Admission Requirements
1. General requirements
for admission to both the health sciences curriculum and the TSSLD curriculum:
a. Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution acceptable to Hunter College with an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0
b. The Graduate Record Examination (Verbal reasoning, Quantitative reasoning, and Analytical writing)
c. Statement of intent
d. Two letters of reference
e. For international students: the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for applicants who have not studied in English-speaking countries.
2. Background course work: To be considered for acceptance, applicants for the HS curriculum and the TSSLD curriculum must have completed (or have pending) 45 credits in prerequisite course work. At the time of graduate study matriculation, a student can be missing no more than six credits of prerequisite course work. The prerequisite course work includes 15 credits of communication sciences and disorders courses (see specific courses or equivalents below) and 30 credits of courses in liberal arts and sciences (see specific topics below). The liberal arts and sciences prerequisite courses are consistent with ASHA requirements in the basic and applied sciences and New York State teaching certification requirements. Liberal arts and sciences prerequisite courses are not credited toward the MS degree. For further information about admission, matriculation requirements, and pre-requisite classes, please review the program website at http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/comsc or contact the program office (comsc@hunter.cuny.edu).
a. Communication Sciences prerequisites (15 credits):
Introduction to Language Science (Language Development; Introduction to Linguistics)
Phonetics of American English
Speech and Its Production (Anatomy and Physiology of Speech)
Introduction to Speech-Language Pathology
Introduction to Audiology
(Course equivalents taken at other institutions are reviewed for approval by the COMSC faculty.)
b. Liberal Arts and Sciences prerequisites (30 credits):
3 credits in biological sciences (examples: botany, biology, ecology, genetics, marine biology, nutrition, physiology, zoology)
3 credits in physical sciences (examples: chemistry, physics, earth science, oceanography, geology, astronomy)
3 credits in mathematics or statistics (examples: college algebra and trigonometry, calculus) Note: remedial, historical, or methods courses do not fulfill this requirement
6 credits in behavioral or social sciences, i.e., study that pertains to understanding normal or abnormal
human behavior, development across the life span, social interaction, and issues with culturally diverse populations) (examples: anthropology, criminology, sociology, psychology, human behavior, cultural diversity, and gender issues)
6 credits in English (examples: creative writing, composition, literature) Note: at least 3 credits must be intensive writing and/or written analysis
3 credits in United States political science or history
3 credits in the arts or fine arts (examples: pottery, painting, drawing, theater performance, dance, musical instrument performance, music appreciation, art history)
3 credits in a language other than English (examples: American Sign Language, Spanish, French, Hebrew, German, Arabic, Greek, etc.). Note: evidence of three credits must be provided on an academic transcript from an accredited institution acceptable to Hunter College
First Year Curriculum Required Courses: 30 cr
First Year Summer Required Courses: 3 cr
First Year Summer Elective Course: 3 cr
COMSC elective
First Year Summer Elective Courses (TSSLD curriculum-only):
Second Year Curriculum Required Courses: 27 cr
Second Year Summer Required Courses*: 1 cr
Second Year Summer Courses (TSSLD curriculum-only if not already completed):
Subtotal
Health Sciences Curriculum 60-61 cr
TSSLD Curriculum 66-67 cr
Note(s)
* Students begin their initial clinical placement in either the fall, spring or summer semester of the first year. Timing of this placement will depend on academic achievement, clinic readiness criteria and space availability. Those who begin clinic in the summer session of the first year must anticipate graduating in the summer following the second year. All students are required to complete a minimum of three clinical practica and achieve a minimum passing grade to earn credit in each clinical experience.
Additional Information
The COMSC Master of Science (MS) degree program in speech-language pathology is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The course of study generally requires two years of full-time participation, including summers.
Students in the TSSLD curriculum are required to complete at least one school-based practicum and 150 clock hours among school-aged children, six credits of additional coursework (COMSC 703; CEDF 706) and one elective course designated within the TSSLD curriculum. Students must also complete a child-abuse workshop, a school violence prevention and intervention workshop, and a workshop in autism spectrum disorders as mandated by the New York State Education Department.
Students are encouraged to enroll as full-time students (15 credits). Part-time status requires enrollment in a minimum of 6 credits during each of the first two semesters. Part time students must complete the first year coursework within two years. All students must complete the coursework for the Master of Science within five years after initial matriculation. Students must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or better.
Students who demonstrate an overall GPA below 3.0 placing them on academic probation are ineligible for clinical practicum or externship placement. Students who do not earn a grade of ‘B’ in any class, must complete a remediation plan in the subsequent semester. This remediation plan requires the student to subsequently demonstrate knowledge and skills for the course’s student learning objectives not previously achieved.
Students are required to earn a grade of CREDIT (CR) for at least four clinical practica (COMSC 728, 729, 739, 771). All COMSC clinical practica are graded as CREDIT (CR) or NO CREDIT (NC). Any NC grade is considered a failing grade. A grade of NC will require the student to retake the course and will place the student on clinical probation. Students who repeat a practicum will not be allowed to continue to enroll in academic courses until the repeated practicum earns credit. During the retake semester, the student will be provided with specific clinical remediation goals developed by the COMSC faculty that will directly address the knowledge and skills required in a clinical setting. The repeated clinical practicum course must occur during the fall or spring semester following the semester in which the student received a grade of NC. Students will not be allowed to repeat a clinical practicum in the summer semester. A student who receives a grade of NC for the clinical probation semester will be disbarred from the COMSC program.
In addition, students who earn credit in a clinical practicum but do not meet all of the KASA standards for that practicum must also complete a remediation plan in the subsequent semester on those standards that had not been previously met.
Students must complete a minimum of 400 direct client contact clock hours (including 25 hours of clinical observation in speech-language pathology). At least 10-20 hours must be derived from supervised practicum contact in audiology. Clinical practica are supervised and include populations across the life span representing a variety of communication disorders. All client contact hours must be obtained at the graduate level and must include satisfactory performance in (a) clinical practica within the Center for Communication Disorders, and (b) at least two practica experiences at different externship settings. The 400 clinical practicum hours must comply with the 2005 standards of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The COMSC program does not accept transfer clinical hours neither at an undergraduate level nor at a master’s level from another graduate program. Students who demonstrate an overall GPA below 3.0 are placed on academic probation and are ineligible for clinical practicum or externship placement.
Students must complete all academic and clinical requirements in order to be awarded the MS degree and become eligible to apply for certification by ASHA and licensure in the state of initial post-degree employment.
Students must submit passing scores for the Praxis II National Examination in Speech-Language Pathology (administered by the Educational Testing Service) for program sign-off of ASHA and state licensure forms.
