Admission & Application

Changes to Audiology/Speech-Language Pathology application requirements

Please note changes to our application process below:

  • Audiology or SLP specific volunteer hours will no longer be a requirement for admission
  • Applicants will still have an opportunity to describe any volunteerism already completed
  • A clinical reference will not be required
  • Applicants must submit a professional or personal reference (using a third academic reference form) from someone who knows the applicant well from a non-academic setting (e.g. work supervisor, coach, clergy member, etc)
  • Students must also still submit two academic references
  • A total of three references are required (two academic and one professional/personal)
  • Submitting a CV is NOW REQUIRED (upload through SAM Tool in ORPAS) – see example of CV template here

In order to be considered for admission to the MClSc program in Audiology or Speech-Language Pathology (SLP), prospective students must meet the minimum requirements listed below. Admission to both programs is competitive and meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

In addition to the academic criteria required for students to be accepted to the program, students must also meet/maintain various medical/non-medical requirements before they are able to participate in clinical placements.

Generally, we do not accept requests for admission deferrals. Deferrals may be granted in exceptional circumstances at the program’s discretion and are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Appropriate documentation may be required to substantiate a request for deferral.

Dates and Deadlines

  • Applications are accepted yearly beginning mid-October
    • Visit ORPAS for detailed dates
  • The last day to submit an application is in the first week of January
    • Visit ORPAS for detailed dates
  • Offers of admission are sent out on April 1

General Requirements

  • A four-year degree from an accredited university
  • Possess a minimum "B" average in the 10 full university courses most recently completed
  • Applicants whose first language is not English require:
    • A minimum  TOEFL score of 105 on the internet-based version, or;
    • An overall score of 7.5 on the IELTS

Technology Requirements

Personal Computing Equipment

Students in both the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology programs are required to utilize specialized computer software as part of their courses. As such:

  • Students are required to have access to a personal computer/laptop that runs Windows 10 or Mac OS for the purposes of completing coursework and utilizing specialized software
  • App-based devices (Chromebook, Android Tablet, iPad) do not have the computing capabilities to run the required specialized software

Indigenous Applicants

Indigenous applicants are encouraged to apply and self-identify in the online ORPAS application. Students who self-identify as Indigenous should upload status documentation to ORPAS.

Essential Skills and Competencies

Given the intensity, breadth, and depth of the information and clinical training, students in the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology programs must possess very strong cognitive, communication, sensory, and interpersonal skills necessary for the provision of safe, ethical, and effective assessment, treatment, counseling, and educational services. Prior to applying to our programs, potential candidates are strongly encouraged to review the ‘Essential Skills’ documents and carefully reflect on whether they meet the requirements for these professions:

Academic Accommodation

Accessible Education (AE) at Western provides supports and services to students with disabilities at Western, including academic accommodation. Academic accommodation consists of arrangements that allow a student with a disability a fair opportunity to engage in academic activities and fulfill essential course and program requirements. Accommodation does not fundamentally alter content of exams, standards for assigning grades, or requirements that students independently demonstrate their knowledge of course material.

Because of the individualized nature of accommodation, students and prospective students are encouraged to meet with an Accessible Education counsellor to obtain information about specific accommodations and services that may be available to them. Please see more information here.

Some academic accommodations, such as those for traditional lecture-based courses, may not be suitable or appropriate when students are completing clinical placements. In such instances, accommodations that are specific and can be operationalized to learning in clinical placement contexts will need to be considered. Students who receive academic accommodations for clinical placements continue to be responsible for meeting the essential competencies required by the Program and the profession. Students are also responsible for ensuring academic accommodations are updated each term and are in place early for clinical placements.

Before Accepting an Offer

Before applying or accepting an offer of admission to the School of CSD, prospective students should be aware of the following:

  • The Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology programs are two-year (6 term), full-time, in-person programs. We do not have the traditional Fall and/or Winter reading weeks that University undergraduate programs have. Applicants must be prepared to be a full-time student during the Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer terms. Students must be prepared to participate in daytime and evening classes.
  • Students must obtain and complete all mandatory immunizations, vaccinations, medical and non-medical requirements specified by Western University, the School of CSD, and other clinical facilities.
  • Students must also be aware that at this time most placement partners including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community clinics, have pre-placement policies for students that include mandatory vaccination requirements. Students will be required to be compliant with the policy requirements of our placement partners in order to attend placements in those facilities. If students are not compliant with those policies, they will not be able to attend those placements and will fail to meet clinical graduation requirements. Students who fail to meet clinical graduation requirements will not be eligible to complete the program.
  • Students must obtain, pay for, and submit documentation of a clear police Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS) as required by clinical placement facilities.
  • Students are encouraged to have a strong foundation in math, anatomy and physiology, and science prior to applying to the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology programs.
  • Students must attend and pay for all costs associated with the clinical placements assigned to them.
  • Students are expected to participate in all aspects of the CSD program, including:
    • Oral presentations in front of groups/peers
    • Fast turn-around in lesson plan and report writing
    • Talking with families and clients
    • Receiving feedback about clinical and academic performance
    • In-person and individual practical evaluations
    • Speech-Language Pathology students are required to participate in anatomy cadaver labs.
These are program expectations that cannot be waived. Please consider that you must participate in these important aspects of clinical training and help that guide your admission acceptance decision-making process.

Special Consideration

Applicants seeking special consideration for extenuating circumstances that may have affected their application, may submit a Request for Special Consideration form (available upon request) to the Admission Committee for review. All requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Supporting documentation (medical, personal, academic, etc.) must accompany the form. Requests for special consideration must be submitted by the application deadline. Send an email to earmouth@uwo.ca for more information and to receive a copy of the Request for Special Consideration form.

GPA Calculations and Averages

Grade point average (GPA) calculations are completed by ORPAS. Questions pertaining to GPAs should be directed to the Admissions Coordinator at earmouth@uwo.ca.

A calculation of the sub-GPA for admission purposes will be completed based on the final 20 half courses of university academic study (i.e., the equivalent of 10 full courses or 60 credit hours) completed by December 31 of the fall term preceding the application deadline. Summer, part-time, intersession, distance education and undergraduate and graduate university courses taken beyond the four-year undergraduate degree are also included. Because the GPA does not include all university undergraduate courses, it is referred to as a sub-GPA.

For applicants currently enrolled in the fourth year of a bachelor's degree program, this calculation starts with the applicant's final fall term grades (completed by December 31) and moves back in chronological order based on the courses listed on the transcript. Where grades must be extracted from a term to achieve the equivalent of 10 full courses, the average of that year (e.g., applicant's second year) will be used.


Western does not include marks from the following types of courses in the calculation of an applicant's sub-GPA:

  • Internship/placement or activity-type courses
  • Bachelor of Education
  • Certificate or diploma program
  • Non-convertible grades (e.g. pass/fall)

Exchange program grades are included in the admission sub-GPA if they are convertible.

International Applicants



The Government of Canada recently announced a cap on new study permits. We have been assured that this cap will not affect incoming Master’s or Doctoral applicants.

If you have any immigration-related questions, Western International’s immigration advisors are happy to help. Please visit Western International’s website, make an appointment with an advisor, or contact the advising team at iesc@uwo.ca.



The School of CSD at Western is committed to facilitating the development of healthcare practitioners prepared to serve the diverse health and functional needs of Canadians and International communities. We acknowledge and embrace an environment of respect and value for the unique life experiences of International applicants. We deliver on this commitment through equitable admission practices and review and evaluation of international applicant files that reflect these values. We endeavour to elevate applicants who have demonstrated the academic and personal attributes which will allow for successful completion of the program while prioritizing candidates who can enrich the program and profession through their life experience and may be benefitted by a pathway of study in Canada.

Two (2) spots are reserved for International students who have fulfilled the necessary admission requirements. An applicant must self-identify as an International student in the ORPAS application.

To be considered, applicants must complete all of the admission requirements as listed above.

Official transcripts must be sent directly to ORPAS from the originating academic institution. Official English translations must be completed by a certified translator and provided for all non-English documentation submitted.

Transcripts must be evaluated for equivalency. You are required to submit your international transcript to World Education Services (WES) for evaluation. Both the original transcript and WES evaluation must be submitted to ORPAS. You are responsible for any incurred costs in obtaining the WES evaluation. Please note that original transcripts sent to WES from your home university must also be sent to ORPAS.

Applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence of Academic English language proficiency by satisfactory achievement within the last two years in either the TOEFL or IELTS. A minimum TOEFL score of 105 (internet-based) or a minimum IELTS score of 7.5 in both the overall and writing section is required. The official test results report must be uploaded into the ORPAS application, sent directly to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Western University by the testing agency and received by the application deadline. For further details, please see the English Language Proficiency section above.

If, after admission, the applicant shows an inadequate command of spoken or written English, they may be asked to withdraw from the program if their command of English interferes with their ability to meet course and program progression requirements, including courses involving clinical placements in professional health-care facilities.

International students attending the School of CSD in SLP must present both a Study Permit and a Co-Op Work Permit to the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies by September 1st. You will not be able to start the program without either of these permits. Your registration with Western University is conditional upon satisfactory immigration status maintained for the duration of your graduate degree.

Tuition

Your tuition covers some but not all of the costs associated with you obtaining and the university supporting the administration of your MClSc degree. Western takes the full sum of your tuition and divides it by three so that you are billed equally three times per year at the beginning of each term (January 1, May 1, and September 1). You can view last years’ tuition by term at the Office of Registrar's Fee Schedules page.

Tuition and fees are due within five business days of the beginning of each term. Graduate students have the option of paying half of their tuition and fees within five business days of the beginning of each term and paying the balance due five weeks later.

A non-refundable tuition deposit of $500 is required to hold your spot in the MClSc program. The deadline to pay the deposit is June 1st.

Audiology

In addition to the general requirements above, applicants must meet the following program requirements and course prerequisites/equivalencies.

Admission & Application Requirements

  • Provide one Professional or Personal Reference from someone who knows the applicant well from a non-academic setting (e.g. work supervisor, coach, clergy member, etc)
  • Provide at least two letters of academic reference (applicants who have not taken courses at the university level for more than five years may provide professional letters of reference)
  • Complete a "Statement of Intent" that is part of the ORPAS online application

Course Prerequisites

To be considered for admission students must have successfully completed at least one half-credit course from each of the following four areas (2 credits in total):

1. Developmental Psychology or Normal Lifespan Development
Introduction to all (or most of) of the following areas of infant and child development:

  • Sensorimotor
  • Perceptual
  • Cognitive
  • Language
  • Social
  • Emotional

2. Statistics
Introduction to all (or most of) of the following areas:

  • Statistical inference
  • Experimental design
  • Sampling design
  • Confidence intervals and hypothesis tests for means and proportions
  • Regression and correlation

3. Human Anatomy, Human Physiology
Introduction to the structure and/or physiological principles of human neural, muscular and respiratory systems.

4. Social Science/Psychology/Linguistics
Courses must cover basic human processes important for communication sciences and communication disorders. Examples of acceptable courses include:

  • Physiological Psychology
  • Neuropsychology
  • Sensation
  • Perception
  • Learning and Memory
  • Cognition
  • Social Psychology
  • Abnormal Psychology
  • Linguistics
  • Language Acquisition
  • Phonetics
  • Phonology
  • Pragmatics
  • Introduction to Speech, Language and/or Hearing Sciences or Disorders

Students considering enrolment in the CSD programs must have a strong foundation in math, anatomy and physiology, and science, and should consider acquiring some background knowledge in the topic areas to better prepare for the courses.

Course Equivalencies

Potential applicants should download and review the Audiology Course Equivalencies by Institution document below to determine whether their coursework satisfies the prerequisite requirements at Western University.

This document provides a list of courses that Western will accept as satisfying each of the prerequisites #1-3. Specific courses are not listed for prerequisite #4. Applicants should follow steps 2-3 below for determining the eligibility of specific courses for these two prerequisites.

Students wishing to determine whether a course not listed in the course equivalencies will satisfy a prerequisite requirement should do the following:

  1. Consult the current academic calendar from the university at which the course was taken. If the course is listed as an antirequisite to a course listed in the course equivalencies, then it will satisfy that prerequisite requirement.

  2. Compare the course content to the description provided above in the course prerequisites above. If the course does not closely match this description, it is not likely to satisfy the requirement.

  3. Contact the Graduate Affairs Assistant. Please include a course summary, outline or syllabus that provides detailed information about course content so that its suitability can be properly evaluated.

Speech-Language Pathology

In addition to the general requirements above, applicants must meet the following program requirements and course prerequisites/equivalencies.

Admission & Application Requirements

  • Provide one Professional or Personal Reference from someone who knows the applicant well from a non-academic setting (e.g. work supervisor, coach, clergy member, etc)
  • Provide at least two letters of academic reference (Applicants who have not taken courses at the university level for more than five years may provide professional letters of reference)
  • Complete a "Statement of Intent" that is part of the ORPAS online application

Course Prerequisites

To be considered for admission students must have successfully completed the following six prerequisite half-courses:

1. Developmental Psychology or Child Development
Introduction to all (or most of) of the following areas of infant and child development:

  • Sensorimotor
  • Perceptual
  • Cognitive
  • Language
  • Social
  • Emotional

*Must include a section on language acquisition. Students who did not receive an introductory instruction in language acquisition in either their Developmental Psychology or Introduction to Linguistics course are expected to have completed a separate language acquisition/development course and list this course under prerequisite #6.

2. Introduction to Linguistics
Introduction to all (or most of) of the following areas:

  • Phonetics
  • Phonology
  • Morphology
  • Syntax
  • Semantics
  • Pragmatics
  • Language acquisition

*Must include a section on phonetics. Students who did not receive introductory instruction in phonetics in their Introduction to Linguistics course are expected to have completed a separate phonetics course and list this course under prerequisite #6.

3. Statistics
Introduction to all (or most of) of the following areas:

  • Statistical inference
  • Experimental design
  • Sampling design
  • Confidence intervals and hypothesis tests for means and proportions
  • Regression and correlation

4. Human Anatomy, Human Physiology
Introduction to the structure and/or physiological principles of human neural, muscular and respiratory systems.

5. Life/Biomedical/General Sciences 
Courses must cover basic processes important for communication sciences and communication disorders. Acceptable courses include:

  • Anatomy*
  • Neuroscience
  • Physiology*
  • Physics
  • Biology
  • Pharmacology
  • Physiological Psychology
  • Brain & Behaviour
  • Neuropsychology or equivalent

6. Social Science/Psychology/Linguistics
Courses must cover basic human processes important for communication sciences and communication disorders. Acceptable courses include:

  • Perception
  • Learning and Memory
  • Normal Lifespan Development
  • Cognition
  • Social Psychology
  • Abnormal Psychology
  • Language Acquisition
  • Phonetics
  • Phonology
  • Semantics
  • Syntax
  • Pragmatics
  • Introduction to Speech and Language Disorders or equivalent

*Anatomy or Physiology can be used for both #4 and #5 only if it is a full year course. It is recommended that applicants take additional courses listed in #5 and #6.

Course Equivalencies

Potential applicants should download and review the SLP Course Equivalencies By Institution document below to determine whether their coursework satisfies the prerequisite requirements at Western University.

This document provides a list of courses that Western will accept as satisfying each of the prerequisites #1-4. Specific courses are not listed for prerequisites #5 and #6. Applicants should follow steps #2-3 below for determining the eligibility of specific courses for these two prerequisites.

Students wishing to determine whether a course not listed in the course equivalencies will satisfy a prerequisite requirement should do the following:

  1. Consult the current academic calendar from the university at which the course was taken. If the course is listed as an antirequisite to a course listed in the course equivalencies, then it will satisfy that prerequisite requirement.

  2. Compare the course content to the description provided above in the course prerequisites above. If the course does not closely match this description, it is not likely to satisfy the requirement.

  3. Contact the Graduate Affairs Assistant. Please include a course summary, outline or syllabus that provides detailed information about course content so that its suitability can be properly evaluated.

Applying

Apply Now

Applications to the MClSc programs are coordinated by Ontario Rehabilitation Sciences Programs (ORPAS) and are handled online. The online application includes the submission of official transcripts from all courses taken at all post-secondary institutions attended (including but not limited to university, college, CEGEP, transfer credit, exchange programs), references and a personal submission. Please review transcript and application requirements on the ORPAS web page.