Frequently Asked Questions
- Regarding M.A. Program in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD):
1. What is the procedure for applying for the next admission cycle (fall semester only)?
2. About CSDCAS
a. What is CSDCAS?
b. Why CSDCAS? And what does it do?
c. Is there an application fee involved utilizing CSDCAS services?
d. If I have questions about CSDCAS, who do I contact?
3. When is the deadline to apply for the current admission semester?
4. Is the required “statement of purpose” from the CSU APPLY application the
same as the essay question that is required on the CSD application?
5. Is GRE required for the graduate program application?
6. Can I send materials or documents for my application directly to the department
or deliver them in person?
7. Does the admission committee review applications in the order of which they
were received and/or do they accept applicants on a rolling basis admission?
8. Can references be submitted electronically?
9. Questions about GPA -
a. Do I need to compute and submit my GPA?
b. How will my GPA be computed for graduate application consideration?
c. Whom do I send my official transcripts to?
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1. What is the procedure for applying for the next fall admission year?
- For information on applying to our graduate program for the next fall admission year, please
carefully review the instructions on the Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) website.
2. About CSDCAS –
- The Communication Science and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS,
https://mycsdcas.org/inquiryform) is an independent third party provider who is not associated
with the California State University (CSU) application system.
All required documents for M.A. applicants will be submitted directly only to CSDCAS. No hard
copy of application materials will be accepted at CSUF-Dept. of Communication Science and
Disorders.
Why CSDCAS? What does it do?
- The CSDCAS website will allow you to submit required materials where the CSUF-CSD graduate
committee will access and review your files. You will only need to do one time submission of
application materials, your files are then accessible to other participating ASHA accredited CSD
programs of your own choice. In other words, CSDCAS enables applicants to conveniently apply
to multiple institutions.
Is there an application fee involved utilizing CSDCAS?
- Yes. The CSDCAS is a fee-based service. To use their services, it requires you to pay a separate
application fee. There is a fee waiver program available for those who meet the incoming level.
Refer to CSDCAS (https://mycsdcas.org/inquiryform) website for the details.
If I have questions about CSDCAS, who do I contact?
- You will first carefully review CSDCAS FAQs, and contact CSDCAS Customer Service
(available Monday thru Friday from 9:00AM to 5:00PM EST): Phone – (617) 612-2030; e-Mail
–csdcasinf[email protected]g
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3. When is the deadline to apply for the current admission semester?
- The application deadline is January 15th (8:59pm, PST; 11:59pm, EST) for the following Fall
semester of each academic year. Please visit the Admissions website for application instructions.
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I am applying to the MA program through CSDCAS, but have not completed or submitted
my application yet. Can I begin the process of having the required documents sent to
CSDCAS?
- As long as you have initiated the application process through CSDCAS, you can begin requesting
to have the required documents sent to CSDCAS so that they will be received by the deadline of
January 15th (8:59 pm, PST; 11:59pm EST) of the admission year.
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4. Is the required "statement of purpose" from the CSU APPLY application the
same as the essay question that is required on the CSDCAS application?
- The request of “statement of purpose” shown on the CSU Apply application does NOT apply to
Communication Sciences and Disorders applicants. The required response is ONLY for
the CSDCAS. You will enter ‘not applicable.’ to skip the request.
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5. Are GRE, CBEST, or any other scores required to be submitted for the
graduate program application?
- Neither the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), nor California Basic Education Skills Tests
(CBEST) scores are NOT required for applying to the M.A. program at CSUF.
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6. Do I send materials or documents for my application directly to the
department?
NO. Nothing is due to or will be processed at the Department level.
(Any documents received in the department office will NOT be considered or reviewed.)
For M.A. applicants---
All your application materials (including personal statement, letters of recommendation,
& transcripts) are due to ONLY CSDCAS. Nothing is due to CSU APPLY other than
paying the $70 fee to complete your application. The application deadline is the same as
for CSDCAS, January 15th of the admission year. [Please do not confuse with the
university’s general deadline for other programs.]
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7. If I do not have a background in Communication Sciences and Disorders or
have been out of school for more than two years, whom I can ask for writing
the letters of recommendation for me.
- If you do not have an undergraduate degree in CSD, you will make every effort to obtain letters
from faculty or lecturers who you took CSD classes with, and/or former professors who are
familiar with your academic work. Two letters must be from CSD faculty or adjunct faculty who
can speak to your academic potential for success. You will also need a third letter from an SLP or
a professional/employer in other related fields (e.g., doctor’s office, physical therapy, special
education classroom, etc.) who you have worked or volunteered with, and can speak to your
work ethics and clinical experience or the potentials.
(Not obtaining the letters of recommendation as requested may not be to your best advantage)
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8. Does the admission committee review applications in the order in which they
were received and/or do they accept applicants on a rolling basis admission?
The graduate admission committee does not admit applicants on a rolling basis. Following the
submission deadline, all applications are reviewed at the same time, regardless of when you
completed or submitted your application. [For submission after the posted deadline or for an
incomplete application, your application will not be considered.]
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Once I have completed and submitted my application through CSDCAS, when can I expect
to hear a response as to whether or not I have been accepted into the graduate program?
Please refer to the application process timeline posted on the CSD website.
For those who are admitted --
you will first be contacted by email and/or phone to take a required survey regarding your intent
(YES-NO-Undecided) and other information (CBEST scores, COMD 404, 25 observation hours).
If you are among the top 100 applicants who are invited to the Open House but not admitted, nor on
a short-waitlist initially, please be patient with us. Based on previous years’ experience, there will
be a few openings around the final decision date of April 15th.
If you are not invited to the top 100 applicants --
a decision letter regarding our selection consideration will be sent to you via CSDCAS.
Due to a high volume of applications, your letter will not be available until the Admissions and
Records Office completes the processing of your CSU APPLY application. For most cases, a denial
letter will be sent to you in June. Please contact Admissions & Records Office for this, as I am not
involved in that process.
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9. Can references be submitted electronically?
- Yes. Indeed, all references must be submitted electronically through CSDCAS. A hard copy of
reference will NO longer be accepted by the university, and will not be reviewed by the Graduate
Committee. Please follow the instructions for submitting your references by logging into
your CSDCAS account.
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10. About GPA and Course Requirements -
The GPA for graduate school will be computed based on ONLY your CSD courses.
The CSDCAS has a slightly different graduating system from the university. For example, A+ and A
receive the same “4” points, whereas there is a grade point of 3.5 for AB which is between A- and
B+. For the details and to calculate your GPA, you will check CSDCAS GPA Calculation website.
Do I need to compute and submit my GPA?
- Although CSDCAS system will automatically compute your GPA. You are encouraged to use the
CSDCAS GPA calculator
How will my GPA be computed for graduate application consideration?
- In addition to all CSD courses, only one sign language class (if taken; this is not required) and any
CSD related classes will be computed automatically by the CSDCAS system.
Whom do I send my official transcripts to?
- You are required to submit a set of official college level transcripts only to CSDCAS at the following
address:
CSDCAS Application Center
P.O. Box 9113, Watertown, MA 02471
The CSUF Admissions Office will access the CSDCAS website to evaluate your transcripts and decide
your admissibility to the university, while CSDCAS will verify the grade entered for each of your
courses and compute your GPA to be reviewed by the graduate committee.
Should I wait for my grade report of the fall term before sending in my transcripts?
- NO. You should send in your transcripts ASAP or at least 4-6 weeks prior to the deadline of
January 15th to avoid any delay in verification of your application at the CSDCAS Office.
In the case that classes taken during fall term are counted toward the required eight CSD and one
statistics, you MUST stay on the top to assure your fall grades will be posted by January 15th –
reporting it and contacting CSDCAS if necessary.
Will my application be considered if I will only complete less than eight CSD by the
deadline of January 15th or will not have taken a statistics class by summer?
- NO. An applicant who has taken less than eight CSD courses, or has not taken a statistics class
will not be considered in the review process.
Is completing eight CSD and one statistics class sufficient for my application to be
considered?
- NO. You will also need to have four other CSD courses posted on your transcripts to be completed
prior to fall semester of the admission year.
- For your application to be considered, you must have taken or are scheduled to complete any 12
CSD courses and 1 statistics class by summer of the admission year. Plus, at least 9 of these 12
CSD are equivalent to CSUF CSD prerequisites listed below.
COMD 241 Introduction to Phonetics (3)
COMD 242 Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders (3)
COMD 307 Speech & Language Development (3)
COMD 344 Anatomy & Physiology of Speech & Hearing Mechanism
COMD 350 Speech & Hearing Science (3)
COMD 352 Child Language & Phonological Disorders (3)
COMD 461 Audiology & Audiometry (3)
COMD 474 Neurology & Neurogenic Communication Sciences & Disorders (3)
COMD 476 Clinical Methods and Procedures (3)
Please refer to the application requirements and M.A. application checklist posted on Communication
Sciences and Disorders (CSD) website for the details.
If you attended or are attending a preparation or leverage program offering only 10 CSD courses, to
be qualified for applying to CSUF CSD M.A. program, you must meet the above requirements: ANY
12 CSD courses, and at least 9 of them equivalent to the above list.
Due to limited manpower, the course waivers will only be done for the top 100 applicants,
who will be invited to an Open House around mid-March.
Courses taken at any ASHA accredited programs will be accepted for the most part. However,
students from other institutions may typically be required to take 1 to 2 non-equivalent classes
after being admitted to our M.A. program.
Applicants with less than 12 CSDs or have two or more course deficits (i.e., non
equivalencies) will NOT be considered.
