FAQs for Department of Communications Disorders
Q. My undergraduate degree is in … (something other than communication disorders/speech-language pathology). What do I have to do to get into the graduate program?
A. We require an undergraduate degree in communication disorders to enter our graduate program, so you will need to seek a second bachelor’s degree. However, this is not another 120-credit degree, just the courses in our department (12), plus any courses we require in education and psychology you have not had (8). The best place to get a very good idea of what you will need is at our department’s Web site, www.govst.edu/cdis If you click on the link for Bachelor of Health Science, you will see our undergraduate curriculum. Any courses you have had, you will probably not need to take again; any courses you have not had, you will need to take.
Q. What if I am not sure which courses I will need?
A. When you are admitted to the first-bachelor’s undergraduate, second bachelor’s undergraduate, or graduate program, you will be assigned a faculty advisor in the program. After you are admitted, you should contact that person. He or she will sit down with you and develop a student study plan that will outline the courses you will need for your degree.
Do remember that if you take courses as an undeclared or non-degree seeking student, you will not be assigned an academic advisor, and this makes it very difficult for you to know which courses to take: you need an academic advisor.
Q. How long will it take me to get the bachelor’s degree?
A. That depends on how many courses you take per term. We offer all our courses twice a year, and we have three terms per year. If, for example, you need 12 courses, and take two per term, it would probably take six terms, or two years.
Q. How do I apply for the undergraduate program?
A. The application is on the university’s Web site, www.govst.edu Click on the link for Admissions. If you need to talk to someone, please call our Admissions Office at 708-534-4490 or ask for our admission representative, Mr. Jose Reyes (j-reyes@govst.edu). The program requires a 2.75 GPA for admission to the undergraduate program.
Q. How many times a year do you accept undergraduate students?
A. We accept undergraduate students every term, that is, three times a year.
Q. Can I attend part-time?
A. Yes. We are the only speech-language pathology program in the area that serves part-time students. We offer all our courses twice a year. At least one of the offerings will be from 4:30 to 7:20 in the evening.
Q. Do you have weekend courses?
A. At this time, we offer Introduction to Sign Language (CDIS 305) on Saturday mornings in the Fall and Winter trimesters.
Q. Can I attend full-time?
A. Yes. Although we schedule our classes conveniently for part-time students, there is no barrier to attending full-time. We offer all our courses twice a year. At least one of the offerings will be from 4:30 to 7:20 in the evening. The other offering is usually earlier in the day, often from 12:30 to 3:20. In the spring-summer term, we offer some classes in the morning, from 9:30 to 12:20.
Q. Can you explain how the terms work?
A. We have three terms, or trimesters, a year. The fall trimester goes from September to December. The winter trimester goes from January through April. The Spring-Summer trimester goes from May to August. They are all 15 weeks long.
Q. How are the courses scheduled?
A. The trimesters are broken into “blocks.” Block 1 is the full 15-week trimester. Block 2 is the first half of the trimester. And Block 3 is the second half of the trimester. The most typical scheduling is once a week, three hours at a time, for 15 weeks. However, sometimes, especially in the spring-summer term, courses are in Block 2 or 3. Those courses meet twice a week, three hours at a time, for seven and a half weeks.
Q. How do I apply for the graduate program?
A. We have a packet of application materials. You can obtain one by calling our Admissions office at 708-534-4490. You can also e-mail Mr. Jose Reyes at j-reyes@govst.edu and request one. Be sure to specify you want the “application packet for graduate communication disorders.” You should receive a large envelope, a sheet of instructions, three smaller envelopes for letters of recommendation, letter of recommendation forms, a personal statement form, and a communication disorders applicant background information form, and a GSU Application to Graduate Program form.
Until further notice, it is best to send in one large envelope the GSU Application Form, the department’s Background Information Form, your 3 letters of recommendation, your personal statement, and TWO copies of your official Bachelor’s degree transcripts (and any other transcripts if the courses are applicable to communication disorders requirements) directly to the Department of Communication Disorders, Graduate Application Committee. This means that your letters of recommendation should be sealed with the person’s signature across the back flap and sent directly to you for you to include all three of them in your big envelope to the department.
Check our webpage periodically to confirm that the process has not changed.
Q. How many times a year does the graduate program accept students?
A. We accept graduate students in the fall only. The deadline for admission is March 1 in the year in which you wish to enter.
Q. What are the requirements for admission to the graduate program?
A. The minimum requirements are a 3.00 cumulative GPA, and a 3.00 GPA in the communication disorders major. You should also have strong letters of recommendation, especially from faculty in your undergraduate communication disorders major.
Q. If I have the minimum requirements, will I automatically be admitted?
A. No, those are minimum requirements. Unfortunately, we do not have room to accept every qualified applicant. We rank-order the applicants, and offer admission to those we feel are best.
Q. What if I do not have the minimum requirements?
A. You need to include a letter of petition with your application. The letter should indicate why you have not met one or more of the requirements. It should also indicate why you think you would succeed in graduate school.
Q. What if I am not admitted?
A. You have a few choices to consider. One, you might re-take one or two undergraduate communication disorders courses in an effort to increase your undergraduate communication disorders GPA and then reapply, keeping in mind that many applicants will have communication disorders GPAs between 4.0 and 3.2. You might ask the instructor(s) to write you a letter of recommendation for the graduate program.
Two, you might take up to two GSU graduate courses as a non-degree seeking student, do exceptionally well in them, and ask the instructors for letters of reference for your reapplication to the graduate program you can take.
Three, you might consider earning a master’s degree in a related field such as special education or early childhood education and then determine whether you want to reapply to the communication disorders program.
Remember, however, that completion of any or all of these options does not guarantee admission to the graduate program.
Q. Can I take graduate courses as a student-at-large?
A. Yes, you can take up to two. If you are admitted to the graduate program, you can take more than two. However, you will not be authorized to take those courses until a week before classes begin.
Q. How do I go about taking graduate courses as a student at large?
A. First you must apply and be accepted to the university as a “graduate non-degree seeking student.” The application is at http://www.govst.edu/apply/t_apply.aspx?id=6862. For the space, “Applying As,” check “non-degree seeking.” We authorize students to take graduate courses, but we do not authorize non-degree seeking students until all degree-seeking students have been authorized. If there is room in the courses, we will authorize non-degree seeking students. Call the department secretary at 708-534-4590 to be placed on a waiting list for courses.
Q. How many students do you accept? What are my chances of being admitted?
A. We accept about 30 to 35 students per year. The chances of being admitted depend a lot on the pool of applicants. If we have a lot of applicants, obviously, anyone’s chances of being accepted are more limited. In the past several years, our applicant pool has ranged from 75 to 210, so it is difficult to predict.
Q. Is your graduate program accredited by ASHA?
A. Our graduate program has been continuously accredited by ASHA since 1987. Thus, you will be eligible for ASHA’s Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology. We are also approved by the Illinois State Board of Education for the Type 73, School Service Personnel certificate, endorsed as Non-Teaching Speech-Language Pathologist.
Q. Does your graduate program have a Web site?
A. Yes, it’s at www.govst.edu/cdis.
Q. How long does the graduate program take to complete?
A. Typically, if you are a part-time student, taking two courses per term, it will take about three years. The first two years are for your classroom courses, and the last year is for full-time practicum experience (field experience).
Q. Can you tell me about the practicum (field) experience?
A. We do not have an on-campus clinic. Our students first complete all their didactic courses, then pass a set of qualifying examinations, and then do practicum at several off-campus sites. There are three full-time speech-language pathology placements. The first is an eight-week practicum with developmentally delayed clients. The second is a 12-week experience in a school. The third is a 10-week experience in a health facility. In all the practicums, the speech-language pathologist employed at the site will supervise you, and you will keep the same hours as your on-site supervisor. Additionally, a faculty member from the department will visit you several times each term. In addition to the speech-language pathology practicums, you will have two shorter audiology practicums, one in assessment, and one in rehabilitation. The auditory rehabilitation practicum is often done in conjunction with one of your speech-language pathology practicums.
Q. Where would I go for practicum?
A. We have an extensive network of practicum affiliations. Types of affiliations include public schools, special education co-ops, facilities for developmentally delayed individuals, acute-care and rehabilitative hospitals, and nursing homes. The locations of our practicum sites range from the Kankakee area in the south to the near north suburbs of Chicago, and from Wheaton in the west to Gary, Indiana in the east.
Q. Does your graduate program have specialty areas?
A. We do not. Our philosophy is that every student should be prepared to work in any setting upon graduation.
Q. Where do your graduates work?
A. The most frequent employer of our graduates is the schools. Following that, private rehabilitation agencies – those that contract with various institutions – are most common. We also have many graduates working in various health facilities, and, more recently, several have established private practices.
Q. How do your graduates do?
A. They do extremely well. Our pass rate on the State Board of Education examinations is 100%. Our pass rate on the national certification examination (Praxis) is over 90% for first attempts. Our employment rate is 100%. Many of our graduates are, or have been, directors of programs in hospitals and schools, and many have become leaders in professional associations. We have an excellent local and national reputation.
Q. How do I apply for a license or teaching certificate?
A. Credentialing Basics (PDF)
05-29-07