Undergraduate Admission

Prospective undergraduate students interested in majoring in Speech Pathology and Audiology should visit Miami's Office of Admission for general information, applications, and deadlines. There are no additional steps required for admission to the department.

Graduate Admission (updated 6/16/2021)

There are distinct requirements and procedures for admission to the graduate program in Speech Pathology. Please visit the Graduate Admissions Page for more information.

Request information about the program

*Please note that if you click on the Request for Information link above, information provided about the program is geared for upcoming seniors or students who are planning to apply for the 2022 class. 

During a typical application year, tours/visits cannot be scheduled while a current application class is in process (December to May). This timeline ensures that the prospective students receive the most up-to-date information about the program.  

Graduate Program Admission Requirements

Our graduate program admission requirements involve both the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) requirements and Departmental requirements.

  1. To fulfill ASHA course requirements, prospective graduate students are required to
  1. Have a Bachelor's degree (BA or BS) from an accredited institution (CSD majors or non-majors)
  2. As part of their undergraduate program (CSD majors or non-majors), a student must take at least one course from each of the following areas and ALL COURSES MUST BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO THE FALL OF 2022:
  1. biological science (biology, physiology, zoology)
  2. physical science physics or chemistry 
  3. college level quantitative statistics
  4. social science 
  5. behavioral science 
  6. quantitative research methods course (This must be a stand-alone course; independent study involving empirical research or working in a research lab DOES NOT fulfill the requirement)
  7. a designated undergraduate course in neurology, neuroscience, or neurobiology (this course may be taken in a CSD department or another department)

Guidelines for some of these courses can be found on the ASHA website

  1. In addition to the courses required by ASHA, our Department also requires the following Major courses be completed (includes CSD majors and non-majors). Students who have taken these prerequisite courses will ensure completion of our graduate program in the allotted time. Please understand that these courses are REQUIRED PRIOR TO ENTERING THE PROGRAM (not necessarily before you apply to the program) at Miami University.
  1. Language development
  2. Anatomy and physiology of the speech mechanism or equivalent distinct from a speech science course
  3. Phonetics 
  4. Introduction to Audiology (3-hour course)
  5. Aural rehabilitation (3-hour course)

The following additional courses are incorporated AS PART OF the graduate curriculum if the courses were not taken during a student’s undergraduate or leveling program:

  • speech and hearing science
  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • fluency disorders
  1. GPA (overall and in the major): A minimum overall GPA of 3.3 and a minimum GPA of 3.4 in the communication sciences undergraduate degree are recommended.
  2. Graduate Record Exam (GRE): For this application cycle (students applying during the Fall of 2021 to begin their coursework in Fall 2022), the GRE will NOT be used during the selection process. 
  3. Required Additional Experience-Guided Observation hours: Per American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), students should obtain and provide documentation for a minimum of 25 hours of guided clinical observations. These hours generally precede direct contact with clients/patients. Evidence of guided observations includes documentation of hours, dates, activities observed and signature(s) from the clinical educator(s). In addition, beginning January 1, 2021 (originally set January 2020, but COVID postponed this requirement by 12 months). ASHA mandated that clinical educators who are leading the guided hours (i.e. signing off on your hours) must have completed 2 hours of continuing education in supervision. Access to ASHA supervision courses may be found at For our program, PRIOR TO THE START of graduate school ALL students must have completed their 25 observation hours. Students area also encouraged to get a range of observations hours in different settings with different populations. In addition, we require a valid ASHA accreditation number and state number of the clinical educator(s) as part of the documentation of your hours. If your university has not supplied a form that can be utilized to track your hours, please contact our clinic director, Cheryl Stewart at for a copy of a sample for.   
  4. Outside Experience: Students applying to our program, in addition to excelling academically, should demonstrate extra-curricular, volunteer, and leadership activities outside of the classroom.. Such experiences may include, but are not limited to, working to support themselves, volunteer work with special populations (pediatric and/or adults), engaged or assisted in research, been active and/or held leadership positions in student organizations, participated in varsity sports, participated in University bands or vocal groups. As part of your application we will be requiring a detailed resume that will highlight these experiences.

Additional Prerequisites for Non-Majors

(AKA leveling students or a student with an undergraduate degree other than speech-language pathology or communication disorders)

In addition to the above requirements listed under Bachelor Degree (#1 above) students have to have completed all of the Major courses (#2 above) PRIOR to entering the program. Grades for a minimum of 3 (at least 9 credit hours) of these courses have to be submitted AS PART OF application phase, with a detailed plan to be provided upon request during the review process of how the remaining coursework will be obtained. Students can submit their plan in the CSDCAS portion of the application as "Planned" for both Spring and Summer. The graduate director may contact a prospective leveling student to obtain this information.

Rationale for Taking the Prerequisites Prior to the Application and Admission

First, this will allow students to complete the program in a timely manner with their initial peer class.

Second, in order to be eligible for graduate monetary support, a student must be a full-time graduate student. Undergraduate credits cannot be counted as part of the minimum full-time graduate course load.

Third, successful completion of undergraduate courses in the major help to demonstrate a student’s potential for graduate study and determine interest in the field. Graduate programs in speech-language pathology are very competitive and it is to your advantage to provide evidence of mastery of the basic level courses.

Other Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology responding to COVID-19? Our Departmental COVID 19-response /return to campus leadership committee is regularly consulting with University, local, state, and national leaders. We are navigating all of the details to provide our students with a safe and thorough education that will meet all expected ASHA competencies, state and national licensing requirements. Presently, the majority of our clinical placements are moving forward or have been adjusted to allow our current students to meet their clinical hour obligations. 

Does your program have rolling admissions? We do not have rolling admissions.

Does your program allow for study abroad during the graduate program? No, there is not enough time during our rigorous program for students to travel abroad during the program.

Where do most students complete their externships? Oxford, Ohio is located between Cincinnati, Ohio and Dayton Ohio. Most externships are completed in these two cities and the surrounding areas.

What is the difference between an MA/MS degree at Miami University? Students who are applying to our program will be asked if they are completing an MA or MS degree. Students who wish at the time of applying to complete a thesis (i.e., wish to conduct research) should select MA. Students who are taking our alternative option (Evidence-Based Practice Course) should select MS. You may change this distinction during the course of your program without difficulty.

Am I able to take ASL or any of the certificate programs offered at Miami while completing the graduate program? ASL courses are only offered at the undergraduate level. For students interested in a certificate program, most students find that completing additional coursework is not possible within the current curriculum and clinical experiences.