Graduate Admissions

University Requirements

To qualify for admission to a master’s program, you must meet the General University Admission Requirements for graduate standing as well as the professional, personal, scholastic, and other standards as prescribed by the program.

Program Requirements

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 (SLP), Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; or
2. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in a discipline other than Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD). 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.

Note: Students who do not meet the above requirement are not eligible to apply and will not be accepted.

Once you are admitted to the CSULB MA program, the Department will evaluate your SLP prerequisite coursework to ensure a successful transition. 

A comprehensive evaluation of the following required courses will be conducted after the orientation meeting typically scheduled in early May. Detailed instructions and specific forms will be provided at the orientation meeting. The student will be required to submit the required documents, accordingly, including transcripts.

ASHA Basic Science Classes

• 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).
• All basic science courses must be completed at an accredited university or community college.
• 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.
• All basic science classes must be completed before the graduate program starts if admitted.

SLP Fundamental Courses

• Most academic undergraduate and post-baccalaureate programs offer core/essential courses such as anatomy and physiology, phonetics, language acquisition, introduction to speech sound disorders, developmental speech/language disorders, acquired speech/language disorders, introduction to audiology, and aural rehabilitation to help you understand normal and abnormal speech and language development across the lifespan. You must complete 30 semester units (or 45 quarter units) of the prerequisite coursework in speech-language pathology before the graduate program starts if admitted.
• It is preferred that you complete introduction to audiology and aural rehabilitation before the graduate program starts if admitted. If your transcript does not show the completion of these two classes (or a combined class), you will be required to take SLP 440 Aural Rehabilitation (undergrad class) during your first semester at CSULB.
• You will be required to submit a transcript for course evaluation.

25 Guided Observation Hours

• Your observation hours must be spread out across different disorders in developmental and neurogenic as well as assessment and intervention sessions. If you have all your observation hours collected on 1 or 2 specific disorders, the department will not accept your observation hours.
• SLPA practicum hours or SLPA work experience cannot be used to satisfy these 25 guided observation hours.
• Each observation entry must clearly indicate the client’s age, date/time, setting, and activity. 
• EACH observation entry must be signed and dated by the licensed and certified SLP.
• If you have less than 25 guided observation hours, you will be required to take one unit class to complete these hours in the summer before the first semester starts.

Special Education Class

• You are required to complete a 3-unit special education class similar to the one indicated below. The course must be completed before the graduate program starts if admitted.
• You will be required to submit a course syllabus and transcript for course evaluation.

Course title - Introduction to Teaching the Exceptional Individual (3 units) Characteristics and etiology of different categories of disability are addressed. Future educators and other school professionals will learn about history, legislation, and processes pertaining to educating students with exceptionalities. Two 2-hour fieldwork observations of individuals with exceptionalities in educational settings are required.

University Requirements

• Apply to CSULB through CAL STATE APPLY
• Create an account on Cal State Apply and follow the instructions to complete your application.
• Submit your official transcript from the institute where you receive your bachelor’s degree directly to CSULB Enrollment Services. Official transcripts may be submitted electronically directly from a U.S. college or university to ES-IDPTrans@csulb.edu.
• CSULB SLP MA Program no longer requires or accepts GRE scores as part of the application requirements.

Department Requirements

• Applicants are required to submit all the required program materials to CAL STATE APPLY. (Note: We do not use CSDCAS system.)
• Department application components include 
  • CV/Resume
  • Department application form (Fall 2025 form will be available on October 1, 2024)
  • Statement of Purpose (writing prompt is available on Cal State Apply)
  • Three Letters of Recommendation 
  • Unofficial transcript(s)
• All instructions can be found on CAL STATE APPLY under Program Materials.

CSULB Admissions Committee will evaluate all application materials submitted by the applicants, including the following items.

• Grade point average (GPA) in speech-language pathology coursework
• Overall GPA
• Three letters of recommendation
• Statement of purpose
• Resume
• Interview Results: Only qualified applicants receive invitations to be interviewed by members of the Admissions Committee. If an interview is offered, the interview results will be included. 

Note: We do not require or accept GRE scores as part of the application requirements.

For the most recent program admissions, enrollment, and graduation data, please search CSULB on ASHA EdFind.

The interview evaluates the applicant's abilities and skills necessary to satisfy the knowledge and clinical standards established by the ASHA and faculty and the personal characteristics that are necessary to become a competent speech-language pathologist. The Admissions Committee selects applicants for matriculation who have demonstrated the personal qualities of maturity, integrity, and who are best suited for meeting the educational goals of the CSULB SLP MA program.

Due to the large volume of applications per year, the department is not able to offer individual advising sessions to program applicants. Instead,  a group information session will be offered once a semester for prospective students. 

For the Fall 2025 admissions cycle, a general information session via Zoom will be offered on October 15, 2024, at 4:30 pm PT. Please register in advance for this meeting Here. Once registered, you will receive an email notification with a Zoom link.