FAQs

First Monday of January of each year.

Our Tips for Applying to Graduate School page includes guide videos and resource links to assist you in your application preparation process.

The Admissions Committee reviews applications holistically; simply, we look at the whole picture, not just a single metric. We encourage you to use every part of your application to demonstrate your readiness for the program. The Committee closely considers:

• Academic Performance: Your prior coursework and GPA trends.
• Relevant Experience: Professional work, internships, research, volunteer, and leadership experience(s).
• Letters of Recommendation: Insightful perspectives from academic or professional writers.

Please see this helpful webpage from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

We accept students with both speech-language pathology (SLP) and non-SLP backgrounds. The Admissions Committee does not consider one background more beneficial than the other.

We offer at least one virtual information session, typically held in October. Other virtual opportunities may be available for admitted students and will be communicated. In-person departmental tours are offered to admitted students only and will be communicated to you following your offer. In the meantime, we encourage students to view the Steinhardt-based virtual tour of the school's Manhattan and Brooklyn facilities and our department virtual tour.

Yes! Please email csdadmissionsambassadors@nyu.edu to be connected to a current graduate student. In your email, please note the modality you are interested in. 

Please take a look at the Plan of Study section of the FAQ. 

Information can be found in the Prerequisite/Foundation Courses section of the FAQ.

An example of a Standard Track Plan of Study can be viewed on the NYU CSD Bulletin here. Plans of Study will vary based on individual preferences, program track, and/or outstanding foundation coursework. Please see additional information in the Plan of Study FAQ section below.

Monitor your email! You can expect to hear from the Department about your next steps -- including review of your previously taken foundation/ASHA coursework, creation of your Plan of Study, and registration.

During the application process, candidates can only have one active application to NYU Steinhardt during each admission cycle. In other words, candidates can either have an on-campus application open or an online application open, but not both.

Admitted and/or enrolled students cannot switch between modalities. Students who wish to switch from one academic modality (online to on-campus or vice versa) must withdraw their application and/or reapply to the other modality. Re-admission is not guaranteed.

Our MS in CSD program is 48 credits. Students who do not have a bachelor's degree in CSD or a related field may be required to take additional foundational courses (up to 14 credits) to acquire the necessary base knowledge prior to beginning graduate-level study.

Yes! Our program is designed to provide academic and clinical training across the lifespan to train students to become generalist practitioners. Determination of a student’s field placement sites depends on many factors, including but not limited to: knowledge, skills, performance in certain courses, performance in the department’s clinic, academic schedule, and field placement availability.

Up to two graduate-level courses totaling no more than 8 credits may be transferred from another university to be substituted for graduate-level coursework at the discretion of the department. Eligible transfer credits must: 1) be graduate-level work from a regionally accredited college or university; 2) not have been applied toward another degree (graduate or undergraduate); 3) be completed within three years of the date of admission to your program; 4) meet a minimum grade "B" requirement; and 5) meet the program's content and unit standards as per the discretion of the department. 

Changes to a student’s graduate program requirements due to transfer credits are made in consultation with an Academic Advisor and are subject to the approval of departmental faculty, Graduate Admissions and/or Graduate Studies. Once approved, a Transfer Credit Statement Form must be submitted to begin the process of transferring your credits.

Once students are enrolled in the program, they cannot take any additional courses at other schools to meet the requirements for graduation, with the exception of completing ASHA courses.

You can apply to the program with all, some, or none of the prerequisite/foundation courses. Your Plan of Study (POS) will be created based on the number of foundation courses you need when you enter the program. Refer to the NYU Foundational Courses webpage to learn more.

We are not able to review foundation courses before students’ acceptance; however, following admission, you can expect to hear from the Department about your next steps -- including review of your previously taken foundation/ASHA coursework, creation of your Plan of Study, and registration. Our Department will be happy to pre-review courses that you want to take over the summer to meet outstanding requirements. Refer to the NYU Foundational Courses webpage to learn more about foundation course requirements.

Students are strongly encouraged to review the Foundational Course Equivalent resource to identify alternative course titles we have accepted from other universities.

Students who have completed a CSD undergraduate major or earned a CSD post-baccalaureate degree/certificate awarded within 10 years of the NYU program start date are not required to take or retake any foundation courses. The final transcript must state that an advanced certificate or bachelor's degree was awarded in CSD/SLP prior to starting the program at NYU in order to waive all foundation course requirements. 

The length of the program is dependent on a variety of factors, including how many foundation courses you enter the program with, your selected program track, study abroad participation, and other program preferences. The curriculum is designed to be completed across the required fall, spring, and summer terms. 

You must have all of the foundation courses completed before you can enter the Clinical Practicum and Field Placement Sequence.

The following table includes program length estimates based on the track pursued and the number of outstanding foundation courses:

Once accepted, please refer to your MS Guide and your Plan of Study for specific information.

Our program offers three available tracks, including:

Standard Track

The Standard Track is the most common program track selected, in which students complete the graduate program in 6-8 terms, depending on the number of outstanding foundation courses a student must complete. For students with all foundation courses complete, the standard track is typically 6 terms. Students can opt into the track following the deposit deadline. No action is needed to indicate interest in this track during the application process.

Intensive Track

Students entering the program with all foundation courses waived or completed,prior to beginning their first term may be eligible for the Intensive Track. The Intensive Track allows students to complete the graduate program in 5 terms by taking an increased number of credits each term and entering the Practicum sequence in their first term. Students can opt into this track following the deposit deadline. Final acceptance is contingent upon completion of preclinical requirements before the start of the first term, such as completion of required background checks, medical clearances, and observation hours (see section below). Information on these requirements will be communicated by the advising team during the summer-long advising process. 

Please note: Students who join the Intensive Track are not eligible to enroll in the Bilingual Extension Track (BET), as the BET is a minimum of 6 terms. Students enrolled in the Intensive Track are also not eligible to study abroad in Sweden due to time and courseload constraints in the Plan of Study.

Bilingual Extension Track

The Bilingual Extension Track (BET) includes coursework and clinical experiences required for NYS Education Department’s Teacher for Students with Speech and Language Disabilities-Bilingual Extension (TSSLD-BE) certification. Similar to the standard track, students in this track will complete the graduate program in 6-8 terms, depending on the number of outstanding foundation courses a student must complete. The NYSED TSSLD-BE is designed for bilingual or multilingual students admitted to the MS in CSD program, who intend to work in NYS with linguistically minoritized populations between the ages of 3-21 years. This program has limitations in size, with caps imposed every term. Acceptances are determined on a lottery basis if interest exceeds capacity limitations. Completion of the questions in the application confirms potential interest in the BET and entry into the lottery. You will learn about your status in the BET following the deposit deadline.

If you have any questions about the Bilingual Extension Track, please contact csdbet@nyu.edu.

Due to the requirements of each track, students can only participate in one track at a time (i.e., the Standard Track, Intensive Track, OR Bilingual Extension Track). 

The Intensive Track is a 5-semester plan of study where students begin the Clinical Practicum and Field Placement Sequence in their first semester. Students must have met all foundation and ASHA requirements (linked here) before beginning in their first term to be eligible for the intensive track. Students in the intensive track carry an increased course load in their first two semesters to complete the program in five semesters (i.e., 16 credits in the fall and spring). Students in the Intensive Track are not eligible to participate in the Sweden study abroad program due to time and course load constraints in their Plan of Study.

Students who are not eligible for or do not apply to the intensive track will have a plan of study that ranges from 6-8 semesters and does not begin the Clinical Practicum and Field Placement Sequence until the second semester or later (depending on their individual academic background and needs).

Once accepted, you can email the professor you are interested in working with for various research opportunities, including open lab meetings and/or journal clubs. Paid positions are typically set up on an individual basis and posted to NYU Handshake. Eligibility for these paid positions is most commonly available after a student has spent some time in the faculty member’s lab.

The American Speech–Language–Hearing Association (ASHA) requires students to complete a minimum of 25 hours of guided clinical observation, supervised by licensed and certified speech-language pathologists (SLP) who work with individuals across the life span in a variety of settings. 

In order for the observation hours to be considered guided, the hours cannot be passive in nature.  There needs to be communication between the clinical educator and observer.  

Examples of “guidance” include but are not limited to the following activities:

• Debriefing
  • video recording with a clinical educator
  • observations that meet course requirements
• Discussion of therapy or evaluation procedures that have been observed
• Written records of observation
• Note: Time spent debriefing/reflecting on observations does not count towards the 25 hours observed

No, although prospective students are strongly encouraged to complete all 25 hours of guided observations prior to entering the Graduate Program. If these hours are not completed prior to entry, students must complete them before they start Practicum I. For students with a CSD background who need no foundations courses and are interested in the intensive track, observation hours must be completed before their first term begins, as they will immediately enroll in Practicum I.

A minimum of 13 out of the 25 guided observation hours must be completed outside of our department. Students can only apply a maximum of 12 hours via recorded observations* (e.g., Master Clinician Network or SimuCase observation hours) to their total 25 required observation hours. Licensed and certified speech-language pathologists  (CCC-SLP) must supervise all guided observation hours. The hours can be earned with individuals across the life span in any setting. Completed observation hours from a required course at the undergraduate or post-baccalaureate level may be submitted. All observation hours earned on or after January 1, 2021, must be completed under a CCC-SLP meeting the 2020 ASHA standards; specifically, the supervisory requirement.  It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the SLP they are observing has met the 2020 ASHA standard. 

Prospective students may utilize the  ASHA Certification and Ethics Verification tool to determine that the supervisor is ASHA certified and has met the ASHA supervisory requirements.

*In instances where observation hours were accrued as a required component of an undergraduate course incorporating significant feedback and reflection, the department may approve the full 25 hours to be completed via MCN, Simucase, or other approved pre-recorded sessions.

A memo on official letterhead from your undergraduate institution that is signed by a representative/instructor/supervisor, includes their ASHA certification number, verifies completion of the required hours OR an itemized observation hours log (please see our NYU CSD Observation Hours Log Template as an example).

For Graduate Tuition and Fees, please visit the Steinhardt Admissions Graduate Study Tuition and Fees page. 

In addition, students are responsible for additional program fees, including but not limited to: background checks and medical clearances through Castlebranch, books and supplemental software, and transportation costs. 

For information surrounding scholarships and financial aid, please visit Steinhardt's Paying for Your Education or contact the NYU Office of Financial Aid.