Navigating the UCF SLP Master's Program: Admission Requirements and Program Overview

The University of Central Florida (UCF) offers a comprehensive Master of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders program designed to prepare students for careers as speech-language pathologists (SLPs). This article provides a detailed overview of the program, its various tracks, admission requirements, and other essential information for prospective students.

Program Overview

The Communication Sciences and Disorders program strives to educate students to become successful practitioners in the field of speech-language pathology. The primary goal of this clinical master’s degree program is to prepare speech-language pathologists for work in schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, community clinics and private practices with children, adolescents and adults who experience a variety of communication and associated disorders. To accomplish this goal, much of the educational programming at the master’s level takes place at the UCF Communication Disorders Clinic and in more than 200 practicum/internship sites throughout the greater Orlando area and the state of Florida. The Master of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders program is a full-time, in-person program, consisting of a minimum of 72 credit hours of combined academic and clinical coursework.

The program reinforces the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Code of Ethics throughout the academic curriculum. Graduates of the program are prepared to work in various settings, including:

Early intervention programs
Schools
Hospitals
Rehabilitation centers
Skilled nursing facilities
Community clinics
Private practices

Students gain knowledge and skills through hands-on experiences in the UCF Communication Disorders Clinic, working alongside clinical faculty. The program also offers a robust internship program with more than 200 practicum/internship sites throughout the greater Orlando area and the state of Florida, allowing students to learn from SLPs in the community.

The CSD master’s program consists of a minimum of 72 credit hours, including 38 credit hours of core academic courses, 9 credit hours of electives, and 25 credit hours of clinical practice. Thesis students take 6 credit hours of thesis and one elective course (3 credit hours).

Program Tracks

UCF offers several tracks within its Master of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders program to accommodate students with different backgrounds and career goals. These tracks include:

Traditional Track

The Traditional track is a two-year, full-time face-to-face program (six consecutive semesters, including two summers) for students with undergraduate degrees in communication sciences and disorders or speech-language pathology and audiology. This track follows a prescribed sequence of academic and clinical courses that may vary according to the semester of entry. The school must approve changes to the prescribed plan of study.

Consortium Track

The Consortium track is a cooperative effort between the UCF School of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Central Florida Public School Consortium to address the critical shortage of public school speech-language pathologists in the area. Participating school districts in the Central Florida Consortium are Brevard, Citrus, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia. Admission to the Consortium program is currently paused and will be unavailable until further notice.

Accelerated BS to MA Track

The Accelerated track enables highly qualified current UCF undergraduate majors in communication sciences and disorders to achieve a master’s degree in the UCF School of Communication Sciences and Disorders graduate program one semester faster than in the Traditional track. This program is a BA/BS to MA program. Students in the accelerated program must apply for admission to the graduate program and are considered along with the entire applicant pool. To apply, an electronic application for admission to the graduate program must be submitted during the senior year of the bachelor’s program. Accelerated Track students will take 1st semester Master of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders courses in their final undergraduate semester. Completion of graduate-level courses does not guarantee admission to the master’s degree program.

Admission Requirements

Prospective students must complete a two-step application process to be considered for admission to the UCF Master of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders program.

Application Process

Apply to the University: Applicants should complete the Welcome to the University of Central Florida’s Graduate Application! Please refer to the school’s admissions page for detailed information on how to apply. We offer two cycles for admission, fall and spring.
Submit Required Materials: All application materials MUST be sent directly to CSDCAS. Please be advised: It may take CSDCAS up to Three Weeks to verify your application.

Required Application Materials

Three (3) letters of recommendation with CSDCAS recommendation forms, preferably two from former faculty members.
A current resume.
All CSDCAS supplemental questions.

Additional Requirements

Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation.
institution or English instruction institution. A minimum TOEFL iBT score of 91; 7.0 IELTS; or 125 Duolingo is required.
For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.
Admissions Test: If the GRE or GMAT is required, the specific test will be explicitly stated in the “Admissions Requirements” section of the program.
Program Prerequisites: Many program may require prerequisites.

Admission for Students with Bachelor's Degrees Outside of CSD

Students who did not major in communication sciences and disorders or a related field (“out of field”) may still apply to the program but must complete the undergraduate prerequisite courses upon admission. These courses are meant to be taken upon admission to the graduate program at UCF, not before admission. These courses are specific to UCF, and other graduate programs will have different course requirements. A course-by-course analysis will not be done prior to admission for out-of-field courses. However, upon admission we will most certainly do a course-by-course analysis to establish a plan of study.

COVID-19 Considerations

Our admissions committee completes a holistic review of each applicant and for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle students have the opportunity to answer the Additional COVID-19 Questions in the Core CSDCAS Application. While these questions are optional we strongly encourage students to answers these questions as part of their CSDCAS application. Please describe how COVID-19 has impacted your pathway to graduate school. Academic: Were you able to interact with your professors? Did you have to leave an academic program stateside or abroad? Did your school require you to move to pass/fail grading systems? Did your GRE exam get cancelled or delayed? Professional: Did you hold a job? Did have to seek new job opportunities? Did you lose a job? Personal: Did you have to move out of a house or dorm? Did you have to cancel travel plans? Did you modify your planned experiences related to healthcare or volunteer opportunities? Did you seek out volunteer opportunities that arose from the crisis?

Advising

The School of Communication Sciences and Disorders offers a full range of advising services, including academic, professional and personal advisement. Prior to registration for your first semester of graduate study, the academic advisor will assist you in the development of an Academic Plan of Study and a Clinical Plan of Study. When you enter the graduate program, you will be assigned to a faculty advisor who will be responsible for academic and professional advising. As you move through the program, you will follow a prescribed sequence of courses. This sequence can only be changed under extraordinary circumstances. If you need to request a change in either your Academic Plan of Study or Clinical Plan of Study, you will be required to provide your request, in writing, first to your faculty advisor who will then refer you to a master’s program coordinator. The master’s program coordinator will be responsible for approving all changes to study plans. Master’s degree student advising is readily available in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Advising is offered Monday through Friday by appointment.

Additional Information

Licensure and Certification

At this time our program meets the educational eligibility criteria for licensure as a speech-language pathologist in the state of Florida. We are unable to confirm the licensure and certification requirements of other states. You are welcome to contact Jaclyn Lucey, MA, CCC-SLP, our master’s degree program director, with questions in this regard. is responsible for licensing, monitoring, disciplining and educating speech-language pathologists and audiologists to assure competency and safety to practice in Florida.

Being “certified” means holding the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC), a nationally recognized professional credential that represents a level of excellence in the field of Audiology (CCC-A) or Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP). Those who have achieved the CCC-ASHA certification have voluntarily met rigorous academic and professional standards, typically going beyond the minimum requirements for state licensure.

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Graduate Assistantships

Students offered admission may be eligible for a position in the school as a graduate teaching assistant (GTA) or graduate research assistant (GRA), however, these opportunities are limited. Please review the College of Graduate Studies’ Assistantships webpage for more information. A GTA application can be completed after admission to the program.

Non-Degree Enrollment

Nondegree students are applicants who have completed at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university in the United States and are not seeking a graduate degree. Once admitted as a nondegree student, you must come to the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders’ office during the first week of classes to receive permission to be enrolled in a communication sciences and disorders course. The school will not grant permission to enroll in any courses prior to the first week of classes and only certain courses are available for nondegree students. Due to the large number of applicants to our program, we cannot evaluate prerequisite courses prior to admission. Our program accepts prerequisites from other accredited institutions.

Course Spotlight: SPA 6938 Post COVID-19 Clinical Practice in Medical Speech-Language Pathology

SPA 6938 Post COVID-19 Clinical Practice in Medical Speech-Language Pathology is a 3-credit hour graduate course offered by the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders for licensed Speech-Language Pathologists with master’s degrees in Communication Sciences and Disorders/Speech-Language Pathology and current Graduate Students in CSD/SLP programs. Because of UCF’s continued remote instruction format, this course will be conducted via Zoom within WebCourses for weekly synchronous (“real time”) class meetings every Tuesday evening at 6:00 starting June 23. Additional course requirements will be completed in an ascynchronous format between lecture dates. This course has a high relevance to practicing speech pathologists and is available to current students in CSD/SLP graduate degree programs and professionals with a graduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders/Speech-Language Pathology. This graduate-level course will encompass the study of foundational topics in medically-based speech-language pathology with the incorporation of content regarding COVID-19 and the impact of this illness on patient interventions. The purpose of the course is to prepare pre-service speech-language pathologists enrolled in the Master’s program in Communication Sciences and Disorders at UCF and community-based certified speech-language pathologists with a foundation to work as part of an interdisciplinary team with complex patients in various medical settings, including acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient facilities, home health, and Telehealth. A foundation of applied physiology of various organs, systems and the impact of impairment within these systems on communication, breathing and swallowing function will be provided. Medical interventions (including the associated equipment) across conditions such as cancer, stroke (CVA), dementia, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and others will be emphasized.

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