Minimum GPA and GRE Requirements of Applicants:

3.5 GPA for the last 60 credit hours of college coursework (There must be a minimum of 60 credit hours with a letter grade. Only courses with a letter grade will be used. Pass/Fail grades are not included.)
350 on the old scale scoring system or 143 on the new scoring system for the Verbal portion of the GRE (GRE must have been taken within 5 years of application date).
3.5 score on the Writing portion of the GRE (GRE must have been taken within 5 years of application date)

*If an applicant does not meet ALL 3 of the above minimum requirements the application will not be considered for admission to the program. To view statistics regarding those accepted to our program in the past click here.

*Please note that all on-campus students, all distance students who are residents of Kentucky, and any other distance students who wish to seek KY teacher certification (other states may accept a KY teacher certificate, to view requirements by state click here) must also meet the requirements of WKU Teacher Admissions which may be found at: http://www.wku.edu/cebs/programs/req_for_adm_to_prof_ed.php Admission to the CD graduate program does not guarantee admission to WKU Teacher Admissions.

THE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE WILL BE EVALUATING APPLICANTS UTILIZING THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

Transcripts will be evaluated to determine the GPA for the most recent 60 hours of completed coursework (for details on calculation click here) which will then be utilized in determining admission.
The verbal and writing scores from the GRE will be analyzed.
Essay will be analyzed for compliance with instructions (see below), content, grammar, and spelling.
Transcripts and Prerequisite Coursework Worksheet will be evaluated to make certain that all prerequisite courses have/will be completed prior to the semester in which you are applying to begin the graduate program - The prerequisite worksheet can be found within the Departmental Application in Part 2 below.
References may be contacted for further information – do not send letters of recommendation. Letters will not be considered or kept on file by the department. Click here for reference form.

The Department reserves the right to admit students from locations where it is confident that students will have access to externship placements where sufficient and diverse clinical populations are available. Explore the Clinical Experience tab at the top of this page for specific clinical requirements. You can search on the ASHA website for ASHA certified SLPs in your area.

DEADLINES FOR APPLICATION:

There are 3 cohorts available for our graduate program. An applicant must choose only ONE to apply to and must specify which cohort applying to. If you are unsure of which cohort fits you best please review the graduate program information and all three options by clicking here.

Please note ALL application materials must be received by the date listed:

On-Campus (beginning in summer 2012) –February 15, 2013
Distance Learning – Worldwide (beginning in fall 2012) – February 15, 2013
Distance Learning – UFT/New York City (beginning in fall 2012) – March 15, 2013 – if after reviewing all information regarding the graduate program information and you are still uncertain as to whether you qualify for this specific cohort please email Janice.sandidge@wku.edu to find out

HOW TO APPLY:

It is recommended that you print this page and use it as a checklist as you complete each step. A complete application will include all documents presented on this page. It is solely the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all steps are completed accurately, that all documents are received by the university, and to send any additional information requested by the department or Office of Graduate Studies and Research upon request prior to the deadline specified above.

Your application will not be reviewed by the Department of Communication Disorders until the application is complete. Applications that are not completed by the deadline will not be considered for admission.

APPLICATION MATERIALS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED AS FOLLOWS (NOTE THIS IS A TWO-STEP PROCESS):

PART 1 – Apply to WKU Graduate Studies (all information in Part 1 is to be submitted to the graduate studies office, NOT the Communication Disorders Department. Once all of the application materials listed in Part 1 have been submitted to the graduate studies office they will forward to the CD Department for consideration for admission):

APPLICATION TO GRADUATE STUDIES - Complete the Online Application for Graduate Studies. Click here to access application. When completing this application it is extremely important that you complete it in its entirety including submitting the application fee. Make certain to choose the cohort for which you are applying to so that your application is considered in the correct applicant pool along with the correct term (Fall for distance learning or Summer for on-campus and West Virginia). If either of these is incorrect it may cause your application to not be considered for acceptance. Applicants to the UFT/New York City cohort choose "Comm Disorders- NY on line." Applicants to the West Virginia Cohort choose "West Virginia DOE/NASDSE."
OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS - Submit ALL official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions you have attended. This includes those courses that show as transfer credit on another transcript. You must send all transcripts from the institutions where you completed the coursework regardless of whether it appears on another transcript as transfer credit. Failure to do so will result in a delay in your application being complete and possibly not being considered for acceptance if all transcripts are not received by the deadline. Some institutions will take longer than others to issue transcripts, be sure to request them well before the deadline. If you have a foreign transcript you must adhere to the Graduate Studies requirements for a transcript evaluation which you will find by clicking here and then choosing International Degree Seeking.
GRE SCORES - submit an official GRE score report taken within the last 5 years.
ESSAY – Submit a written essay describing why you want to be a speech-language pathologist using the following guidelines. The essay should be in 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and should not be longer than 1 page. The essay should have your full name and date at the top of each page.
REFERENCES - List of 3 references and contact information. Click here for form to use.

Mail items to:

Graduate Studies and Research

Western Kentucky University

1906 College Heights Blvd #11010

Bowling Green, KY 42101-1010

Phone (270) 745-2446

PART 2 – Apply to the Department of Communication Disorders

Click on the appropriate application form below and complete the Communication Disorders Department Application. Note: Some students have reported that this application is not compatible with Mac computers. Students have also reported issues with Google Chrome, so please use Internet Explorer or Firefox to submit this. This form must be completed and submitted electronically. We are no longer accepting mailed applications therefore DO NOT MAIL this form.
Click the link for the application you need (you may only apply to ONE - Distance Learning - Worldwide, Distance Learning - New York City/UFT, or On-Campus).
Fill out form. Fields in red are required. You MUST fill out all red boxes (including Middle/Maiden name), or the form will not submit.
Click Submit Form (top right corner).
Fill out the Send Form information (Email address and Name).
Click Send.
Wait - You will first see a box in the upper right corner saying your form has been queued for submission. You will then get a message saying it was sent. Once you have received that message, you may close the window.
Click on ONE of the following applications and complete as specified above:
- Distance Learning - Worldwide Application
- Distance Learning - New York City/UFT Application (students living in the New York City area and interested in working for the New York City Department of Education upon graduation)
- On- Campus Application - We are no longer accepting applications for the 2013 cohort.
If you have problems submitting the application, you can also email it as an attachment to april.cochran@wku.edu.
Completed applications will be considered after the application deadline. You will receive notification of our decisions (accepted, alternate, or not accepted) within approximately 6 weeks of that deadline via email. Be sure to include on your application an email address which you will be checking regularly.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE APPLIED TO THE PROGRAM IN THE PAST:

If you applied to the program in past years then you will need to complete all of the above steps except for submitting transcripts and GRE scores. The graduate studies office will have any transcripts and GRE score reports submitted previously on file (however, it is always best to double check with their office to be certain they do have them). You must apply again to both the Office of Graduate Studies and Research and the Communication Disorders Department but you will not be required to pay the application fee again if you sign back in to the application which you will be prompted to do. Our admission requirements changed for applications beginning 2012 so be certain you review and submit all of the above information.

Graduate Admission and Application Requirements

WE ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2013. THIS WEBSITE WILL BE UPDATED BY OCTOBER WITH PROCEDURES TO APPLY FOR FALL 2014. IF INTERESTED IN APPLYING TO OUR GRADUATE PROGRAM PLEASE REVIEW REQUIREMENTS BELOW BUT CHECK BACK IN OCTOBER FOR UPDATED INFORMATION.