FAQ

We encourage all interested students to apply!

A bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited university (or the equivalent from an institution outside the U.S.) is required at the time of matriculation. While most students come to us with a background in communication disorders, applicants with academic backgrounds and experiences outside of these areas are encouraged to apply and are commonly offered admission to the AuD and MSDE programs. PhD applicants should have a master’s degree in a related field and/or relevant research experience.

The most important factors in admission and scholarship decisions are the applicant’s commitment to the field; strong interpersonal skills; alignment of interests; and an academic record consistent with Washington University standards.

No specific courses or clinical hours are required for admission. However, certain courses are required for certification and/or licensure. Please see the Prerequisites page for more specific information and recommendations.

While it is recommended that a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher has been achieved, there is no minimum GPA requirement for applicants to be considered for admission. We encourage all interested individuals to apply and applications will be considered based on the merit of the application as a whole.

GRE scores are not required. If you’ve taken the exam and would like to submit your scores, you may do so and they will be added to your application file. However, scores will be weighed as part of the admission criteria.

In our admissions process, we give careful consideration to each individual application.  While academics and ability are important considerations, so are things that are harder to measure, such as professional promise, interests, experiences, character, and personality.  Just as you want to find a program that’s a good “fit,” we also strive to select students whose background, abilities and interests align with what our program can offer.  Your personal statement, letters of recommendation, and interactions with us are great ways to help us learn about you!

Students begin hands-on experience during the first semester and are given a wide variety of opportunities to put their knowledge into practice. Each practicum/practice teaching experience is supervised by a fully licensed and certified professional. We have a large network of over 250 affiliated sites for observation, practicum, and externship experiences, including on-campus sites and sites around the St. Louis area, as well as sites around the country for optional practicum rotations and externships.  More information on the AuD experiences can be found on the Doctor of Audiology page and more information on the MSDE experiences can be found on the Master of Science in Deaf Education page.

Our faculty consists of a mix of full-time and part-time individuals who teach in their area of expertise. Experienced clinicians teach clinical courses and supervise practicum, veteran teachers teach deaf education coursework and supervise student teaching, and world-renowned scientists teach research/scientific courses. All faculty have direct experience in the area they teach, and great care is taken in the selection of faculty to allow students to learn the latest knowledge and skills in the fields related to hearing and deafness and to promote student success. In fact, several well-known textbooks used nationwide in undergraduate and graduate training programs are authored by PACS faculty. The graduate programs benefit from the many experts available in PACS, the Department of Otolaryngology, Central Institute for the Deaf, and in the national professional community.  For more information, please see the Our People page.

In the third year, students engage in a full-time, 9-12 month externship experience. The process for identifying an externship site that meets the requirements and standards of the AuD program and that matches the student’s interests is a collaborative endeavor between the AuD program and the student. Our AuD students are in high demand for externship positions around the country.

The integration of research into the AuD, MSDE, and PhD curricula is a unique feature. All students receive training through coursework and independent research projects – the Capstone Project for AuD students, Independent Study for MSDE students, and Dissertation for PhD students. All research projects are conducted under the mentorship of qualified faculty members who support students throughout the process. In addition, there are opportunities for elective experiences in research.  Part-time positions in research labs are often available to our students, and optional funded research training opportunities are often available for AuD students.  For more information on these opportunities, please visit the Research Training Opportunities page.

Students are admitted for full-time, residential study only.

Applications open on September 1st each year.  Please see the admissions page for more information.

All application materials must be received by the following dates:

• PhD program – January 15
• AuD program — February 1
• MSDE program – December 15 (early decision), February 15 (priority decision), or June 1 for rolling admissions (fall entry, as available)

Washington University School of Medicine
Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences
MSC 8042-26-2000
660 S. Euclid Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110

pacs@wustl.edu

The AuD and MSDE programs enroll approximately 12 new students per year into each program and the Ph.D. program enrolls approximately 1-2 new students per year.

The TOEFL minimum score is 100 and the IELTS minimum score is 7. Please use Institution Code 6929 (Washington U) and Department Code 0602 (Audiology) to report your official scores.

We invite all prospective students to learn more about our program and facilities and we offer a variety of ways to do this. Please visit the Tours, Visits and Interviews page for more information.

A brief asynchronous video interview is required for applicants to the AuD and MSDE programs. You can learn more about this interview requirement on our Video Interview Process page. Please visit the Tours, Visits and Interviews page for information on other ways to connect with us!

Current information can be found on the Tuition and Fees page. 

100% of our current students receive financial support directly from PACS. Please see the Funding Opportunities page for more information.

Yes, most students work part-time to supplement their income during their graduate studies. A number of part-time, paid job opportunities are generally available to students on campus. Students who accept admission will be notified of these opportunities as they become available. We encourage students to limit their part-time employment to less than 20 hours per week.

No. It is not necessary to contact or identify a faculty mentor before applying, nor does it guarantee admission or funding. If, after reviewing the program details, you feel the academic and research areas align with your areas of interest, please e-mail us at pacs@wustl.edu.

Due to the small cohort size for each of our graduate programs, we well as the lockstep nature of the curricula, we are generally unable to accept transfer students. Students interested in transferring should apply for enrollment into the graduate program of interest as a first-time student. Eligible transfer credit will be evaluated at the time of matriculation, but generally does not decrease the length-to-degree.

Our graduate programs are top-ranked nationally and have a long, rich heritage training professionals and leaders in the field. Students benefit from our large network of sites that allow students to gain hands-on practical experience from day-one, including many unique opportunities that cannot be found in other programs because of our location in a large, metropolitan area, within a highly-regarded medical school, and adjacent to a private school for the deaf that emphasizes listening and spoken language. Our faculty members are national leaders who teach in their respective areas of expertise and who enjoy mentoring students. What you will also find at Washington University that makes our graduate programs truly unique is a supportive environment and caring attitude among the faculty, staff and fellow students.

Applicants with transcripts from outside the United States are required to have them evaluated by a credentialing agency, such as World Education Services. Additional agencies can be found at https://www.naces.org/members.

An official copy of the evaluation is required as part of the application requirements and applications are not considered complete until this has been received. The evaluation must include course names, grades and credits in U.S. terms, and the credentialing agency must also verify that the applicant possesses a degree equivalent to a baccalaureate degree. Unevaluated international transcripts or unofficial copies of transcript evaluations cannot be accepted. Evaluations can be submitted electronically by the agency to pacs@wustl.edu or by mail to: Washington University-PACS, 660 S. Euclid Ave., MSC 8042-26-2000, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA.