Program Mission: With an appropriate undergraduate major in communication disorders and sciences, this program meets the requirements for the Certificate of Clinical Competence awarded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Speech-Language Pathologist License awarded by the Illinois Division of Financial and Professional Regulation, and the K-12 Educator License (with Illinois State Board of Education endorsement). Candidates meeting these requirements are eligible to practice speech-language pathology in both educational and medical settings.

Accreditation:  Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in the area of speech-language pathology.

Admission Requirements:  To be eligible for degree candidacy, applicants must meet all of the requirements for admission to the Graduate School (see “Admission to Graduate Degree and Certificate Programs”).  To be eligible for admission to the degree program, applicants must provide documentation of AT LEAST a 3.00 grade point average (A=4.0) in undergraduate communication disorders and sciences coursework.

Students from any accredited four-year college or university who have completed the appropriate undergraduate degree or undergraduate coursework are encouraged to apply.  Applicants are advised that admission to the program is competitive and determined by a graduate faculty committee that reviews all applications. 

CDS DIRECT ADMIT GRADUATE PROGRAM
Students with an interest in speech-language pathology who apply to EIU as high school students and are admitted to EIU (as full-time or part-time students) may be accepted into the CDS Direct Admit Graduate Program if they meet the following admission criteria:

• They have a 3.75 high school cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale);
  OR,
   
• They have a high school cumulative GPA of 3.5 to 3.74 or are in the upper 10% of their high school graduating class AND have an SAT of 1230+ or ACT composite of 26+, 
  AND
• They specify CDS as their major either on their EIU Application or by first day of classes at EIU.

Meeting these criteria does not guarantee automatic admission to the program. Admission to the Freshman Direct Admit Program is competitive.

Maintenance of EIU CDS Direct Admit Status

Students admitted to the EIU CDS Direct Admit Graduate Program must meet the following criteria to continue in the program:

• They must enroll in at least two 2000-level EIU CDS courses in the year after high school to maintain direct admit status. If an accelerated 3-year bachelor’s degree plan with 5-year bachelor’s/master’s combination plan is desired, then 4 of 5 required EIU 2000 level courses must be completed in the year after high school.
• They must have maintained a major and cumulative 3.5 GPA upon completion of all 2000-level and 3000-level CDS academic courses.*
• They must have met minimum requirements for the Essential Professional Functions in Undergraduate Coursework after completing all 3000-level CDS courses.*

The Graduate Admissions Committee will review status of all candidates in the Direct Admit Graduate Program and determine a student’s continued eligibility in the Direct Admit Graduate Program in May after 3000-level courses are completed.*

Following review of GPA and Essential Professional Functions data, students who no longer meet criteria for the CDS Direct Admit Graduate Program can decide to apply to EIU’s CDS graduate program traditionally through CSDCAS.

*Foot note: Some students may be enrolled in CDS 3900, Introduction to Clinical Techniques, in either spring of their junior year or fall of their senior year. The review of grades and Essential Professional Functions for students in the Direct Admit program will be completed in May after the 3000-level course sequence is completed regardless of which term the student enrolled is enrolled in CDS 3900.

EARLY ADMIT TO EIU CDS GRADUATE PROGRAM
Current EIU CDS students with an interest in attending EIU’s CDS graduate program who meet the following criteria are encouraged to apply for acceptance into the CDS Early Admit Graduate Program:

• They have a 3.5 cumulative GPA and major GPA upon completion of 3000-level CDS courses.*
• They have completed >60 hours of college credit by the end of the spring term.
• They have met the Essential Professional Functions in Undergraduate Coursework minimum requirements.
• They have submitted an application to the Graduate Admissions Committee by April 1 of their junior year consisting of:
  • Written responses to the personal essay question and 3 short answer questions from EIU CSDCAS
  • Resume that includes extra-curricular, service, leadership, and employment experience

Review of applications will take place during May by the Graduate Admissions Committee. Final grades, as well as Essential Professional Functions, will be considered. Students will be notified of acceptance into the CDS Early Admit Program by June 1.

*Foot note: Some students may be enrolled in CDS 3900, Introduction to Clinical Techniques, in either spring of their junior year or fall of their senior year. The review of grades and Essential Professional Functions for students applying to the Early Admit program will be completed in May after the 3000-level course sequence is completed regardless of which term the student is enrolled in CDS 3900.
 

TRANSITION FROM DIRECT ADMIT OR EARLY ADMIT TO GRADUATE STUDENT STATUS

Students accepted into the Direct Admit or Early Admit programs are required to report graduate school plans to the Graduate Coordinator by December 15 of their senior year and may include the following choices:

• Accepting admittance to EIU’s graduate program
• Applying elsewhere and considering other graduate programs
  • If applying to other places in CSDCAS, the student would have an April 15 decision deadline like other applicants.

Degree Audit: The graduate plan of study is the EIU Degree Audit, which is generated automatically at the time of degree or certificate candidacy. Modifications of the standard EIU Degree Audit are submitted by the graduate coordinator to the certification officer in the Graduate School at the time modifications are approved. The Degree Audit serves as an unofficial summary of requirements for the program. Degree and certificate candidates are advised to review the comprehensive summary of the Degree Audit process specified on the “Requirements for All Degree and Certificate Candidates” section of the Graduate Catalog. Individual programs may require candidates to submit plans of study in addition to the Degree Audit, candidates should consult with the program coordinator.