Pre-requisite Courses
Application to the MScSLP program requires the completion of a four-year undergraduate degree and the completion of 7 prerequisite courses, each worth 3 credits. These courses are selected to provide speech-language pathology applicants with the background needed to succeed in the MScSLP program. If a course from your institution is listed as fulfilling more than one of the prerequisite courses, you must choose which one it will fulfill and complete an additional course(s) for the remaining prerequisite
A maximum of 2 courses can be in progress during Winter term or courses noted to be taken in Spring or Summer sessions. As soon as a student has registered in a spring or summer course the student should send in proof to the department at mscslp@ualberta.ca All courses must be complete prior to the start of Fall term. The following courses and associated knowledge/skills are prerequisites to the MScSLP program.
An undergraduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology or Speech and Hearing Sciences does not exempt a student from the prerequisites listed below.
7 Prerequisite Courses for Applying to the MScSLP Program
1. Statistics
Introduction to statistical methods. Content should include the following areas:
- Statistical inference
- Experimental design
- Confidence intervals and hypothesis tests for means and proportions
- Correlation and regression
Research project courses are not acceptable.
2. Child Development or Developmental Psychology
A course describing biological, social and cognitive development from infancy through childhood. Note: Introductory courses in Psychology do not fulfil this requirement, even if the topic was covered as a part of the course. Courses named Child Psychology may or may not fulfil the requirement.
3. Cognitive Psychology
A course in cognition, learning, or human information processing. The following types of courses are typically acceptable:
- Cognition
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Learning and Memory
- Perception
- Psycholinguistics
4. Neuroanatomy or Neuropsychology
Structure and function of the human central and peripheral nervous systems including mechanisms of neural activity and signalling, principles of neocortical organization, functional aspects of sensory and motor systems, and higher cognitive functions.
Courses must cover areas relevant to speech-language pathology (i.e., hearing, speaking, breathing, swallowing). Courses investigating animal anatomy and physiology, cellular biology courses, or neuroanatomy that do not cover these areas are not acceptable.
5. Introductory Linguistics
A general survey course that covers the core areas of linguistics (i.e., phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, morphology, pragmatics). Courses teaching another language or writing courses are not acceptable.
6. Articulatory Phonetics
A course covering fundamentals of articulatory phonetics, including an introduction to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and practice in phonetic transcription.
7. Child Language Development, Child Language Acquisition or First Language Acquisition
A course focused on typical language development in children, from birth to school entry. Courses primarily focused on general child psychology, child development, second language development, or language disorders are not acceptable.
Upon receipt of an offer of admission, students must complete a course on Indigenous history in Canada.
Indigenous Canadian History
Since Fall 2019, students admitted to the MScSLP program are required to complete a course focused on Indigenous history in Canada. The recommended course is the Indigenous Canada MOOC for certificate due by August 1 of the admission year. If you have been accepted into the program and you have previously taken an Indigenous Canadian History Course that you believe meets our requirements, please email a detailed course syllabus to mscslp@ualberta.ca for review.