MSSLHS Admission Instructions

VISIT the OGA web site and complete and submit the Graduate School Application for Admission which opens on September 1 and closes on December 15.

PAY your on-line application fee ($65 for US students and $90 for International students) per the instructions in the online application.

You must pay the application fee before you will be able to upload any documents to MyStatus. 

It may take 24-48 hours from when you submit your application before you receive the email to access your MyStatus page to upload departmental requirements.

For information regarding fee waivers please visit the Graduate School webpage.

After satisfying the application fee, provide an official transcript from every senior college you have attended. Even if courses taken at one institution are recorded on another college's transcript, transcripts must be submitted from the institution at which the courses were taken. Failure to list all colleges on the application and provide those transcripts will be considered an intentional omission and may lead to the cancellation of your application for admission or withdrawal of your offer of admission.

Official transcripts bear the facsimile signature of the registrar and the seal of the issuing institution. Transcripts from U.S. colleges or universities must have been produced within the last calendar year, and should include the award of degree printed on the transcript unless coursework is still in progress. Transcripts written in a language other than English must be accompanied by a translation. We do not accept outside evaluations of foreign transcripts. Each transcript (mark sheet) should contain a complete record of studies at the institution from which it is issued (i.e., the subjects taken and grades [marks] earned in each subject). 

Below are acceptable submission methods:

• SPEEDE: If your college or university uses SPEEDE, you can have your transcript(s) sent electronically. Check with the registrar of your institution to find out if transcripts can be sent via the SPEEDE server, as well as instructions for placing an order.
• Parchment: If your college or university uses Parchment, you can have your transcript(s) sent electronically. Please note that due to the sending institution’s system limitations, we cannot currently accept transcripts through Parchment from University of Kansas, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), National Louis University, Dartmouth College, Southern Utah University and Northwestern University. If you obtain a Parchment transcript directly and upload it to your application, please be aware it cannot be used to clear you for registration upon admission. As such, you should have the transcript sent directly to UT Austin.
• Upload: First, review the guidelines for uploading transcripts, linked below. Then, upload a PDF using the Document Upload System. You can upload an official PDF transcript issued by the institution or a scan of the official paper transcript issued to you by the registrar. Uploads will be considered unofficial if admitted, but can be used to process your application for admission. You should redact your Social Security number from the transcript before you upload, but other alterations are not permitted. Instructions for Uploading Transcripts. Uploads require verification, a process which can take 2 to 3 business days. You should upload your transcripts well in advance of the deadline to allow adequate time for processing. Failure to do so could result in your application being considered late. Do not upload unofficial transcripts or other documents that do not meet requirements, even as temporary placeholders. Doing so will delay processing of your application and could lead to cancellation for being late.

We cannot accept electronic transcripts sent by registrars or third-party entities in any other format (e.g. by email or by links to secure websites). Please do not mail official transcripts or paper copies of your transcripts before you are offered admission. Sending paper copies of documents will significantly delay the processing of your application.

Junior/Community college transcripts are NOT required.

The Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin does not require GRE scores as part of the application for the MSSLHS, AuD, and PhD programs. The GRE score submission is optional for applicants who would like to use the GRE score as supplemental information to show the Admissions Committees their potential to succeed in the program. Applicants who do not submit GRE scores will not be put at a disadvantage. Applicants are encouraged to submit all documents that may help the Admissions Committees evaluate their academic and life experiences, as well as their potential to contribute to the community of the department. All materials of each completed application such as a resume, statement of purpose, recommendation letters, GPA, and GRE scores (optional), will be considered and assessed in their entirety by the Admissions Committees.

The ETS code for UT Austin is 6882.

International students should ARRANGE for the Educational Testing Services (ETS) to submit your OFFICIAL SCORE for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

The ETS code for UT Austin is 6882. 

The minimum scores considered acceptable for admission by the Graduate School are:

• TOEFL: 79 on the Internet-based test (iBT). TOEFL scores are valid for 2 years after the test date.
• IELTS: An overall band of 6.5 on the Academic Examination

More information about these requirements can be found on the Graduate School website.

SUBMIT your statement of purpose .pdf format ONLY through your online MyStatus page.
Applicants are required to provide the statement of purpose for the MSSLHS graduate application. You are NOT required to provide Graduate Admissions with an additional statement of purpose or essay.

All MSSLHS applicants MUST submit a Statement of Purpose according to the following guidelines:

Please write a response to the questions below, double spaced (font size 11 or 12) and limit your responses to 500 words for every question (1,000 words total).

Please note that answering these questions replaces your general Statement of Purpose.

1. Why do you think the University of Texas at Austin is a good fit for your post-graduation goals and what sets you apart as an applicant in relation to those goals?

2. Please address any information that you believe your application would be incomplete without and that sheds more light on your unique potential to succeed in the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences master’s program and contribute to the University community and the field or profession.

Submit THREE electronic letters of recommendation – On your application you will be asked to provide the names and emails of your references. After you submit and pay your application fee, an electronic request for reference will be sent to your recommenders. You will be able to re-send or send additional reminder requests for reference through your online MyStatus page. Recommenders have 45 days the time to submit their electronic letter, from the day they receive the request. All letters of recommendation are due January 5th.

Reference letters should NOT be mailed to the SLHS Graduate Office.

Letters from faculty in the field of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences are preferred. Letters from employment supervisors who work in SLHS or a related field are also accepted. Applicants are recommended to submit at least two letters from academic faculty with whom they have taken classes or researched with. It is the student's responsibility to make sure all recommendations are submitted before the deadline. Failure to provide ALL three letters of reference will impact your application. The graduate admissions application allows to submit ONLY three names with emails. DO NOT email to request additional letters of recommendation.

ANY additional documents you wish to submit must be SAVED in .pdf format and submitted through the Admissions Document Upload System.

If you have not completed your prerequisites at the time of application submission, please continue to complete all MSSLHS prerequisites. Applicants must complete all MSSLHS prerequisites before the start of their program. 

Submit your one page resume in .pdf format through your MyStatus page.

Your resume should include:

1. Educational background
2. Honors
3. Related field organizations
4. Research and/or clinical experience including area, supervisor and length of rotation
5. Volunteer experience
6. Related field work experience

The following undergraduate courses and 25 observation hours at The University of Texas at Austin, or their equivalents elsewhere, are prerequisites for students seeking admission to the MSSLHS program. These background courses in the basic science and clinical aspects of the field form the foundation for graduate study. All students are expected to complete the ASHA certification standards prior to enrolling in the MSSLHS program.

• Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism. In-depth study of the anatomy and physiology of structures involved in speech, language, hearing, and swallowing. Includes anatomical and physiological mechanisms of respiration, phonation, articulation, and hearing; and the central nervous system and blood supply to the speech and hearing mechanism.
• Phonetic Description of Speech. Speech production, physiological analysis and description of speech sounds, voice quality, and voice dynamics; notation; phonetic theory; applications of phonetics.
• Developmental Language Science. Introduction to assessment procedures and treatment strategies for children with speech and language disorders.
• Hearing Science. Acoustical, physiological, and psychological bases of normal human hearing; theories of audition; laboratory techniques in hearing science research.
• Speech Science. Neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the encoding and decoding of speech.
• Language and the Brain. A comprehensive survey of topics dealing with the neurobiological basis of speech and language. Topics include neuroanatomy/neurophysiology; theories of language representation in the brain, aphasiology, and hemispheric lateralization.
• Principles of Audiology. Causes of hearing disorders; diagnostic procedures and treatment. (Prerequisite: SLH 313L)
• Aural Rehabilitation. Rationale, methods, materials, procedures, and criteria for aural rehabilitation for hearing-impaired persons. (Prerequisite:  SLH 341 including Upper-division standing and twelve semester hours of lower-division coursework in communication sciences and disorders.)

Twenty-five (25) hours of guided clinical observation hours must be completed in the undergraduate program and generally precede direct contact with clients/patients. Guided clinical observations may occur simultaneously during the student’s observation or afterwards through review and approval of the student’s written reports or summaries. Students may use video recordings of client services for observation purposes. Examples of guided clinical observations with a clinical educator who holds the CCC-SLP may include but are not limited to the following activities:

• debriefing of a video recording
• discussion of therapy or evaluation procedures that had been observed
• debriefings of observations that meet course requirements
• written records of the observations

It is important to confirm that there was communication between the clinical educator and observer, rather than passive experiences where the student views sessions and/or videos. The student is encouraged to (a) observe live and recorded sessions across settings with individuals receiving services for a variety of disorders and (b) complete debriefing activities as described above. The undergraduate program will determine how the guided observation experience should be documented. Evidence of guided observations includes signatures from the clinical educator and documentation of hours, dates, and activities observed.

More information about courses that satisfy the ASHA certification standards at The University of Texas at Austin:

Observation Hours

Standard IV-A: The applicant must have demonstrated knowledge of the biological sciences, physical sciences, statistics, and the social/behavioral sciences.

Coursework in statistics as well as in biological, physical, and social/behavioral sciences that is specifically related to communication sciences and disorders may not be applied for certification purposes to this category unless the course fulfills a general university requirement in the statistics, biology, physical science, or chemistry areas.

Statistics is required. Coursework in research methodology in the absence of basic statistics cannot be used to fulfill this requirement. 

Any of the following courses offered at UT or their equivalent at another institution satisfy the Statistics requirement

• EDP 308 Stats Reasoning/Literacy. Introduction to statistical applications and their interpretation in daily life. Covers principles of gathering and analyzing data, and interpreting analysis results in order to critically evaluate findings reported in the media and social science research. Explores basic statistical analyses, and skills needed for informed research consumerism
• EDP 371 Introduction to Statistics. Measures of central tendency and variability; correlation and regression; probability and statistical inference; analysis of variance; nonparametric statistics.
• M 316 Elementary Statistical Method. Graphical presentation, frequency functions, distribution functions, averages, standard deviation, variance, curve-fitting, and related topics.
• SDS 301 Elementary Statistical Methods. Covers the fundamental procedures for data organization and analysis. Subjects include frequency distributions, graphical presentation, sampling, experimental design, inference, and regression.
• SDS 302 Data Analysis for the Health Sciences. Basic probability and data analysis for the sciences. Subjects include randomness, sampling, distributions, probability models, inference, regression, and nonlinear curve fitting.
• SDS 303 Statistics in Experimental Research. An introduction to the fundamental concepts and methods of statistics, with emphasis on applications in experimental science. Includes exploratory data analysis, correlation and regression, descriptive statistics, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing.
• SDS 304 Statistics in Health Care.  An introduction to the fundamental concepts and methods of statistics emphasizing applications in the health sciences. Exploratory data analysis, correlation and regression, descriptive statistics, sampling distributions, confidence intervals and hypothesis testing.
• SDS 305 Statistics in Policy Design. An introduction to the fundamental concepts and methods of statistics, with emphasis on applications in policy evaluation and design. Includes exploratory data analysis, correlation and regression, descriptive statistics, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing.
• SDS 306 Statistics in Market Analysis.  Introduction to the fundamental concepts and methods of statistics, with emphasis on applications in the analysis of personal and group behaviors. Includes exploratory data analysis, correlation and regression, descriptive statistics, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing.
• SDS 328M Biostatistics. Introduction to methods of statistical analysis of biological data. Includes data analysis, basics of experimental design, statistical inference, interval estimation, and hypothesis testing.

Acceptable courses in biological sciences should emphasize a content area related to human or animal sciences (e.g., biology, human anatomy and physiology, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, human genetics, veterinary science).

For all applicants who apply beginning January 1, 2020, acceptable courses in physical sciences must include coursework in physics or chemistry.

Acceptable courses in social/behavioral sciences should include psychology, sociology, anthropology, or public health.

More information about courses that satisfy the ASHA certification standards: 

Course content area for SLP Standards

Please note that SLHS majors and leveling students are required to simultaneously enroll in course as well as the lab associated with that course.

• SLH 311K Phonetic Description of Speech
• SLH 312 Developmental Language Science and SLH118L: Acquisition of Communicative Abilities in Children Laboratory (required for SLH majors and leveling students)
• SLH 313L Hearing Science and SLH 113P: Hearing Science Laboratory (required for SLH majors and leveling students)
• SLH 315S Speech Science
• SLH 341 Principles of Audiology
• SLH 350 Language and the Brain
• SLH 358 Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism and SLH 158L: Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism Laboratory (required for SLH majors and leveling students)
• SLH 373 Aural Rehabilitation
• SLH 367K Introduction to Assessment and Intervention in Speech and Language Disorders in Children OR
• SLH 371 Introduction to Assessment and Intervention in Speech and Language Disorders in Adults.

Information about our leveling program