Admission Requirements

The following are graduate admission requirements for Xavier University of Louisiana’s Master’s program in Speech-Language Pathology:

· Graduation from a regionally accredited undergraduate college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Candidates are expected to have maintained at least a cumulative 3.2 undergraduate GPA.

· Students without an undergraduate degree in speech-language pathology and audiology (e.g., speech-language pathology and audiology, communicative sciences and disorders, audiology and speech sciences, or speech, language and hearing sciences), must have at least a 3.2 GPA and no grade of C or below in the following prerequisite courses:

o Anatomy & Physiology of Speech and Hearing o Phonetics
o Speech Science
o Language Development
o Articulation and Phonological Disorders o Language Disorders
o Clinical Methods
o Audiology
o Aural Rehabilitation

· For those applicants who do not have an undergraduate degree in speech- language pathology and audiology, in addition to a preferred cumulative 3.2 GPA and no grade of C or below in any of the courses listed above, these applicants should also have earned a grade of C or better in the following courses before being admitted to the program:

o Social Science (e.g., Psychology, Sociology)
o Statistics
o Biological Sciences
o Basic Physical Sciences (Chemistry or Physics)

· If admitted, those students whose undergraduate degree program did not offer oneor more of the specific courses listed above as being required will complete the undergraduate prerequisite courses during the summer prior to fall start.

· Official transcripts from every college or university attended. If the candidate is currently enrolled, then most recently completed semester grades must be included.

· Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score requirements include a preferred 280 minimum combined score on the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning subtests of the examination.

· Three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with academic (2) and professional (1) abilities that address potential for success.

· Successful completion of a face-to-face interview, upon invitation.

· Personal statement that addresses the applicant’s rationale for pursuing a Master’s degree in speech-language pathology at Xavier University of Louisiana, including their views on cultural and linguistic diversity

· NOTE: Simply meeting the criteria outlined above is not a guarantee of admission.
· Applicants whose cumulative undergraduate grade point average is below 3.0 may be considered for conditional admission based on the last 60 hours of semester credit if the applicants meet all other criteria established for admission. The program will use a formula consisting of personal statements, interviews, letters of recommendation and GPA of at least 3.2 in last 60 hours of semester credit to determine conditional admission.

· In the first semester of graduate study (i.e., first academic year after acceptance), students admitted on conditional status will be required to have earned a grade of B or better in all courses taken (minimum 6 - 9 semester credit hours in SLP courses). Students who fail to meet these minimum performance requirements, will not be permitted to enroll in courses the second semester and will be dismissed from the program.

· As part of the application process, applicants must clearly express in writing their views on cultural and linguistic diversity. They must also pass a communication screening as part of their initial interview. Students who are not native speakers of English will be required to pass the TOEFL and demonstrate English speaking comprehension skills appropriate for service delivery. A minimum TOEFL score of 600 on the paper-based exam, or 100 on the internet- based exam, must be achieved on a test taken within the last two years. Students may be referred for accent reduction or ESL instruction.

Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology

The Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology (MS, SLP), a residential education program, at Xavier University of Louisiana is a Candidate for Accreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech- Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700. Candidacy is a “pre-accreditation” status with the CAA, awarded to developing or emerging programs for a maximum period of 5 years.

The program is intended to be completed in two calendar years or five-six academic semesters, including summers. Students will obtain coursework that may include distance learning, in class, and/or hybrid teaching and clinical practica both on and off campus in at least three different settings (clinic, school, hospital/rehabilitation center/nursing facility). The curriculum includes 51 semester hours.