Program Overview

Are you interested in becoming a speech-language pathologist or audiologist? Do you need to complete courses to make you eligible for a graduate program? 

Our campus-based Post-Baccalaureate Communicative Sciences and Disorders (CSD) Leveling Certificate program is designed for individuals returning to school with a completed bachelor's degree in a field other than speech-language pathology or audiology. This program is in the School of Speech Language Hearing and Occupational Sciences (SLHOS) and is for those students who wish to attend face-to-face courses on University of Montana's Missoula campus. The purpose is to provide students with foundational knowledge in the areas of speech, language, and hearing development in order to be eligible to apply to our MS SLP graduate program.  

The CSD Leveling Certificate Program consists of ten courses for a total of 29 credits. These ten courses can be completed within one year over a Fall and Spring semester. 

Campus-Based Option

For those individuals who choose to attend classes on campus, these courses are offered in a face-to-face classroom setting. Course dates follow the regular Fall and Spring semester schedules. Please note: post-baccalaureate students may take courses that are listed as graduate or undergraduate, as defined by the University of Montana course catalog, but will earn only undergraduate credit for these courses. For detailed admission information and a link to the UM post-baccalaureate application, please visit UM Post-baccalaureate Admission. 

Requirements Overview

Requirements for Certificate Completion

To receive the Post-Baccalaureate CSD Leveling Certificate from the University of Montana-Missoula, a student must fulfill the following criteria: 

1. Complete a minimum of 29 credits, of which at least 51% of the required number of credits are earned from the University of Montana-Missoula. 

Transcripts are subject to review, and student must be enrolled in the CSD Leveling Certificate program. 

UM Technology Requirements

Moodle is the Learning Management System that the University of Montana uses for  coursework. To be successful in the UM learning environment within the CSD Leveling Certificate program, it is recommended students follow the ICT Guide-Basic Minimum System Requirements for Moodle.  

CSD Leveling Certificate Program Course Requirements, Credits, & Prerequisites 

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Certification Requirements

In addition to the University of Montana’s CSD Leveling Certificate program course requirements, the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) requires students to complete Prerequisite Courses in the Content Areas of: 1) physical science (physics or chemistry), 2) biological science, 3) social/behavioral science, and 4) statistics. You may have already have completed most of this coursework in your Bachelor’s program. If, however, you still need to complete any of this coursework, you can fulfill requirements through additional UM distance learning options. It is highly recommended a student fulfills the ASHA prerequisites courses prior to starting graduate school. 

The following suggested courses, or approved equivalent courses, must be documented on your transcripts with a passing grade: 

1. Physical Science: Physics or chemistry. 
2. Biological Science:  Science of living things (human or animal):  biology, general anatomy & physiology, neuroanatomy & neurophysiology, human genetics, or veterinary science (must be non-CSD courses) 
3. Social/Behavioral Science: Psychology, sociology, anthropology, or public health. 
4. Statistics: Prerequisite for UM graduate research methods course. One stand-alone course is required.  UM’s graduate research methods course does not count for statistics. Psychology, Math, or Social Statistics; Statistics also meets the previous math course category. 

*Advanced placement, CLEP, or exam of equivalency may be used, but transcripts must be provided. 

*Other courses may be acceptable based on departmental approval. Any of these courses may be completed in an on-campus or online format through the University of Montana, as well (see the Course Catalog for specific courses).  

Tuition & Enrollment

Tuition and Mandatory Fees 

Tuition and fees can be estimated by going to Business Services website and viewing the Montana University System Tuition and Mandatory Fees matrices under Tuition & Fees. Find the CSD Leveling Certificate Program tuition and fees by selecting the current academic calendar year link for Fall & Spring and a separate link for Summer. Under Campus-Based is the Undergraduate and Post Baccalaureate link to the tuition and mandatory fee table separated by Resident and NonResident total. 

Choose the number of credits you plan on enrolling in per semester and follow the row across to find the total applicable to your residency status. Fees are subject to change per academic school year with Board of Regents’ approval. 

For an estimation of total tuition and fees, contact Student Accounts within Business Services at UMstudentaccts@mso.umt.edu  

Enrollment 

Ready to enroll as an on-campus student? Here are the next steps!

• If you're sure you're ready to become an on-campus Griz, apply directly to the University of Montana and select "Communicative Sciences and Disorders Leveling Certificate" as your major.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions about the SLHOS Post-Baccalaureate CSD Leveling Program

1. What is the deadline to apply? 
   • Deadlines vary depending on the semester you wish to enroll in. See UM Admissions for specific deadlines to apply to the University of Montana in order to start your coursework in either Fall or Spring Semesters. We recommend that you apply a minimum of one month prior to the start date of the course in which you intend to enroll. 
2. Am I required to begin in the Fall? 
   • Post-Bac CSD Leveling students typically start in the Fall on-campus to finish within a year and be eligible to apply to our MS SLP graduate program by that following early-January deadline. Acceptance into our MS SLP graduate program for a Fall start will be contingent on completion of your Leveling courses with the acceptable passing grade.
   • Depending on pre-requisites needed, a Post-Bac CSD Leveling Certificate Program student can start on-campus in the Spring too, however you would not be eligible to apply to our MS SLP program until the following academic year application cycle.
   • Email: slhosadvising@umontana.edu for help planning your education timeline as an on-campus leveling student.
3. Do I have to take all courses? 
   • All courses are required to achieve the full Post-Baccalaureate CSD Leveling Certificate.  
   • Some students may only need to take a few courses and single courses are available if prerequisites are met.
4. If I have taken similar courses at a different university- can these courses count toward this CSD Leveling Certificate Program, or do I need to retake them at UM? 
   • It depends. If you think that you have covered the content in one of our CSD Leveling Certificate Program courses in another program (and earned a grade ≥C), fill out our Course Equivalency form, return this form along with all unofficial transcripts and specific course syllabus/syllabi, and email for review: slhosadvising@umontana.edu 
5. If I take CSD Leveling Certificate Program courses at the University of Montana, will these courses be accepted at other graduate programs? 
   • The content for most prerequisite courses is relatively standardized nationally across CSD programs. Our Leveling Certificate program specifically fulfills prerequisite coursework for our UM MS SLP graduate program. If you plan to apply to a MS SLP program outside of the University of Montana, it is your responsibility to ensure our Leveling Certificate program coursework fulfills other graduate school prerequisites. The ultimate decision to accept prerequisite coursework is decided by your chosen institution. If you have concerns, we recommend that you verify with your intended graduate institution(s). 
6. How much time should I devote to each class? 
   • For every one credit hour in which you enroll in the campus-based program, you will spend approximately two to three hours outside of class studying (i.e., one 3-credit course = 6-9 hours per week of studying over 15 weeks, for a total of 90-135 hours per regular university semester). 
   • The same amount of content is covered in each of the courses in the online leveling program, but the duration of each course is shorter. Keep in mind that you will still need to study for approximately 90-135 hours during the duration of the course (e.g., for an eight-week course, plan to study 11-17 hours per week). 

Post-Baccalaureate CSD Leveling Certificate Program Contact Information

Contact slhosadvising@umontana.edu for more information.