SLP/Aud Coursework

ASHA has specific pre-requisite course requirements for students pursuing a career in Speech-Language Pathology to complete at the graduate or undergraduate level for certification. Although these standards were designed specifically for SLP certification, this is also a standard for many AuD programs as well. Applicants must have prerequisite skills and knowledge of life sciences, physical sciences, behavioral sciences, and math. Classes taken at the high school level are not eligible to meet this requirement, except advanced placement (AP) courses that appear for credit on your college/university transcript. 

Evidence of at least one course in each of the following four areas is required:

1. Statistics (for precaution we recommend taking a stand-alone stats course offered by the statistics department, research methodology courses do not count towards this requirement, and some schools will not accept courses offered outside of a mathematics or statistics department.)

2. Physical science (coursework in physical science must include content in either physics or chemistry. Labs are NOT required.)

3. Biological science (Broad areas include: anatomy, biology, cell and molecular biology, computational biology, ecology and evolution, environmental biology, forensic biology, genetics, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biosciences, natural science, neurobiology, neurology, physiology, and zoology.)

4. Social/Behavioral Science (coursework in social/behavioral sciences can include psychology, criminology, sociology, anthropology, ethnic/cultural studies, and cognitive science)

Programs will require you to have completed these requirements before you apply. There are many courses you could take at UCI that should satisfy these requirements:

• Statistics 

  • Stats 7 (basic statistics) is recommended.

    • 4 unit course offered every quarter and during summer.

    • sometimes taught in sequence with Stats 8 (introduction to bio stats)

• Physical Science

  • Any 4-unit CHEM or PHYSICS course should be sufficient.

  • Chem 1A is recommended for students whose field of study is not within the physical, biological, or health sciences 

    • 4-unit course offered during fall, winter, and summer

    • students who do not have the pre-requisites should first enroll in either Chem 1X (2 units) or Chem 1P (4 units) 

• Biological Science 

  • Any 4-unit BIO SCI course covering ASHA's acceptable content areas.

• Social/Behavioral Science

  • Any 4-unit course covering ASHA's acceptable content areas.

  • Lower-division courses offered by the School of Social Ecology or the School of Social Sciences are recommended

Unfortunately, UCI does not offer all the courses that SLP/AuD programs might require, such as:

• Anatomy and Physiology of Speech, Hearing, and Swallowing Mechanism 

• Introduction to Communication Disorders

• Audiology and Audiometry 

• Auditory Habilitation 

• Fluency Disorders

• Speech Sound Disorders (Articulation/Phonological Disorders)

• Cultural/Linguistic Diversity in CSD 

Luckily, there is a way students can complete these courses during their time at UCI without the need to enroll in a post-bachelorette program!

Any undergraduate student enrolled in any University of California campus can enroll in one course per quarter at any California State University (CSU) or participating California Community Colleges without formal admission or an additional Tuition Fee. This program is called Cross-Campus Enrollment, and you can use this system to take the CSD requirements that UCI doesn't offer at a CSU in person at a neighboring campus or online. 

Visit the cross-campus enrollment page to see a list of CSD courses offered by CSUs and instructions on how to enroll in the cross-campus program.