The Communication Sciences and Disorders capstone certificate is offered to applicants who have completed an undergraduate degree in a field other than communication sciences and disorders, and who wish to prepare themselves for admission to a graduate training program in communication sciences and disorders. The certificate is designed primarily for students who wish to pursue a clinical graduate degree (MS in speech–language pathology or AuD in audiology), but is also appropriate for students from other fields who wish to pursue a research graduate degree in communication sciences and disorders.

How to Get in

Admission

Applicants must possess a baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Applications are accepted for the fall semester, with a priority deadline of May 1.  Adult Career and Special Student Services (ACSSS) is the admitting office for all University Special students. However, the department offering the Capstone Certificate program makes the final admission decision upon review of all applicant materials.

Application Steps

A complete application includes the following:

1. An online application for admission as a University Special student, selecting UNCS Capstone Certificate and the program: Communication Sciences and Disorders. This application is received and processed by ACSSS with final decision held for approval from the specific capstone certificate coordinator. 
2. Send to the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Graduate Studies Coordinator via graduate@csd.wisc.edu or the address below:

• an official college transcript confirming completion of an undergraduate degree with a minimum GPA of  3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or proof that an undergraduate degree will be completed prior to beginning the capstone certificate program
• an English proficiency test score if your native language is not English or if your undergraduate instruction was not in English

Post-Bac Capstone Certificate Program
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
University of Wisconsin-Madison
1975 Willow Drive, Room 318
Madison, WI 53706-1103

Notification of acceptance to the program will be sent within four weeks of receiving an application.

Enrollment

Admitted students receive a formal letter of admission to UW–Madison from Adult Career and Special Student Services along with general enrollment information. Additional detail is provided on the ACSSS enrollment page. 

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders will send specific information pertaining to enrollment in courses for fall and completion of the capstone program. 

Requirements

Grade Requirement

• Must have a minimum GPA of 3.000

Required Courses

• Certificate requires a minimum of 18 credits

Minimum Requirements for Capstone Certificate Completion

• Students must earn a minimum grade of C in each course used to meet Capstone Certificate requirements.
• Courses in which a student elects the pass/fail or audit option will not count toward completion of Capstone Certificate requirements.
• All of the Capstone Certificate credits must be earned "in residence" (which includes on campus and distance-delivered courses) at UW-Madison.
• All of the Capstone Certificate credits must be earned while enrolled in the Capstone Certificate program.

Individual Capstone Certificate programs may have additional requirements for completion, which will be listed above as/if applicable.

Learning Outcomes

1. Obtain basic foundational knowledge of normal aspects of speech, language, and hearing.
2. Obtain a broad based understanding of the range of speech, language, and hearing disorders.
3. Understand general principles of assessment and intervention in speech, language, and hearing disorders.
4. Gain observational clinical exposure to a range of patients with speech, language, and hearing disorders.