FAQ

We only accept for the Fall term.

You will need to apply to both the university and the department.
The university application due dates are available from Office of Admissions .
The university application process is at CalState Apply.

The department application period is typically January 1 through February 1.
The department application process is posted sometime in the late summer but definitely by October 1st, which is when the university application period opens.

The GRE is required; the CBEST or other test is not.  There is no specific or minimum score associated with the GRE test requirement.  

A clear criminal records check is required in order to work, volunteer, or participate in clinical practicum coursework for the program. It is not an application requirement.

For those with a degree in communication disorders, we usually have 200-250 apply. For those without, between 50 to 80.

For those with a degree in communication disorders, we generally accept between 12 and 15 applicants. For those without, we accept between 15 and 17 applicants.

The university's minimum overall GPA requirement is 2.5.  The department has no minimum GPA requirement, though applications with a GPA of under 3.0 overall or in communication disorders coursework may potentially not be reviewed.

With a degree in communication disorders, typically 2 years, which may include one or two summer terms. Without a degree in communication disorders, it will take you 3 to 3 1/2 years to complete the program.  There is no model available to complete our program in less time for either type of admission.

Our graduate program, including the prerequisite courses, is not designed for part-time enrollment.  Nearly all courses are offered once per year, and if a student attending part-time skips an offered class, s/he could be forced to wait one year before progressing due to prerequisite requirements. All units required for the degree must be earned within the five calendar years immediately preceding the receipt of your degree.

Current department policy is that we are unable to accommodate transfers from other speech-language pathology graduate programs.

While many students do, the graduate program is intensive by nature, and therefore using all financial aid possibilities is encouraged.  Please refer to the department's Financial Aid website for possible resources.

The prerequisite courses are generally offered during the week Monday through Thursday, though not every day. Usually they are on a once-a-week, or twice-a-week schedule. Sometimes courses are offered on Fridays, or in a hybrid format (partially on-line). Graduate courses are usually offered in the evening and occasionally on a Friday to allow students’ daytime placement in their clinical experiences, in which therapy is provided to clients under licensed supervision.

The department courses are only offered on the Hayward campus. For those who need to complete the prerequisite courses, some requirements offered outside of our department may be offered at the Concord campus.

Not at this time.

For our Fall term admission, an applicant must have completed at least 24 semester or 36 quarter units of graded communication disorders coursework by the end of the previous calendar year. For example, for Fall 2019 admission consideration, an applicant must have completed those units by the end of December 2018.

Yes. If admitted, you must complete the undergraduate degree equivalency in communication disorders coursework as well as the actual graduate program.

Yes. However, even though you are an admitted graduate student paying graduate level tuition, you will not be eligible for graduate-level financial aid during the time you are taking only undergraduate prerequisite courses. While taking these courses, you are only eligible for the maximum undergraduate loan amount allowed. Once you begin to take graduate courses, you will become eligible for graduate-level financial aid.

The non-communication disorders prerequisites include the following content to meet ASHA and CTC standards as well as department course prerequisite requirements: physical sciences (our program requires content matching PHYS 304 in the Cal State East Bay catalog), anatomy (lab component required), statistics (stand-alone course), general psychology, and human or cognitive development. For coursework already completed, it must have been taken within seven years of the term you are applying for, except for physical sciences and general psychology. Any missing courses can be re/taken after you are admitted to our graduate program.

If you took them at a California junior college, you can use the ASSIST website to research courses that would transfer in to Cal State East Bay.  If you took them at a four-year institution, you can use the TES website to research courses.

No, unfortunately we do not have staffing to do any type of transfer/transcript evaluations for students not admitted to our program. You can use the prerequisite or undergraduate course lists posted at our website, the Cal State East Bay university catalog course descriptions, and the catalog course descriptions from the university you attended to self-advise.

You are welcome to take the lower division non-communication disorders courses at a junior college. The lower division courses on our prerequisite list start with a 1xx or a 2xx. You can use ASSIST website to select the right courses to take. Note that if Human Anatomy and Physiology is offered as two separate courses elsewhere, you only need to take the Anatomy course

No, because Cal State East Bay is not admitting students who would not be pursuing a specific degree objective after admission, which status is called "unclassified post-baccalaureate".  If this policy were to change, more information would be accessible through the Cal State East Bay Graduate Admission webpage.

Current department policy is that students taking our courses must be admitted to Cal State East Bay.

The department only has staffing to schedule group visits, and does not schedule individual appointments.  We schedule 10:00 a.m. Friday facilities tours, usually from August to January, on an intermittent basis. We also schedule Open Houses about our graduate program, usually from October to January, on an intermittent basis. Go to Department Visits for more information.

We do not allow non-admitted students to observe classes.

Current department policy is that we do not allow those not admitted to Cal State East Bay to volunteer for our clinic.  We recommend that you use the ASHA website to contact speech pathologists in your area; You might also call your local school districts' speech pathologists or special education departments to inquire into volunteering opportunities.