Frequently Asked Questions

We are a new program that has been approved for Candidacy for Accreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

Our program was approved for candidacy in May 2021 and enrolled our first cohort of students in August 2021. Our students will graduate with a degree that ASHA recognizes and will be able to sit for their Cs and complete a CFY just like students from any other accredited program.

Full accreditation occurs after a program is in candidacy for five years. Being in candidacy or fully accredited does not alter the degree students receive or its acceptability for ASHA. It just means that the program is being more carefully monitored during the first five years to ensure that it is providing quality education and meeting standards.

We accept 40 students each year.

New students begin coursework each fall semester. The start date is in mid-August, with a Thursday-Friday orientation followed by the start of classes the following week and first-semester clinical rotation in the inpatient adult setting shortly after.

MUSC does not require the vaccine for enrollment into classes. However, due to clinical rotations at MUSC Health beginning in the fall semester, our students will be required to submit proof of COVID vaccination (among others) or documentation of declination for clinical access compliance.

Yes. Our current cohort has established an NSSLHA chapter. You can follow them on Instagram to see what they have been up to. Each SLP cohort will also have representation in the College of Health Professions SGA & MUSC SGA Boards. In addition, there are a wide variety of special interest groups and other organizations for students to get involved in at MUSC.

View our tuition and fees page.

We do not accept transfer credit for courses within the MUSC SLP curriculum. This includes advanced placement, transfer of credit, credit for experiential learning, and/or previous coursework or experience. page.

Yes. You must have a Bachelor of Science or Arts from an accredited college or university before entering the speech-language pathology program. A specific major is not required, but specific prerequisite course work is required. All students must have completed college-level coursework in biology, social/behavioral science, general physics/chemistry, and statistics. If you do not have an undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, four (4) basic communication science prerequisites are required, these include Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Hearing; Normal Language Development; Phonetics; & Speech and Hearing Science. View a list of universities that offer these courses online.

No, the GRE is not required.

Per Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CFCC) standards, all students must have completed college-level coursework in biology, social/behavioral science, general physics/chemistry, and statistics. Basic communication sciences courses that are prerequisites for the program include Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Hearing; Normal Language Development; Phonetics; & Speech and Hearing Science. View the program admissions requirements. 

Decisions for admission are made on a competitive basis, with the applicant's undergraduate GPA factoring into the decision. A minimum 3.0 GPA is required for admissions consideration. The average cumulative GPA for our first cohort was a 3.6.

An admissions committee examines each qualified applicant's portfolio, including the letters of reference, resume, essay and other admissions materials, and scores them. Experience related to speech-language pathology, strong letters of reference, volunteer/service activities, and leadership experience assist applicants in improving their profile scores. Applicants who score highly will be invited to interview with the program faculty.

Yes, the program will accept online or in-person coursework from any regionally accredited institution.

No, MUSC does not offer leveling courses at this time. Applicants without a CSD degree must take a minimum of 12 hours of CSD prerequisite coursework. View the program admissions requirements.

You can view a directory of schools that offer the four (4) prerequisite courses online on our website. You can have other courses reviewed by the program to confirm they meet our prerequisite requirements by requesting a review and providing as much information about the course as possible, a full syllabus would be preferred.

Yes, you are not required to complete a minimum number of coursework hours to apply, but all courses must be completed by matriculation. We recommend that individuals complete as many Communication Sciences and Disorders prerequisites as possible before applying. If you have not completed all prerequisite coursework, you can provide your plans for completing the courses in your CSDCAS application.

No, concurrent enrollment in prerequisite coursework is not possible. Prerequisite courses must be completed before beginning the program.

No, they do not need to be completed to apply, but they need to be completed by matriculation. You can provide your plans for completing the courses in your CSDCAS application.

The program will accept in-person, Telehealth, and the Master Clinician Network for observation hours. We cannot help with facilitating observation opportunities. We recommend contacting local private practices or clinics for observation opportunities.