FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

In order to apply, prior to the first semester of graduate enrollment, applicants must have either: 

  1. A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a major in communication sciences and disorders (CSD), speech-language pathology, speech, language and hearing sciences, etc., or 
  2. A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a discipline other than Speech-Language Pathology. The applicant must have at least 30 semester units (or 45 quarter units) of coursework in speech-language pathology/communication sciences and disorders before enrollment in the graduate program.

You could consider completing the required academic leveling (prerequisites) courses through a post-baccalaureate program in speech-language pathology. We no longer offer such a post-baccalaureate program here at the CSULB. We cannot recommend a specific program for you. 

The Department of Speech-Language Pathology admits students to the M.A. program once per year for fall start dates. The deadline is usually January 15, but please refer to the department website for the most recent admission information.

All application materials must be submitted to Cal State Apply. We do not use the Centralized Application Service for Communication Science & Disorders Programs (CSDCAS).

No.  We do not require or accept GRE scores as part of the application requirements.

No, CSULB’s SLP post-baccalaureate program has been discontinued.

Our department’s undergraduate courses are only open to matriculated and major students. Non-matriculated students cannot take these courses, not even through open university.

As long as you have completed at least 30-semester units (or 45 quarter units) in speech-language pathology by the time you enter our graduate program, you are eligible to apply. However, completing at least 30 semester units (or 45 quarter units) in speech-language pathology prior to applying to our graduate program is preferred. You will be required to submit your post-baccalaureate program transcript to Cal State Apply.

  • Most academic post-baccalaureate programs offer core/essential/leveling courses to fill your knowledge gaps such as anatomy and physiology, phonetics, language acquisition, introduction to speech sound disorders, child/adult language disorders, introduction to audiology, and courses that help you understand normal and abnormal speech and language development across the lifespan.
  • Due to a large number of applicants, our department cannot offer course equivalency evaluations or individual consultations to prospective students. The 30 semester units of SLP/CSD courses must not include ASHA basic science courses/prerequisite courses (i.e., biology, statistics, social sciences, and chemistry/physics).

  • Applicants are required to demonstrate the completion of 30 semester units (or 45 quarter units) of the prerequisite coursework in speech-language pathology before the graduate program starts if admitted. Due to a large number of applicants, our department cannot offer course equivalency evaluations or individualized consultations to prospective students. You are encouraged to visit our department website for the eligibility requirement and other relevant information about graduate program applications. 
  • The CSULB SLP M.A. program only evaluates ASHA prerequisites (i.e., biological sciences, physical sciences, social/behavioral sciences, and statistics) once the student is admitted into our M.A. program. CSULB SLP M.A. program has the authority to accept or reject previously-completed coursework. For more information, please visit the ASHA website.

  • Please submit one set of official transcripts from the college or university from which you earned your bachelor's degree. If you are still in progress with your bachelor’s degree, then please send an official transcript showing classes earned up to this point (coursework in progress is okay). You will have to submit ANOTHER ONE once the degree has been awarded and posted on your transcripts. The updated transcripts must be submitted in a timely manner to avoid any delay in your application process. 
  • You may submit official transcripts to Enrollment Services either (1) electronically or (2) by mail. 
    • Official transcripts may be submitted electronically directly from a U.S. college or university to ES-IDPTrans@csulb.edu.

    • Official transcripts may be submitted—directly from the university or by the applicant as long as they are in an envelope sealed by the issuing institution—to the address below:

      Enrollment Services/Admissions

      California State University, Long Beach
      1250 Bellflower Blvd.
      Long Beach, CA 90840

  • Please DO NOT send your transcripts to the CSULB SLP Department. The Department will not process your transcripts. 
  • Please send your official transcript after you submit your application. Please do not send your transcript to Enrollment Services before submitting your application to avoid any delay. 
  • Please do not change your contact email address during the application process, and check your email regularly to ensure all applications are received before the deadline. You are advised to submit your application documents before the deadline to avoid any processing delays. 
  • Incomplete applications will not be deferred for departmental review.
  • CSULB students: If you receive your BA / BS from CSULB, you DO NOT need to submit your CSULB transcripts. However, if you have taken courses at other colleges/universities, you will need to submit those official transcripts. Please visit Submit Transcripts for more information. 

  • You are encouraged to complete all four ASHA basic science courses prior to applying. However, as long as you are able to complete ALL four ASHA basic science courses before the first semester of grad school starts, you are eligible to apply.
  • All basic science courses must be completed at an accredited university or community college.
  • A minimum of  3-semester units (or 4 quarter units) with a grade of C or better is required for all four ASHA basic science courses to be accepted by the CSULB SLP MA program.
  • Please visit Prerequisite Course Content Areas Related to SLP Certification Standards for detailed descriptions of the prerequisite courses. 
  • The biology course must be offered by the Biology Department (e.g., courses in General Biology, Human Biology, Neurobiology, Microbiology). The Chemistry or Physics course must be offered by the Chemistry or Physics Department (a General Physics/Chemistry course would satisfy the requirement). The Statistics course must be offered by the Math or Psychology Department. The Social/Behavioral Science course must be offered by the Psychology, Sociology or Anthropology Department (Ethnic and cultural studies offered by any department would satisfy the requirement).
  • The department will request a copy of your course syllabi for ASHA basic science courses you completed and transcripts after you are admitted to the program.
  • Due to a large number of applications, our department cannot offer course equivalency evaluations or individual consultations to prospective students.

Please contact International Enrollment Management regarding admissions process. 

  • Applicants are responsible for monitoring the status of an application, including any required documentation. To help you keep track of your application and all materials, click Check Status at the top of the application dashboard. You should receive messages directly from CSULB Enrollment Services during the following phases: Application Received, Documents needed, Forwarded to the department for consideration or Denial for not meeting CSU requirements, Whether or not admitted/denied if referred to the department.
  • Within the first communication, you will be sent to Applicant Self-Service, where you can check the status of your application at any time. Please visit Cal State Apply for more information. 

One information session will be held online via Zoom in the Fall and Spring semester. You can find more information on the Graduate Admissions page. 

The CSULB SLP M.A. program requires a minimum of 58 units of coursework. It takes 5 semesters (Fall, Spring, Summer, Fall, Spring), including one full semester of school-based internship and one full semester of clinical internship (hospital or private practice) to complete the program (for full-time graduate students who maintain a GPA of 3.0 throughout the program). The CSULB SLP M.A. program is cohort-based. All students take the courses in the same sequence. All academic seminars are offered once a year. 

The CSULB SLP M.A. program offers seminars on a wide range of topics that cover developmental speech/language disorders and neurogenic speech/language disorders. A full list of courses we offer can be found in CSULB Catalog. Students also have to successfully complete two on-campus clinics before they take the internship courses

 All our graduate courses are in person for students who are enrolled in our CSULB M.A. program. 

Please visit CSULB Tuition and Fees for more information. CA residents may be qualified for different CA state grants which might further lower your tuition. Please contact the CSULB Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

Please visit Graduate Aid Programs Overview for more information. SLP Department may have some graduate assistant openings, but the opportunities vary every academic year and are limited.