Students may declare their major in SPA upon entering Kent State University. Before taking advanced (junior level) SPA courses, students must apply for the professional phase of the major. The progression within the undergraduate program depends upon the student catalog year (the year the student entered Kent State University).

Students with a catalog year of 2013 and prior should apply for the professional phase of the SPA major when they have earned, or will earn by the end of the term, 45 credit hours and a GPA of at least 2.75.

The "combined program" is an opportunity available only to KSU undergraduates.  During the fall of your senior year you may apply for admission to the graduate program.  If accepted,  you are then admitted "early" to the Master's program and will begin graduate school during the spring semester of your senior year.   Nine semester hours of the spring semester will "double count" toward completing your undergraduate degree and your master's degree. Students must have a minimum of 90 credit hours to apply. 

The Kent CORE coursework and the required courses for the SPA major on the GPS Roadmap (PDF) are required for successful completion of the undergraduate degree in SPA. Be aware that the American Speech Language Hearing Association requires minimum coursework in order to be eligible for clinical certification.

The courses in SPA build upon each other. The content in one class is used to help students learn the content in the next class. Taking the courses out of sequence can really interfere with learning. Students should discuss any changes they want to make with an advisor.

Students should contact the professor for the class they are taking to talk about how to improve their own performance. Students should also contact their SPA advisor to discuss concerns and get help as soon as possible. There are many resources at Kent State to help students succeed and learn. Students can learn about these on the website and talk this over with an advisor or the class professor.

Getting into graduate school is competitive. The admission committee evaluates each applicant's ability to succeed in graduate school by examining the student's transcript, GPA, letters or recommendation, GRE scores (if applicable), and student letter of intent.

The combined program applications for graduate school are submitted in the Fall through the CSDCAS (Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application System). If accepted into graduate school at that time, students can begin their graduate studies during the last semester (Spring) of their senior year, and count the graduate coursework towards the total undergraduate credits.  Informational meetings about the combined program will be provided during your junior year. 

This depends on the student's interest. However, it isn't advisable for students to complete a minor that could not easily be converted to a major because a Master's degree is needed for employment in the field. For example, psychology would be a good minor. Yet, if a student doesn't get into grad school for SPA, he/she would still need a Masters in psychology in order to get a job.

Talk with faculty, and take a look at the courses within the minors. You might find that some of the coursework is similar across minors. So, take a class that could serve two different minors as you make your decision. This will give you a chance to get to know both fields related to the minor, get to know the different minor programs a bit better. And it will give you information to take back to your SPA faculty advisor as you make your decision.

Talk with your advisor from SPA. You should also contact the department where you are considering the minor and meet with a faculty person there. Ask this person about the job market in that field. Ask the faculty person what it would take to turn the minor to a major should you decide to do this. Let the faculty person know you are majoring in SPA and ask him/her how a minor in the area you are considering would/could help you.