(s).
O. Clinical Practicum (optional)
Supervised clinical management of individuals with communication disorders, including
diagnostics and treatment. A detailed log of practicum hours, including age of clients, type of
disorder, hours of spent in diagnostic and in treatment activities must be presented. The
signature and ASHA certification number of the supervising clinician must also part of the log.
Essential functions expected of students in the M.A. Program:
In addition to meeting the academic and clinical pre-requisites described above, applicants to the MA program must also be able to demonstrate certain essential functions, with or without reasonable accomodations. These functions involve physical health, motor skills, observational skills, communication skills, cognitive skills, and behavioral/emotional health. Each is described in a document at the following link: Essential Functions (2009)
Applicants are expected to read this document. Students who are accepted into the M.A. program will be asked to commit to this standard.
Please see the following link for specific application materials.
Applications can also be requested from:
Office of Graduate
Studies
& Sponsored
Research
McKelvie Hall, 102
Rosedale Avenue
West Chester
University
West Chester, PA
19383-2300
Voice: 610-436-2943
Fax: 610-436-2763
The deadline for receipt of applications is
January 15. Applications are accepted only for
Fall admission to the program. Full-time and part-time students must be available for day time classes.
Completed applications should be returned to the Graduate Studies office.
A limited number of graduate assistantships are available. For information and an
application, please contact the Office of Graduate Studies. For information about other
types of financial aid, please contact:
Office of Financial Aid
E.O. Bull Center
West Chester University
West Chester, PA 19383
Phone: 610 436-2627
