We encourage all interested students to apply. A bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited university is required at the time of matriculation. While most students do come to us with a background in communication disorders or a closely-related field, applicants with academic backgrounds and experiences outside of these areas are commonly offered admission to the AuD and MSDE programs. The most important factors in admission and scholarship decisions are the applicant’s commitment to the field; strong interpersonal skills; and an academic record consistent with Washington University standards. In addition, we strongly recommend meeting with a faculty member, either via Zoom or in person, prior to the application deadline. Please visit the Tours and Interviews page for more information.
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.
Starting Fall 2023, 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. However, scores will not be reviewed as part of the admissions process.
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 our faculty page.
In the fourth 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
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).
We strongly recommend meeting with a faculty member, either via Zoom or in person, prior to the application deadline. Please visit the Tours and Interviews page for more information.
Full-time tuition for students entering the AuD and MSDE program in Fall 2023 is $45,000 per year plus a non-refundable matriculation fee of $200, though 100% of our students receive scholarship assistance that significantly reduces this annual amount. In addition, tuition rates will not increase above the amount set at the time of enrollment, assuming continuous full-time enrollment, and scholarship levels are guaranteed at the time of enrollment. Full-time tuition also includes student health coverage through Washington University School of Medicine. Full-time tuition will be reduced by 50 percent for AuD students during the Clinical Externship in Audiology (fourth year).
Additional fees may be required for international students.
100% of our current students receive financial support directly from PACS. For the 2022-23 academic year, we awarded an average of over $21,000 per student in support to our graduate students. Please see the Funding Opportunities page on this website 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.
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 top-ranked 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, Global Credential Evaluators, Inc. or Educational Credential Evaluators. An official copy of the evaluation must be submitted by mail as part of the application requirements. 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 will not be accepted. Official transcripts or evaluations for all courses taken at all universities must be submitted.
Please feel free to contact us at pacs@wustl.edu or (314) 747-0104 with any other questions you have about our programs.