Traditional Master's Degree Program 

in Speech-Language Pathology

  • 2-year program
  • New class of approximately 30 students admitted each year; 60 traditional graduate students total
  • Begins in summer term
  • 4 semesters of coursework on-campus (summer 1, fall 1, spring 1, & summer 2)
  • 2 semesters of off-campus full-time 14-week internships in educational and medical placements (fall 2 & spring 2)
  • Graduate assistantships available on a competitve basis within the CDS department (typically we have had funding for 10-12 assistantships) and for other departments on campus. See the graduate school website for additional information about assistantships.
  • Information regarding financial aid is available through the EIU Financial Aid Office http://www.eiu.edu/~finaid/
  • Click here to see estimates of cost to attend graduate school at EIU

 

Application Information

Application Dealine:  February 1, 2013 (Note:  Recommended to have material to CSDCAS by January 1) 

The graduate program in Communication Disorders and Sciences (CDS) culminates in a masters of sciences degree and prepares recipients to assume entry-level positions as speech-language pathologists. 

  • Students must have completed a bachelors degree in the major or a bachelor's degree in another discipline with all relevent CDS prerequisite undergraduate coursework completed* with a minimum 3.0 GPA
  • Admission is competitive, and is decided by a graduate faculty committee following a thorough review of the applicant’s materials.  Meeting the GPA requirement alone does not ensure admission.  Students who are not admitted to the program may be eligible to enroll in some CDS courses with non-degree seeking status. 

1)      The following application materials must be submitted through the CSD Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS) at https://portal.csdcas.org .  CSDCAS recommends having your materials to them 4-6 weeks in advance of the deadline to allow time for verification.  Materials to be submitted to CSDCAS include but are not limited to:

  • CSDCAS accepts electronic GRE scores ONLY. The CDS program at EIU requires that you send CSDCAS the GRE, these scores must be released to CSDCAS electronically via ETS using a program-specific code listed in the chart--EASTERN ILLINOIS U CSDCAS 0693
  • All official academic transcripts (print out a transcript request form from CDSCAS for each school attended).  CDSCAS must receive official paper copies of the transcript.
    • Send transcripts to CSDCAS early during the fall term so they have time to calculate major GPAs and consider your file complete.  When grades for fall are posted, applicants should send in an updated transcript.  CSDCAS -- calls this an "academic update" and recalculates GPAs with the fall term included.  Read FAQs on CSDCAS of click here to learn more about the procedures for the Academic Update.
  • Enter all courses that you took throughout your undergraduate program as well as courses that you plan to take in the spring term prior to beginning graduate school.
  • Enter work history, extracurricular activities and significant volunteer experiences (more than 1 day for a few hours), honors, awards
  • Three letters of recommendation that address clinical aptitude, professionalism, and academic performance from acadmic faculty (professors, supervisors, advisors) or other speech-language pathologists where you have worked or volunteered.
  • Custom essay question: Please compose a personal statement regarding your desire to attend the graduate program in CDS at EIU, and your personal goals of becoming a speech-language pathologist. There is no length requirement other than the character limit imposed by CSDCAS.
      • Evaluated for content and writing ability
  • Application fee
  • Mark "summer" as semester to begin when applying to EIU through CDSCAS
  • Check status of CSDCAS aplication frequently on the CSDCAS site. Complete your application as early as possible.  Status will be noted as COMPLETE when CSDCAS receives all necessary information,VERIFIED when they check your grades against transcript information (note- the CSDCAS verification process may take up to six weeks after your application, transcripts, and payment are received), and MAILED when it is sent to our program.
  • Read all of CSDCAS's FAQ sections-- they contain helpful and necessary information. 
  • Contact CSDCAS directly with questions about that application.

    • Hours: Monday – Friday (9:00 am – 5:00 pm Eastern Time)

      CSDCAS
      P.O. Box 9113
      Watertown, MA 02471

      Telephone: 617–612–2030 if in U.S.
      Fax: 617–612–2051 if in U.S.
      E-Mail:       csdcasinfo@csdcas.org

2 )      Application is made to the Graduate School at Eastern Illinois University by submitting the following materials:

  • Graduate School application -- You must apply directly to the EIU grad school on-line.
    • First time users click "First time user account creation" and create a login and pin
    • All students begin in the summer term (Applicants must mark apply for summer NOT fall semester) 
  • Graduate School application fee
  • (transcripts or GRE scores do NOT need to be sent to EIU during the application process.  GRE scores are submitted through CSDCAS in the process described above.  If you are accepted to our graduate program, an official copy of your transcripts will need to be sent to the graduate school at that time)
    • Questions about your application or the application process to the EIU graduate school should be directed to the Graduate School (phone 217-581-2220)
  • Graduate assistantship application (optional) -- Due Feb 1 if completing

 

 

Admission Decisions

 

Applications are reviewed in February and the beginning of March.   Typically letters are sent in the mail to applicants regarding admission decisions near March 15.

 

Questions about  the the graduate program in CDS at EIU or  visiting the program should be directed to the CDS Graduate Program Coordinator, Dr. Rebecca Throneburg.  She can be contacted at:  rmthroneburg@eiu.edu  or (217) 581-7447. 

 

 Information about Past Applications/Admissions

  • For several years we have been admitting 30 graduate students per year into the traditional graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology
  • On average, approximately 50% of the graduate students attended the undergraduate program at EIU and 50% attended other undergraduate programs
  • Typically the department has 10-12 graduate assistantships available for first year students. Some CDS graduate students have also been successful in the past in receiving assistantships from other departments on campus such as Disability Services, CATs, etc. Approximately half of the graduate students often have had funding through assistantships in the department and elsewhere on campus.
      • Assistantships usually require 16-18 hours of work per week. Students receive a monthly stipend and tuition waiver.  Assistantships in the CDS department typically are available with the monthly stipend (of approximately $800) and tuition waiver for the fall and spring term during the first academic year. Students also receive a tuition waiver for courses in the summer term following the assistantship.
      • The following units/departments have hired assistants from a variety of disciplines: Panther Dining Services, Athletics Department, International Students and Scholars, Study Abroad, College of Education and Professional Studies, Continuing Education, The Graduate School, Housing, Student Recreation Center, Office of New Student Programs, CATS, Career Services, Minority Affairs, Secondary Education, Center for Academic Support, Health Services, and the University Union.
    • Prospective students often inquire about the average GPA and GRE scores of applicants or admitted students in the program
      • A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required to apply, most admitted students' GPAs range from 3.4-4.0. Averages are presented in the table below.
      • There is no minimum GRE score required to apply. Average GRE scores for applicants and admitted students are included in the table below.
      • A table with graduation rate, Praxis examination pass rate and employment information is presented on the page describing our traditional master's degree program in Speech-Language Pathology.

 

 

Year- 2009

Year- 2010

Year- 2011

 Year-2012

 

 INCOMING CLASS INFORMATION 

Major GPA for incoming class

3.80

3.76

3.68

 3.7

Cumulative GPA for incoming class

3.66

3.71

3.60

 3.6

 GRE-AVG (incoming class) 

 

 

 939 (old GRE scores)

292 (new GRE scores)

 

INFORMATION FOR ALL APPLICANTS 

 Major GPA

 3.64

 3.46

 3.56

 3.57

 Cumulative GPA

 3.38

3.39 

 3.52

 3.49

GRE-V (all apps)

418

418.5

418

147 

GRE-Q (all apps)

502

547

521

144 

GRE Avg. (all apps)

920

965.5

939

291

GRE-W (all apps)

4.01

3.98

4.1

 4.0

 Required Courses (required to apply)  Anatomy and Physiology of Communication Mechanisms, Speech Science, Child Language Acquisition, Phonetics and Phonological Development, Articulation/Phonological Assessment/Treatment, Child Language Disorders, Diagnosis and Treatment of Communication Disorders (Clinical Methods), Audiology

 Recommended Courses (must be made up in graduate school if not taken in undergrad program)Neurology/Embryology of Communication Mechanisms, Aural Rehabilitation, Voice Disorders, American Sign Language, Augmentative and Alternative Communication