School of Education

Communicative Disorders Admission and Application Information

Admission to the School of Education as a Pre-Professional Student

New freshmen and transfer students interested in Communicative Disorders are admitted directly to the School of Education as Pre-Secondary Education students (PRS classification). On-campus students wishing to be admitted as Pre-Secondary Education students must formally apply for admission to the School of Education. Click here for a pre-professional application form. Contact Education Academic Services (EAS), Rust-Schreiner Halls, 115 North Orchard Street, 608-262-1651, for more details.

Admission to the Professional Communicative Disorders Program

The Communicative Disorders program currently accepts students during both fall and spring semesters. All admission criteria (e.g., prerequisites, application deadline, minimum GPA, use of PPST) may change from one admission period to the next.

Criteria for Program Admission

Eligibility for consideration requires:

• Fifty-four (54) or more transferable semester credits (junior standing) completed by the end of the semester prior to admission. Students can first apply during the semester that they will be completing 54 or more credits.
• A cumulative grade-point average of at least a 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) on all college-level course work attempted (as modified by the last 60 credits rule; see below). Grade-point averages are calculated from both Madison campus course work and course work taken at any other colleges or universities.
• Completion of the "gateway courses," Com Dis 201, 202, and 240. If any "gateway" courses were taken on another campus, then the first three Communicative Disorders courses taken at UW-Madison become the “gateway” courses.
• A minimum 3.0 GPA across Com Dis 201, 202, and 240. If any "gateway" course was taken on another campus, students must earn a minimum 3.0 GPA on the first three courses taken at UW-Madison. Note that "gateway" courses may NOT be repeated for the purpose of raising the student's "gateway" course GPA.
• A cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0 on all major course work completed to date, excluding Com Dis 110.
• Minimum scores on the Pre-Professional Skills Test. See details below.
• Completed program application materials, including program application form and off-campus transcripts.

Application Procedures

• Print, complete, and submit the following forms to Education Academic Services, Rust-Schreiner Halls, 115 North Orchard Street:
• Communicative Disorders professional program application
• Academic Background Information and Disclosure Authorization and Waiver Form
• Department of Justice Criminal Background Investigation Form
• DHFS Background Information Disclosure Form (2 pages)
• Submit transcripts from all other colleges or universities attended. Applications cannot be processed unless a complete academic record is presented for consideration. A transfer credit evaluation form cannot be accepted in place of an actual transcript.
• Take all three sections of the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) and submit scores to Education Academic Services. Also known as the Praxis I: Academic Skills Assessments, the PPST is a basic skills test offered by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and required for admission to all state teacher preparation programs by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). The test is designed to measure reading, writing, and mathematics skills. State-mandated minimum scores are Reading, 175; Writing, 174; and Mathematics, 173. Students may be considered who have not earned minimum scores. See the ETS Web site for more detailed information. Important note: The UW-Madison School of Education’s institutional recipient code is 1846; use of another code will prevent Education Academic Services from receiving scores.

Last 60 Credits Rule

Two grade point averages will be calculated to determine candidates' eligibility and selection to programs. GPAs will be calculated using (1) all transferable college level course work attempted, and (2) the last 60 credits attempted. The higher GPA of these two will be used for purposes of admission. If fewer than 60 credits have been attempted, all credits will be used to calculate the GPA. Graded graduate course work will also be used in all GPA calculations. ("Attempted" course work indicates course work for which a grade has been earned.) For more information on this rule, click here.

Transfer Students

Applicants who are not already enrolled on the UW-Madison campus must be admissible to the University to enroll in a School of Education program. Admission to UW-Madison requires a separate application and admission process. See UW-Madison Undergraduate Admissions for application information. Find more detailed information for prospective transfer students at this link.  Prospective transfer students are strongly advised to meet with an Education Academic Services advisor in advance of their application.

Criminal Background Investigation and Disclosure Statement

Criminal background checks will be run on all students at admission. Applicants must also complete a disclosure statement. See this link for more detailed information.

Students with a Previous Degree

Persons who already hold an undergraduate degree are admitted to the School of Education as either an Education Special student or a Second Degree student, depending on their interests and academic background. The term Special student indicates that the student has an interest in pursuing certification in a subject area studied during the initial degree; the student does not receive a degree for this "certification only" course work. Second Degree students are seeking a second, unrelated degree from the School of Education, which may, or may not, include teacher certification. Candidates for limited enrollment programs must meet all admission eligibility requirements for the program and must compete with the eligible applicants for program admission. See this link for more details.