Graduate School Information

Applying to graduate school can be overwhelming at times. In order to become a Speech Language Pathologist it will be necessary to earn a master's degree and in order to become an Audiologist it will be necessary to earn an Au.D. With a little helpful information the entire process of choosing a program and applying will become much smoother.

Tips from Dr. Jay Singer, University Department Chair

Each Fall Dr. Jay Singer, the Departmental Chair of the University of Rhode Island’s Communicative Disorders program, meets with the students of URISSLHA to go over the process of applying to graduate school, choosing a program, what to look for in a program, questions to ask when applying to a program and what to include in your personal essay. This meeting is very informative and provides an excellent understanding of what is to be expected in the application process. Here is a brief summary of the main point of the Fall 2001 meeting.

Application Process

Taking the GRE or the MAT (either one for the University of Rhode Island) is required.

2 letters of recommendation from faculty.

Personal essay

Fill-out an application

Pace yourself it cannot be accomplished in one day.

Choosing a Program

Visit the schools to get a first-hand look at the school and the program

Work on narrowing down the choices by paying attention to what impresses you and what does not impress you about each program.

Questions to Ask

Be direct. Ask specific questions so as to get direct honest answers.

Example: How do you like the program at this university?

A: It’s a good program. Vague!

A more direct question will result in more information and a more accurate portrayal of the university.

For example, How has the program changed since you have been working at this university?

Note how you are treated at the university visit. How much time is spent with you? Who is willing to speak with you? Does the director speak with you or does someone else? All of these actions reflect on how the program, the university and the faculty view the students.

The Essay

Again be direct. Avoid wordiness and touchy-feely stories about why you want to work as a speech language pathologist or audiologist. State what you have done and what you plan to accomplish in graduate school.

The Internet is another very helpful resource when exploring your graduate program options. This, too, can be overwhelming so here are several helpful websites to increase the productivity of your search and cut down on the amount of time spent looking for valuable sites.

ASHA has dedicated a portion of its website to graduate schools. Just select a state and it will give a list of accredited university programs. Just visit www.asha.org or go directly to http://www.professional.asha.org/academic/guide.cfm.

Visit www.facstaff.uww.edu/bradleys/cdprograms.html and you will be able to choose by state (or outside of the U.S.) and view over 272 university programs. This site deals only with speech language pathology and audiology programs and has direct links to each school’s Communication Sciences and Disorders program information site.

www.gradschools.com is a more general site. You will need to look under Medical, biomedical and health related programs and the select audiology and speech language pathology in order to find information on programs by region or by state.