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Nicole Compty

Portfolio Artifact
Spring 2014

Survey of the Masters Program Admissions Process
in Speech Language Pathology: Abstract

Every year, many more students apply for admission into masters programs in speech-
language pathology than are accepted. As the accrediting agency for the profession, the
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) surveys each program and reports the
number of applications received and the number of students to whom graduate programs offer
positions. According to the data reported by the Communication Sciences and Disorders
Education Survey National Aggregate for the 2011-2012 academic year, graduate programs
offered positions to 25% of applicants on average. According to ASHA many programs must
turn away well qualified students because the programs do not have the capacity to admit and
educate all qualified applicants (Planning Your Education in Communication Sciences and
Disorders [CSD], 2014, para. 28). Given that most of the applicants are academically well-
qualified, what other attributes are taken into consideration in the selection process?
Furthermore, does the addition of a personal interview in the application process reveal
attitudes and dispositions necessary for serving individuals with communicative disorders that a
paper application does not?

To answer these questions, program directors from all 255 CAA-accredited speech-language
pathology masters programs were invited via email to complete an online survey. This survey
contained a set of multiple choice and short answer questions about the admissions decisions
for the 2013-2014 academic year. This included questions regarding the relative importance of
admissions criteria (e.g., GPA, GRE scores, and letters of recommendations) and the use of
applicant interviews for admissions into CSD master's programs. A total of 124 institutions
(49%) returned the survey.

We collected data on the total number of applications received, the total number of applicants
accepted, and the target class size for each institution. The number of applications received per
institution (N=121) ranged from 60 to 900 applications (M = 251.6, SD = 141.8). The target class
size ranged from 12 to 100 students (M = 29.1, SD = 11.6). Therefore, the percentage of
students in the target class size relative to the number who applied to the program ranged from
3% to 42% (M = 14%, SD = 7%). As a consequence, a large portion of well-qualified students do
not get admitted each year. So, which factors are most valued in the admissions process?

In 1997, Steffani and Slavin reported that GPA in the major and GPA overall were rated as the
most important factors in the masters program admissions process. As one would expect,
today, the three highest rated criteria for masters program admissions are GPA in the major
(81%), GPA overall, (71%), and GRE (60%) based on a five-point rating scale (1: not important, 5:
critical). Due to the majority of applicants being academically well-qualified, 15 additional
factors in the admissions process were analyzed. Interestingly, the criteria that were ranked as
somewhat important (rating of 2) or important (rating of 3) were related work experience,
extracurricular activities, undergraduate research experience, and honors in the major. The
percentages of school rankings were 72%, 68%, 63%, and 58%, respectively. These factors may
be considered important in situations when multiple applicants have similar academic
performances. What other options can institutions consider in the admissions process?

Additional analyses were conducted to examine the use of interviews in the admissions
process. Out of 111 respondents, 22 programs (20%) indicated that an interview was required
in their admission process for their masters program in speech-language pathology. Of those
programs, 82% found the interview to be beneficial in their decision-making process.
Furthermore, of the remaining 89 (80%) respondents who did not require an interview as part
of their process, 66% responded that the addition of an interview to their admissions process
would be beneficial. Moreover, 32 out of 45 (71%) programs who reported that having an interview
in the admissions process would be beneficial, noted that an interview would allow them to judge
characteristics that are not portrayed on a paper application, such as interpersonal skills. One institution
noted:

Success as an SLP is highly dependent on strong interpersonal skills. An interview offers a
greater window to the student's interpersonal behaviors than the reviewer's indirect
impressions based on the report of references and/or the student's written statement.

Of the respondents who do not require an interview, time and financial restraints were the two
most frequently listed barriers in implementing the interview into their admissions process. We
hope to conduct a follow-up survey of the CSD masters programs who currently utilize
interviews in their admissions decisions. This would allow for further insight into how
interviews are conducted in their admissions process, and may provide suggestions to address
the implementation barriers that other CSD masters programs are currently facing.

Between 1997 and 2013, the number of applications received to masters programs in speech-
language pathology has more than doubled (14,460 to 30,455) while the number of programs
has stayed approximately the same. To address this issue, further investigation is warranted on
the need for increased space in CSD masters programs. With the majority of applicants being
academically well-qualified, students applying to CSD masters programs should take into
consideration more than just their GPA and GRE scores. The data reveals that pursuing
additional experience(s) in undergraduate CSD programs (e.g., honors in the major and
undergraduate research experience) may increase an individuals chances of standing out when
compared to academically-matched applicants. To ensure that institutions are able to select the
Nicole Compty
Portfolio Artifact
Spring 2014
most highly qualified applicants to serve individuals with communicative disorders, a more in-
depth review of applications may be needed. The addition of an interview in the masters
admissions process would provide a more comprehensive assessment of individual applicants.
The results of this study contribute valuable information for future generations of applicants
and the professionals involved in admissions to CAA-accredited CSD master's programs around
the nation.

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