Admission Requirements

The Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (SPPA) B.S. degree is a screened major with a cohort of 70 students admitted each year. Admission to Towson University does not guarantee admission into this major. Interested students begin the program as “Pre-major” students (PSPA major), then apply for full admission to the SPPA major once the pre-major courses are completed.

Admission to the SPPA major requires: (a) completing all of the admissions steps listed below, (b) a GPA of 2.8 or better in 5 pre-major courses (see below), and (c) a GPA of 2.5 or better for the last 30 credits of courses. Students are admitted into the major in June of each year. Students who wish to be admitted to the major must complete the following steps no later than May 31 of the year they wish to be considered for admission to the major. Admission decisions are made in early June.

All materials are due in the main office by May 31. Eligible students are ranked using the combined average of the pre-major GPA and 30 credit GPA. Students with ranking GPA of 3.2 or higher will be admitted into the program. Students with ranking GPA lower than 3.2 will be admitted on a space-available basis. Students who are not admitted into the program  can choose to try again in the following year. For more information, refer to the admissions requirements in the Towson University catalog.

Students who wish to apply for the major must complete the following:

1. Officially declare PSPA (pre-major for Speech Language Pathology and Audiology) with the registrar on Peoplesoft (or by declaring the major when you apply to Towson University).
2. Complete the SPPA Major Application
3. Review the SPPA Course Sequence
4. Complete a minimum of 27 units of study (These credits can include the 5 pre-major courses)
5. Complete 5 required pre-major courses with a grade of 2.8 or better before May 31st of the year they wish to be considered for admission to the major. Courses can be taken at Towson University or transferred from other universities. Students who have taken transfer credits as part of their last 30 credits must submit an official transcript to the Department of Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology by May 31st. This is in addition to the transcript that must be sent to the admissions office for transfer credit. Please use the following address:
   
   Towson University
   Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology
   8000 York Road
   Towson, MD 21252

Pre-major Course Requirements (16-19 units)

1. Writing: ENGL 102 Writing for a Liberal Education or honors section ENGL 190 (3)
2. Psychology: PSYC 101 Introduction to Psychology or honors section PSYC 102 (3)
3. Math: MATH 115 Basic Mathematics for the Sciences (3) or MATH 119 Pre-Calculus (4) or MATH 211 Calculus (We do not accept a statistics class or a math for education majors class for this requirement).
4. Biology: BIOL 191 Biology for Health Science Majors or honors section 192 (4) or BIOL 200 Cell Biology and Genetics or honors section 203 (4)
5. Physical or Social/Behavioral Science: One course from Category A or B (students must complete both categories as a graduation requirement but only one category during the pre-major year)
   Category A: Physical Science (4-5):CHEM 121+ 121L Allied Health Chemistry lecture + lab (4) or CHEM 115 Honors Chemistry for Allied Health Professions I (4) or PHYS 202 General Physics for the Health Sciences* (5) or PHYS 211 General Physics I (4)
   Category B: Social/Behavioral Science (3): SOCI 101 Introduction to Sociology or honors section 102 or ANTH 207 Cultural Anthropology (3) or honors section 210 or EDUC 203 Teaching and Learning in a Diverse Society (3)
6. Complete a speech, language, hearing, and voice screening at the Towson University Speech & Language/Hearing & Balance Center at the Institute for Well-Being (IWB). Screenings are held during the first week of each semester. Transfer students who are not screened during the pre-major year must complete the screening during their first semester of enrollment at Towson University after declaring the major. Students who have communication disorders or dialects of English that would affect their ability to interact with clients will be encouraged to seek treatment.

* Course no longer offered at TU

Academic Plan/Degree Completion Plan

An Academic Plan or Degree Completion Plan is your road map to graduation that helps you plan which courses to take and when.  All students are encouraged to create an academic plan and discuss it with their advisers. Once you reach 45 or more credits, you are required to have an Academic Plan on file with your adviser.  Please note, changing you major, adding a minor, double majoring, failing a course, repeating a course, etc. may impact your degree plan and ultimately your 4 year plan.

Steps for Creating an Academic Plan/Degree Plan

1. Open the Degree Plan/Program of Study excel workbook. Access the SPPA Degree Completion Plan (PDF) a PDF version of the excel workbook document. This document will help you plan your 4 years here at Towson University. Fill in all of the classes you have taken at TU, are taking now and plan to take in the future. You may enter the number of credits you are transferring to Towson University. You can also find this information in your Academic Requirements in your PeopleSoft account.
2. Check to make sure you have taken all of the required pre-requisite courses you need in order to be eligible to apply to the SPPA major.  The pre-requisite courses are listed under the pre-major year section of the form.
3. Next, fill in the courses you would like to take over the next 4 years, in the blank spaces on the form.  Your major courses have been filled in for you and must be taken in the order and during the semesters in which they appear on this form.  You may NOT change the order or the semester of the major classes (Year 1 and Year 2 of the major). You will add in your CORE classes, electives, minor classes if applicable, and any other electives you wish to take. Your Academic Requirements report in your Peoplesoft account will have a list of completed CORES and CORES you still need to take. 
4. Please remember that you need to take 15 credits each semester to meet the 120 credits you need to graduate.  Some semesters you may have 16 and others 14 but use 15 credits as a guideline for your planning.  You need 32 upper level credits (300 and 400 level classes) to be eligible to graduate.  It is possible to complete all major requirements but not have 32 upper level credits, so please be sure to count your courses carefully.  Know that if you repeat a course, the credits for that course will only count one time toward the 120 credits you need to graduate. 
5. Bring your completed degree plan/program of study with you to your individual advising appointment for you and your adviser to sign off on.  There will be several Open House Meetings where the Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology (SPPA) Program Coordinator will be present to answer questions or to help you complete this document.