"I want to earn a master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology, but my undergraduate degree is in another area. What do I need to do?"
A student wishing to pursue graduate study in speech-language pathology who has an undergraduate degree in an area other than speech-language pathology is classified as a “lateral entry student.”
Lateral entry students must complete undergraduate coursework related to the speech-language pathology profession before they are eligible to apply to the graduate program. They can enroll at UNL as post-baccalaureate, non-degree-seeking students (https://graduate.unl.edu/admissions/steps-admission/ ) to fulfill the undergraduate requirements, or they can take comparable courses at another institution. Of note, the average undergraduate cumulative and within-major GPAs of students accepted into the master-level program consistently exceed 3.75.
Prerequisite courses for lateral entry students seeking admission to UNL’s graduate program fall into three categories: (a) courses required by the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) for teacher certification, (b) general education courses required by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and (c) courses specific to the speech-language pathology profession.
Pre-requisite Course Requirements for Lateral Entry Students Admitted Fall 2025 and prior:
Lateral entry students must have completed 15 of the 20 prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better by the end of the semester prior to beginning the graduate program; having the majority of the remaining prerequisite courses completed is highly recommended. Of these 15, the following UNL courses marked with an asterisk (*), or equivalent courses from other institutions, must be completed:
a. Courses required by NDE:
–Foundations of Education (TEAC 331, 430, 431, 434, 437)
–Developmental Psychology (EDPS 250, 251; CYAF 160)
–Learning/Cognition in the Classroom (EDPS 362, 457, 854; PSYC 263, 268)
–Multicultural/Human Relations (SLPA 488/888; TEAC 330/861)
b. General education courses required by ASHA:
–Biological Sciences (e.g., biology, human anatomy & physiology, neuroanatomy & neurophysiology, human genetics, veterinary science) *
–Physical Sciences (e.g., physics [PHYS 141 or higher], or inorganic/organic chemistry [CHEM 109 or higher, but not CHEM131])
–Social/Behavioral Sciences (e.g., psychology, sociology, anthropology, public health)
–Statistics *
c. Courses specific to the speech-language pathology profession:
25 Observation Hours
–SLPA 150 Communication Processes and Disorders *
–SLPA 250 Phonetics *
–SLPA 251 Normal Language Development (4 credits) *
–SLPA 271 Hearing and Balance I (4 credits) *
–SLPA 421 Professional Issues for the Communication Disorders Specialist (4 credits)
–SLPA 441 Clinical Methods
–SLPA 453 Introduction to Communication Neuroscience
–SLPA 454 Research Methods in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
–SLPA 455 Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism *
–SLPA 456 Speech and Hearing Science
–SLPA 461 Preschool Language Disorders
–SLPA 464 Speech Sound Disorders
–SLPA 472 Aural Rehabilitation
Prospective lateral entry students must have completed 25 hours of supervised and documented observation of speech-language pathology evaluation or treatment sessions prior to starting the master's program.
Pre-requisite Course Requirements for Lateral Entry Students Admitted Fall 2026 and after:
| ^ | Courses listed below with a ^ must be completed prior to starting the graduate program. |
| * | Strive to have no more than one of these courses remaining before beginning the graduate program. Students are not permitted to take any graduate level classes the first semester of admission to the graduate program if all 4 courses remain to be completed. |
a. Courses required by NDE:
–Foundations of Education (TEAC 331, 430, 431, 434, 437)
–Developmental Psychology (EDPS 250, 251; CYAF 160)
–Learning/Cognition in the Classroom (EDPS 362, 457, 854; PSYC 263, 268)
–Multicultural/Human Relations (SLPA 488/888; TEAC 330/861)
b. General education courses required by ASHA:
–Biological Sciences (e.g., biology, human anatomy & physiology, neuroanatomy & neurophysiology, human genetics, veterinary science)^
–Physical Sciences (e.g., physics [PHYS 141 or higher], or inorganic/organic chemistry [CHEM 109 or higher, but not CHEM131])^
–Social/Behavioral Sciences (e.g., psychology, sociology, anthropology, public health)^
–Statistics^
c. Courses specific to the speech-language pathology profession:
25 Observation Hours^
–SLPA 150 Communication Processes and Disorders
–SLPA 250 Phonetics^
–SLPA 251 Normal Language Development (4 credits)^
–SLPA 271 Hearing and Balance I (4 credits)^
–SLPA 421 Professional Issues for the Communication Disorders Specialist (4 credits)
–SLPA 441 Clinical Methods^
–SLPA 453 Introduction to Communication Neuroscience*
–SLPA 454 Research Methods in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
–SLPA 455 Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism^
–SLPA 456 Speech and Hearing Science^
–SLPA 461 Preschool Language Disorders*
–SLPA 464 Speech Sound Disorders*
–SLPA 472 Aural Rehabilitation*
Prospective lateral entry students must have completed 25 hours of supervised and documented observation of speech-language pathology evaluation or treatment sessions prior to starting the master's program.
GPA and GRE averages for students who accepted our offer of admission in previous year