Admission to Graduate Studies

An applicant seeking to pursue graduate study in the College may be admitted as either a degree-seeking or non-degree seeking student. Policies and procedures of Graduate Studies govern the process of Graduate admission. These may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.

Please consult the Departments & Programs section of the online catalog for information regarding program-specific admissions criteria and requirements. Special admissions requirements pertain to Interdisciplinary Studies degrees, which may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.

Admission to the Ph.D. Program

Although applications may be submitted at any time, there is a deadline for priority status, as it aligns with funding and scholarship availability. A full list of the required application materials, as well as the priority deadline, can be found on the Eligibility and Requirements and How to Apply pages of our Department’s website. 

Eligibility criteria for admission to the Ph.D. program follow Graduate Studies’ admission policy. To be considered for admission to graduate status in the program, a student must hold a bachelor’s degree. All students are expected to have strong command of the English Language. Non-native speakers of English must meet English proficiency requirements.

Because PhD students pursue an individualized plan of study, a faculty mentor is a critical requirement of the program. Potential applicants should investigate faculty mentor possibilities by (1) reviewing faculty bios and laboratory information, and (2) reading recent research articles written by KU faculty. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact faculty who may be a good match to their interests prior to applying.

Upon admission, the student and his or her adviser choose a doctoral advisory committee. The committee is responsible for guiding the student’s progress through the selected program of study.

Incoming students who have not completed a substantive graduate research project (e.g., a master’s thesis, Au.D. research project, etc.) must initiate a thesis-equivalent research project, under the direction of a three-member committee, during the first year of enrollment. This project must be completed before the comprehensive oral examination.

Doctor of Philosophy in Speech-Language Pathology

Acquiring a doctorate in speech-language pathology at a minimum requires the following:

Completion of academic coursework

• A minimum of 24 graduate hours in a major area of interest. These hours include:
  • 1-credit enrollment in SPLH 900 Proseminar in Communicative Disorders every semester (except summer) until the end of the semester that the oral comprehensive exams are passed. A maximum number of 4 credits of SPLH 900 counts towards the 24 graduate hours in a major area of interest.
  • A minimum of 1 semester of directed teaching, SPLH 975 Directed Teaching.
  • A minimum of 1 course or an independent study in grant writing is required.
• A minimum of 12 graduate hours in a correlative area
• A minimum of 15 graduate hours in research skills/responsible scholarship
  • Students are required to complete a departmentally approved course on Responsible Scholarship. Students can locate potential coursework in consultation with their faculty advisor or student handbook.

• Completion of a preliminary research experience

Each student’s plan for completing these requirements should be detailed in their Plan of Study and selected in consultation of their faculty advisor and approved by their Doctoral Advisory Committee.

Additional Degree Requirements:

• Satisfactory performance on annual reviews

• Satisfactory performance on written and oral comprehensive examinations

  • Students are required to produce three products for the completion of the written comprehensive examination. The variety of products can be found in the student handbook.
  • The oral comprehensive exam focuses primarily on the examination of the student’s written products. However, students must be prepared to be examined in other areas of SLP.
  • A majority vote of the oral comprehensive exam determines satisfactory or unsatisfactory performance. If an unsatisfactory performance is given, a student may re-take the oral comprehensive exam up to three times. If a student performs at an unusually high level, the student may be given a performance rating of “honors.” The honors distinction requires a unanimous vote of all committee members.

• Satisfactory completion of a dissertation prospectus, including written and oral prospectus.

  • The student, with the guidance of the dissertation advisor, will submit in writing a Prospectus that details a proposed original study to the Dissertation Committee. The Prospectus Meeting will begin with the student’s presentation of the major elements of the proposed dissertation. At the completion of the meeting, the Committee may meet with or without the student to determine if the student should move on to the data collection phase and/or any other recommendations.
• Satisfactory completion of a written dissertation and oral defense of the dissertation.
  • The student will present his/her dissertation with an opportunity for questions from the audience.
  • Majority vote of the committee determines satisfactory or unsatisfactory performance. Honors performance is determined through anonymous ballot, and the awarding of honors requires a unanimous vote by the dissertation committee.

Note that the above are the MINIMUM requirements. Each student’s plan of study will vary depending on entry skills (i.e., relevant knowledge and skills acquired through prior training, work or research experience), chosen specialization, and career aspirations. Students in this program must meet the general requirements of the university including the research skills and responsible scholarship requirement and fulfill the basic program requirements to receive the Ph.D. degree.

For more detailed information about degree requirements, including potential elective coursework, can be found in the graduate student handbook.

Doctor of Philosophy in Audiology

Acquiring a doctorate in audiology at a minimum requires the following:

Completion of academic coursework

• A minimum of 24 graduate hours in a major area of interest. These hours include:
  • 1-credit enrollment in SPLH 900 Proseminar in Communicative Disorders every semester (except summer) until the end of the semester that the oral comprehensive exams are passed. A maximum number of 4 credits of SPLH 900 counts towards the 24 graduate hours in a major area of interest.
  • A minimum of 1 semester of directed teaching, SPLH 975 Directed Teaching.
  • A minimum of 1 course or an independent study in grant writing is required.
• A minimum of 12 graduate hours in a correlative area
• A minimum of 15 graduate hours in research skills/responsible scholarship
  • Students are required to complete a departmentally approved course on Responsible Scholarship. Students can locate potential coursework in consultation with their faculty advisor or student handbook.

• Completion of a preliminary research experience

Each student’s plan for completing these requirements should be detailed in their Plan of Study and selected in consultation of their faculty advisor and approved by their Doctoral Advisory Committee.

Additional Degree Requirements:

• Satisfactory performance on annual reviews

• Satisfactory performance on written and oral comprehensive examinations

  • Students are required to produce three products for the completion of the written comprehensive examination. The variety of products can be found in the student handbook.
  • The oral comprehensive exam focuses primarily on the examination of the student’s written products. However, students must be prepared to be examined in other areas of audiology.
  • A majority vote of the oral comprehensive exam determines satisfactory or unsatisfactory performance. If an unsatisfactory performance is given, a student may re-take the oral comprehensive exam up to three times. If a student performs at an unusually high level, the student may be given a performance rating of “honors.” The honors distinction requires a unanimous vote of all committee members.
• Satisfactory completion of a dissertation prospectus, including written and oral prospectus.
  • The student, with the guidance of the dissertation advisor, will submit in writing a Prospectus that details a proposed original study to the Dissertation Committee. The Prospectus Meeting will begin with the student’s presentation of the major elements of the proposed dissertation. At the completion of the meeting, the Committee may meet with or without the student to determine if the student should move on to the data collection phase and/or any other recommendations.
• Satisfactory completion of a written dissertation and oral defense of the dissertation.
  • The student will present their dissertation with an opportunity for questions from the audience.
  • Majority vote of the committee determines satisfactory or unsatisfactory performance. Honors performance is determined through anonymous ballot, and the awarding of honors requires a unanimous vote by the dissertation committee.

Note that the above are the MINIMUM requirements. Each student’s plan of study will vary depending on entry skills (i.e., relevant knowledge and skills acquired through prior training, work or research experience), chosen specialization, and career aspirations. Students in this program must meet the general requirements of the university including the research skills and responsible scholarship requirement and fulfill the basic program requirements to receive the Ph.D. degree.

For more detailed information about degree requirements, including potential elective coursework, can be found in the graduate student handbook.

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Different entry paths:
Students without a graduate degree (e.g., M.A., Au.D.) have several options in pursuing the Ph.D. degree.  Some decide to pursue a research emphasis plan of study. Others opt to work on clinical certification in the speech-language pathology or audiology programs while also in the Ph.D. program.  These combined degree tracks (M.A./Ph.D. or Au.D./Ph.D.) involve a higher course load. Details may be found in the Ph.D. student handbook.

Students entering the Ph.D. program with a graduate degree will complete the Ph.D. program requirements outlined in the curriculum on this page, with some adjustments based on relevant skills acquired during prior graduate study.  Details may be found in the Ph.D. student handbook.

For more information or to contact the program, please visit the IPCD website.

Technical Standards

The Ph.D. degrees in audiology and speech-language pathology signifies that the holder is ready to engage in a research career. Therefore, all individuals admitted to the University of Kansas Intercampus Program in Communicative Disorders must meet the following abilities and expectations with or without accommodation(s). KU is an AA/EO/Title XI institution.

NOTE: Reasonable accommodations will be considered and may be made to qualified students who disclose a disability, so long as such accommodation does not significantly alter the essential requirements of the curriculum and the training program, or significantly affect the safety of patient care. Students who disclose a disability are considered for the program if otherwise qualified. Qualified students with a disability who wish to request accommodations should provide appropriate documentation of disability and submit a request for accommodation to one of the following offices:

Academic Accommodations Services
3901 Rainbow Boulevard, MS 4029
Kansas City, KS 66160
913-945-7035; 711 TTY

Student Access Center
1450 Jayhawk Blvd., Room 22
Lawrence, KS 66045
access@ku.edu
785-864-4064; 711 TTY

The culminating activity in the preparation of a researcher is the ability to formulate, conduct and disseminate research. In the academic arena, teaching skills usually also are required. Therefore, a candidate for the Ph.D. degree must be able to make correct observations and have the skills of measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis.

All students admitted to the KU Intercampus Program in Communicative Disorders must be able to meet the following requirements and expectations with or without accommodation(s).

Observation/Sensory Motor

• Observe demonstrations and learn from experiences in the classroom, laboratory, and other research settings.
• Carry out research techniques including the operation of complex, electronic instrumentation. Some types of research may involve the functional use of the senses in order to palpate certain areas of the patients’ head and neck or to observe the function of the head and neck.
• Interpret and comprehend text, numbers, and graphs displayed in print and video.
• Observe and respond to subtle cues of participant’s moods, temperament, and social behavior.

Physical/Psychomotor

• Perform actions requiring coordination of both gross and fine muscular movement, equilibrium and use of the senses.
• Respond quickly in research situations, not only for safety, but also therapeutically.
• Travel to numerous research sites for practical experience.
• Use an electronic keyboard to operate instruments and to calculate, record, evaluate, and transmit information.

Communication

• Be able to share and to elicit information from participants, mentors, peers and other research collaborators verbally and in a recorded format.
• Effectively, confidently, and sensitively converse with participants and their families.
• Interpret and comprehend technical and professional materials.
• Prepare papers, produce reports, and complete documentation for research purposes.
• Assimilate information from written sources (texts, journals, medical/school records).
• Take paper, computer, and laboratory examinations and prepare scholarly papers.

Judgment

• Demonstrate judgment in the classroom, laboratory, and other research situations that shows the intellect and emotional health necessary to make mature, sensitive, and effective decisions in the following areas:
  • Relationships with professors, collaborators, peers, and participants
  • Professional and ethical behavior
  • Effectiveness of research approaches.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale and justification for one’s performance.
• Critically evaluate one’s own performance and be flexible toward change to promote professional and research process.
• Recognize and correct behaviors disruptive to classroom teaching, and research,.
• Manage the use of time to complete research and academic assignments within realistic constraints.
• Recognize potentially hazardous materials, equipment, and situations and proceed in a manner to minimize risk of injury to those in the area.
• Make correct observations and have the problem solving skills necessary for measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis.