Admission Requirements

The applicant for these degrees should have completed an undergraduate concentration in communication sciences and disorders or equivalent. Applicants who have not done so, must complete prerequisite course work as per advisement by the Graduate Program Director. Successful completion of prerequisites, even if taken at Hofstra, does not guarantee admission to the M.A. programs. In certain situations, students who meet the programs’ admissions criteria, may be considered for conditional admission to the M.A. programs while completing prerequisite course work.

The application must include a personal essay, GRE scores, including the writing subtest (obtained no more than 5 years prior to application). Current letters of recommendation from the institution from which the candidate received the baccalaureate degree, are also required. These 3 letters should be from faculty members or university administrators who are familiar with the candidate’s academic work. An interview, the final step in the admissions process, may be required. Approval of admission by the Graduate Admissions Office at Hofstra and the Graduate Program Director of the department are also required.

Admission to the M.A. Programs in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology occurs only in the fall semester. Applications received by January 15 will be given priority. Applicants are advised to contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at least 2 weeks prior to January 15, to confirm that their applications are complete. Applications received after January 15 will be reviewed if space becomes available.

Upon acceptance, a nonrefundable tuition deposit of $250 is required of all part-time and full-time matriculated students. When registering for the semester for which the student has been admitted, the deposit will be credited toward tuition.

Scholarships and Assistantships

Scholarships and Assistantships are available for qualified students. Awards are made annually based on merit. Prospective students must file scholarship applications with their Graduate Application. Matriculated students must file their applications with the Graduate Program Director. Scholarship and Assistantship Applications must be filed no later than January 15.

No more than nine semester hours of graduate courses from another university will be accepted toward Hofstra’s M.A. degree. These semester hours must have been completed prior to acceptance into the graduate program. Course work which was completed more than five years prior to admission into the graduate program will not be accepted toward the M.A. degree in Audiology or Speech-Language Pathology.

Program Policies

All semester hours after acceptance must be completed in residence. The M.A. degree must be completed within a five-year period from the date of completion of the student’s first M.A. level course, excluding SPCH 235 and 235L.

All programs of study in audiology and/or speech-language pathology must be designed under advisement by a faculty member and approved by the Graduate Program Director. All part-time students are strongly encouraged to complete at least 6 semester hours per semester.

Candidates must maintain a minimum 3.0 average throughout their course of study. Any candidate falling below a 3.0 average will be placed on probation. A probationary status may not be maintained for more than one semester, inclusive of summer sessions. Any candidate who fails a required course in the program is subject to dismissal.

Students who have accumulated 2 or more incomplete grades at the start of a semester, including summer sessions, may not begin clinical practica. Clinical practica in students’ minor area are excluded from this policy. Students who have an incomplete grade for any clinic course in the major area may begin the next clinic practicum in the sequence only after the incomplete clinic grade has been eliminated and a satisfactory letter grade has been assigned.

All M.A. students are required to successfully complete the comprehensive examination during the last full semester of graduate study. Applicants must file for the examination within the first month of the semester in which they plan to take the examination.

For further information regarding graduate programs and scholarships, contact Professor Ferrand, Graduate Program Director, 106 Davison Hall. Students interested in the audiology program, contact Professor Reiter, 107 Davison Hall.

Program Requirements

A candidate elects one of two programs of study—Audiology or Speech-Language Pathology. Audiology majors require a minimum of 50 semester hours of graduate work taken within the department, including 7 semester hours in speech-language pathology.

Speech-language pathology majors require a minimum of 53 semester hours of graduate work taken within the department. Students who have completed a 3 semester hour undergraduate course in aural rehabilitation are required to complete only 4 graduate level semester hours of audiology. All other speech-language pathology students are required to complete 7 semester hours in audiology including aural rehabilitation.

Within each of the programs of study, a student chooses either a Master’s Thesis or non-thesis track. The Master’s Thesis track requires SPCH 301-302 as part of the M.A. degree requirement. Regardless of the track chosen, a comprehensive examination must be taken in the student’s final semester of study under advisement of the Graduate Program Director. The Comprehensive Examination will be offered two times each academic year: in Fall and Spring semesters.

Each student must complete 25 hours of supervised clinical observation prior to registering for graduate clinical practica. A minimum of 375 clock hours of direct contact clinical practica are required at the graduate level with at least one practicum scheduled during a fall or spring semester. Within the first year of study, speech-language students must complete at least 20 hours of clinical work in audiology; Audiology students must complete at least 20 hours of clinical work in Speech-Language Pathology.

Each student must provide documentation of: inoculation for measles/mumps, rubella, hepatitis B and, annually, documentation of a negative TB test and physical examination.

M.A. in Audiology - Semester Hours: 50

M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP)

The M.A. Program in SLP offers students two options. Option I is intended for students who seek ASHA certification and NYS licensure as a speech-language pathologist in clinical, hospital, private practice; Option II is for students who plan to work in educational settings, and seek ASHA certification and NYS licensure as a speech-language pathologist.

Graduation Requirements

1. Completion of all program requirements. 
2. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 in overall graduate course work.

The following Advanced Certificate is available for students who have completed an M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology but who do not hold a teaching certificate for Teaching Students With Speech and Language Disabilities.