8 Top U of T Speech Pathology Admission Requirements

Applicants must hold the equivalent of a four-year University of Toronto bachelor’s degree from an approved university and that includes twenty full-course equivalents-but does not necessarily need to be an honors degree, having at least a mid‑B standing in the final year (or in the last five full-course equivalents).

IMPORTANT: The University of Toronto uses the ORPAS sub-grade point average(GPA) in determining the eligibility for the MHSc program and the sub-GPA is calculated using the most recent ten full-course equivalents.

If an applicant is currently enrolled in the fourth year of a baccalaureate program, this calculation will start with the final fall grades (completed December 31) and will then move back in chronological order, based on the transcript where grades must be extracted from a term to achieve the equivalent of ten full courses, the weighted average of that year (e.g., the second year) will be used.

Please refer to the ORPAS website and the ORPAS Application Guide for additional details.

Furthermore, students with a three-year degree have to do additional coursework in accordance with the structure of a four-year degree at the University of Toronto as it is outlined in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Calendar.

Also, all applicants are required to be either a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (landed immigrant) of Canada at the time of the application. International students are not accepted.

1. Prerequisite Courses

This article on U of T speech pathology admission requirements will be incomplete if we do not talk about the prerequisite courses.

Applicants are required to complete the stated prerequisite undergraduate university-level courses with a final grade of B+ in each course in order to be considered for the MHSc program. The prerequisite courses include:

Child development (one-half course);
General linguistics (one-half course);
Phonetics (one-half course);
Elementary statistics (one-half course);
Human physiology (one full course); and
Research methods (one-half course).

Knowing if a particular course meets a prerequisite requirement is very important, therefore to know whether a particular course meets a prerequisite requirement, it is advised that you consult the MHSc website.

If a course is listed on the website, then that simply means it has been approved and will satisfy the specific prerequisite course.

It is also important to note that course offerings are subject to change and also, and not all courses listed on the MHSc prerequisite section of the website are necessarily offered at any given time.

Therefore it is totally the applicant’s responsibility to confirm course offerings with the institution of interest.

To claim a course as a prerequisite if that course is not listed on the MHSc prerequisite section of the website, students must obtain pre-approval from the department and include it as an attachment in the application.

For more information on this pre-approval process, please contact the student affairs office at (416) 978-1794 or slp.studentaffairs@utoronto.ca.

2 Confidential Assessment Forms and Academic Reference Letters

Applicants must arrange to have two academic referees complete the Confidential Assessment Form and write an academic reference letter.

Referees must be full-time faculty members who have the rank of lecturer, assistant professor, or higher at an accredited university.

However, it is important to note that college instructors are NOT considered to be appropriate academic referees.

Forms may be downloaded directly from the ORPAS Application.

For mature applicants who have been out of school or the university environment for five years or more, one letter from an employer will be accepted.

However, applicants will still need to obtain at least one reference letter from a full-time faculty member who can evaluate the applicant’s academic skills.

3. Clinical Experience

A minimum of 14 hours of experience that is supervised by a speech-language pathologist in communication disorders setting in a volunteer, educational, or paid capacity is required to apply to the MHSc program.

Relevant experience may also be sought at any faculty where services are supervised by a speech-language pathologist who is qualified.

A qualified speech-language pathologist is one who holds licensure, registration, and/or certification from an appropriate regulatory body and/or professional association.

The clinical experience should involve direct interaction with individuals who have communicative disorders or discussions with speech-language pathologists about the profession.

4. Clinical Reference Form and Reference Letter

Also, another item on our list of U of T Speech Pathology Admission Requirements is the Clinical reference form and reference letter.

A clinical reference form and letter from the primary supervisor of the speech-language pathology clinical experience are required as part of the application package.

Letters from program directors who were not directly involved in the supervision of the applicant and letters from communication disorder assistants are unacceptable.

Furthermore, applicants who have completed more than one supervised clinical experience in a speech-language pathology setting and had an additional experience where the clientele differed in either population or age group from the first experience, are strongly encouraged to submit a Clinical Reference Form and letter for each site.

All Clinical Reference Forms and letters will be considered during the admissions process. Forms are available on the ORPAS website.

5. Statement of Intent

All applicants must complete a Statement of Intent and there are two components to the Statement of Intent.

The first section should be a maximum of 3,000 characters and should address the following topics, in particular, the first four items:

Outline reasons for choosing speech‑language pathology as a career;

Highlight specific personal attributes that would be relevant to the profession;

Emphasize academic and non‑academic accomplishments;

Outline reasons for choosing the MHSc program in speech‑language pathology at the University of Toronto; and

Demonstrate current knowledge about the profession of speech‑language pathology.

Applicants may also wish to use this statement to explain irregularities in their application and to outline any research experiences.

The second section of the Statement of Intent is a summary of volunteer experiences and should list:

Volunteer experiences in the field of speech‑language pathology and/or audiology in point form, including dates, duration, total hours, populations, and the nature of activities in which the applicant participated; and

Other relevant volunteer experiences, including dates, duration, populations, and activities.

Education Outside of Canada

Applicants must be either Canadian citizens or permanent residents (landed immigrants) of Canada to apply. International students are not accepted.

For education completed outside of Canada, applicants must send ORPAS all official academic records, including an official transcript of any completed courses or diplomas that have been conferred.

Other Requirements:

Language Requirement
Interview
Health Requirements
Police Record Checks

Language Requirement

All applicants to the MHSc program must have excellent oral and written English skills. This proficiency is required for both the academic and the clinical aspects of the program.

Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate facility in the English language by completing one of the English proficiency tests listed on the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies website.

The Department of Speech‑Language Pathology strongly prefers that the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) be used to satisfy this requirement.

With respect to the internet‑based version of the TOEFL, applicants must achieve a minimum overall score of 100/120, with a minimum of 22/30 in the speaking section, and a minimum of 22/30 in the writing section. TOEFL candidates should use the institution code for the University of Toronto, which is 0982.

If it is impossible for an applicant to take the TOEFL, the department will accept the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (minimum score of 8.0).

Interview

The program may include interviews for selected candidates as part of the application process. Additionally, when the submitted documentation requires clarification, applicants may be invited for an interview at the Department of Speech‑Language Pathology.

The meeting provides the opportunity to explore in‑depth issues, such as spoken and written language ability and areas of academic performance or interpersonal communication skills.

Applicants who live outside of Toronto and are unable to attend a personal meeting may be invited to participate via teleconference or video conference.

Health Requirements

All applicants to the MHSc program are expected to be in a state of health that allows for full participation in the academic and clinical programs without posing a risk to themselves or others.

Applicants who have been offered admission to the program are required to submit medical certification that confirms immunization against polio, diphtheria, tetanus, rubella, measles, mumps, chickenpox, and hepatitis B, as well as medical certification confirming a negative tuberculosis test result.

Other vaccines may also be required. Please note the following items:

Tuberculosis certification must be by skin test or chest x‑ray.

If a skin test yields a positive result, a follow‑up chest x‑ray is required and must be dated no earlier than one year prior to beginning the program. This must be repeated annually.

In addition, many clinical sites require annual flu shots that can be obtained at no additional cost from the University of Toronto health services, community flu shot clinics, and any doctor’s office in Ontario.

Police Record Checks

Many placements (e.g., school boards, social service sites) request police record checks. If admitted, applicants are strongly encouraged to complete and pay for this service.

Failure to obtain a satisfactory police record check may result in an alternative or delayed placement that may also delay a student’s graduation date.

Indigenous Applicants

The department reserves one place annually for an Indigenous applicant who satisfies all admission requirements as outlined in the ORPAS Application Guide and on the department website.

To apply under this category, contact the department directly at slp.studentaffairs@utoronto.ca , before the application deadline to self-identify.

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Source: https://slp.utoronto.ca/admissions/mhsc-admission-requirements/

U of T Speech Pathology Admission Requirements for Undergraduates