Communication Science, BA

Admission Requirements

SHRS is updating our General Education requirements. Students entering the University of Pittsburgh in Fall 2021 as first-year students, and students currently enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh and external transfer students entering the upper-level programs offered at SHRS in Fall 2023, must complete the new general education requirements before graduating. Our General Education Requirements are included in our upper-level program prerequisites and curriculum requirements.

Requirements for students who entered the University of Pittsburgh as first-year students prior to Fall 2021 applying for Fall 2022 admission:

Applicants must complete the Prerequisite courses and 6 credits of coursework from the Additional Requirements listed below.

Prerequisites (30 credits)

• English Composition (ENG 0200 or higher)  - 3 credits.
• Writing Intensive (W)* (ENGCMP 0400, 0530, 0535 recommended) 1 - 3 credits
• See PeopleSoft and search High Impact Practices - Writing Intensive Course. 
• *May be combined with another requirement (e.g., literature, global issues, philosophical thinking or ethics).
• Oral Communication (preferred COMMRC 0520, will also accept COMMRC 0310, 0500, 0510, or 0530) - 3 credits
• Mathematics (MATH 0031 or higher) - 3 credits
• Statistics (STAT 0200, 1000) - 3 - 4 credits
• Biological Science - a course in human biology (BIOSC 0805, 0815, 0150) or and human anatomy and physiology course.
• Physical Science - Physics (PHYS 0091 recommended; also accepted 0110) or in Chemistry (CHEM 0110 or higher) - 3 credits
• Introduction to Psychology (PSY 0010) - 3 credits
• Open Selection: At least six credits from the list of the additional requirements below.

Additional Requirements

• Lifespan/Human Development (preferred PSYED 0005 or REHSCI 1245; also accept PSY 0310) - 3 credits
• Cognitive/Neurological Foundations (PSY 0405, 0410, 0422, 0505, 0510; NROSCI 0080, 0081, 1000) - 3 credits
• Social Science or Quantitative & Formal Reasoning -  (any course coded by Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences in these categories) - 3 credits
• English/American Literature - 3 credits
• Diversity (as coded by Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences; also accept ELL (English Language Learning) courses through School of Education - 3 credits 
• Global Issues, Diversity, Cross-Cultural OR Study Abroad courses - as coded by Dietrich School of Arts & Science - 3 credits
• Philosophical Thinking or Ethics - (any course coded by Dietrich School of Arts & Science in this category) - 3 credits
• Courses used in Open Selection prerequisite category as prerequisites count towards these additional requirement credits

Requirements for students entering the University of Pittsburgh in Fall 2021 as first-year students, and students currently enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh and external transfer students entering the upper-level programs offered at SHRS in Fall 2023:

Prerequisites must be completed for a letter grade, minimum grade of C- (C for transfer) unless otherwise noted; with the exception of AP/IB credits and/or exemptions awarded by the University of Pittsburgh. Courses listed below are offered at the Pittsburgh Campus; courses taken at the regional Pitt campuses or external institutions must be evaluated as equivalent to satisfy these requirements.

• Seminar in Composition*, 1 course
• Writing Intensive*, 1 course. ENGCMP 0400, 0450, 0530, 0535 recommended.
• Oral Communication, 1 course. COMMRC 0520 preferred; 0500, 0510, 0530 acceptable.
• College Algebra, 1 course. MATH 0031 or higher math required. Exemption not accepted.
• Statistics, 1 course. STAT 0200 or 1000 preferred.
• Biological Science: Human Biology (BIOSC 0150, 0805, 0815) or any Human Anatomy & Physiology course required.
• Physical Science: Physics (PHYS 0091 or PHYS 0110) or Chemistry (CHEM 0110 or higher) required.
• Introduction to Psychology, PSY 0010.

Other course requirements that may be taken before or during the program:

• Lifespan/Human Development: PSYED 005, REHSCI 1245, or PSY 0310 required.
• Cognitive/Neurological Foundations: PSY 0405, 0410, 0421, 0422, 0505, 0510; or NROSCI 0080, 0081, 1000 required.
• Diversity*, 1 course. SOC 0007, SOC 1450 or HIST 1018 preferred.
• Literature, 1 course. American or English literature required.
• Philosophical Thinking or Ethics*, 1 course
• Social Science* or Quantitative and Formal Reasoning*, 1 course.
• Cross-Cultural Awareness*, Global Issues*, Specific Geographic Region*, 1 course. May also be satisfied through Study Abroad.

*See the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences General Education Course Catalog.

Additional Requirements

• Complete the application for admission. SHRS is moving to a new application platform. Please visit the SHRS website to access information about applying.
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 (based on 4.0) is required for admission. Students with a lower GPA may be admitted provisionally.
• 60 credits are required to begin the program.

Application Deadline: March 1. Early applications welcome. Application review begins in January. If spots are available after the deadline applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the class is full.

Application Requirements

• A personal essay addressing the following:
  • What you have done to learn about the field of communication science and disorders (both the science and clinical practice) in preparation for majoring in our undergraduate program in communication science? (maximum word count: 200 words); and,
  • Communication Science is a challenging major and admission to graduate school for speech-language pathology, audiology or other health-related and science fields is very competitive. Please explain what academic and personal skills you have developed since starting college that will allow you to be successful in this major. What do you feel are the critical skills, practices and attitudes that you must continue to work on as you proceed further in your academic studies?  (maximum word count: 500 words);
• Resumes are strongly recommended.
• Applicants enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh are not required to submit a letter of recommendation.
• Transcripts from all institutions attended. Pitt students do not need to provide transcripts if they have already been submitted to the University of Pittsburgh.
• Applications may be submitted while prerequisite coursework is in progress.

University of Pittsburgh Freshman Guarantee 

An entering freshman may qualify for a guarantee into the graduate programs in Audiology or Speech-Language Pathology.  For consideration for the Freshman Guarantee, indicate an intended field of study as Pre- Communication Science on your application when applying as a freshman (at regional campuses, choose corresponding codes). 

The student must have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.6 when applying to the Communication Science program at the start of the spring semester of sophomore year level. At the time of application to the graduate program, guaranteed students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.6 or better and a GPA of 3.75 in the core communication science major courses. A full application must be submitted on time to the graduate program.

Early Decision for Graduate Programs  

Students pursuing an undergraduate degree in Communication Science from the University of Pittsburgh are eligible to apply Early Decision to either the graduate program in Audiology or Speech-Language Pathology. Information about the application process and applicant qualifications are available from the CSD Program Director or the Academic Advisor of the Communication Science Program.

Communication Science Curriculum

SHRS requires a minimum of 120 credits for graduation.  

Freshman and sophomores who are interested in the major should contact the Communication Science advisor, Dave Bodnar at dab308@pitt.edu for specialized advising about the major.

Core Curriculum Requirements (47 credits)

Most of the core courses in Communication Science degree program are taken after admission at the junior year level.  Four of the core courses are available at the freshman and sophomore year level or can be completed as part of the Communication Science degree program at the junior year level.  Several core courses have prerequisites resulting in a sequence of courses.  The course sequence is represented in the example Plan of Study.  Interested students should be aware that the core courses or sequence of courses may change.