Apply for Admission

Application to the Graduate Program in Speech-Language Pathology (2 or 3 year track)

Applications to the graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders are due February 1st. Applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 overall, and 3.0 in all major core courses. There are 3 parts to the application:

1. CSDCAS

  • Students are required to complete an application directly through CSDCAS (https://csdcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login).
  • All academic transcripts must be sent to CSDCAS for verification, including any community college transcripts and dual-enrollment coursework. Applicants enrolled in coursework while applying may choose to submit transcripts prior to the completion of the fall semester to begin the verification process. However, grades from the fall semester MUST be submitted before the application deadline of February 1st. In this case, an Academic Update request with updated transcripts must be submitted to CSDCAS for verification. CSDCAS will not verify updated transcripts unless an academic update is requested.
        o The cost for CSDCAS is $135 for the first program and $54 for each additional program.
  • A personal essay is required, using one of the prompts below. Essays should be approximately one page, single-spaced with 1-inch margins in font types Arial or Times New Roman.
    1. "Please demonstrate your motivation for pursuing a career in speech-language pathology by reflecting upon a clinical research article you have recently reviewed that you feel may positively contribute to your future clinical practice. Please also discuss how a master’s degree earned at Radford University will help you achieve your educational and career goals." References for sample articles are listed on CSDCAS.
    2. “Please identify a population you wish to serve as a practicing speech-language pathologist and discuss your motivation for serving this population. Please support your discussion using clinical observation experiences, course assignments, research, or other learning opportunities. Please also discuss how a master’s degree earned at Radford University will help you achieve your educational and career goals.”
  • Contact information for three recommenders must be submitted. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit information of faculty within their major who can speak to potential success in our graduate program. Recommenders will be contacted as needed upon application review.
  • GRE scores are not required.

2. CASPER

  • In lieu of the GRE, all applicants are required to complete Casper as part of their application through Acuity Insights.
  • Acuity Insights Assessments is a standardized, multi-part online assessment that measures different competencies and attributes that we believe are important for successful students and graduates of our program. The assessments will complement the other tools that we use for applicant review and evaluation. In implementing Acuity Insights Assessments, we are trying to further enhance fairness and objectivity in our selection process. 
  • Acuity Insights Assessments consists of:
    • Casper: 90-110 minute online, open-response situational judgment test
    • Duet: 15-minute value-alignment assessment (Duet is NOT required to apply to our program). 
  • Access AcuityInsights.app to create an account and for more information on requirements.
  • Applicants must take the test by February 15, 2024. The available test dates are:

May 4, 2023 5 pm EST
May 23, 2023 8pm EST
June 1, 2023 5 pm and 8pm EST
June 11, 2023 1 pm and 4pm EST
June 27, 2023 5 pm and 8 pm EST
July 9, 2023 1 pm and 4 pm EST
July 18, 2023 5 pm and 8 pm EST
July 27, 2023 5 pm and 8 pm EST
August 10, 2023 5 pm and 8 pm EST
August 27, 2023 1 pm and 4 pm EST
September 12, 2023 5 pm and 8 pm EST
September 28, 2023 5 pm and 8 pm EST
October 12, 2023 8 pm EST
October 26, 2023 8 pm EST
November 14, 2023 5 pm EST
December 7, 2023 8 pm EST
January 7, 2024 1 pm EST
January 16, 2024 8 pm EST
February 15, 2024 8 pm EST 

3. Radford University Supplemental Application

To ensure equitable treatment of all applicants to our graduate program, applications will be evaluated on the requirements outlined above. No exceptions to the program's admissions requirements will be made.

ASHA Certification Requirements

Although not a requirement for admissions, students must demonstrate knowledge of the biological sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, and statistics in order to satisfy criteria for ASHA certification.  This coursework must be completed before the student graduates from the master's program.  More information regarding certification standards can be found on the ASHA website.

Admitted Students

Students who are recommended for admission and admitted to the graduate program must notify either Dr. Diane Millar (Chair) or Dr. Lauren Flora (Graduate Program Coordinator) of his or her decision by April 15th.  For those students accepting the offer of admission, a non-refundable $500 seat deposit must be paid by end of day on April 15th as well.  This seat deposit goes towards fall tuition.

Graduate assistantship positions are awarded at the time of admissions decisions.  Students who are awarded a graduate assistantship will be notified in their decision letters. Admitted students who do not initially receive funding at the time of decision may be notified of receipt of funding following the April 15th deadline.

Tentative programs of study and advising sheets will be sent to the incoming class at the beginning of summer.  Students are strongly encouraged to register for classes once they have received their programs of study and advising sheets.

A mandatory 2-day new student orientation will be held on the Thursday and Friday before classes start.  Information regarding dates, time, and location of the orientation will be e-mailed over the summer. Incoming students moving to the area are encouraged to ensure housing lease dates do not conflict with the orientation dates.

Questions regarding decision deadlines, seat deposits, programs of study, and orientation may be directed to Dr. Lauren Flora.  Students are encouraged to contact the Cashier's Office or the Financial Aid office for questions concerning tuition or additional funding.