A senior woman in a pink button-up shirt talks with her hands while seated at a table with a woman with dark hair. A laptop is open in front of them.

Bridge Entry to the Speech-Language Pathology Program

Bridge program courses will be offered beginning in summer 2026. McDaniel College's developing Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program will begin accepting applications in July 2026 for the first cohort to begin in summer 2027.

Learn about the developing M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology

Who Should Apply to the Bridge Program?

The Bridge Program is designed for students who have completed a bachelor's degree in another major other than Speech-Language Pathology or Communication Sciences and Disorders and have the following foundational prerequisite courses completed.

Statistics
One Biological Science Course (e.g., general biology, molecular biology, microbiology, genetics)
One Physical Science (e.g., chemistry, physics)
One course in Social or Behavioral Sciences (e.g., sociology, anthropology, ethnic and cultural studies, psychology)
Human Anatomy and Physiology (Two course series with labs)

Bridge Program Eligibility

Individuals with a bachelor’s degree in a non-CSD field may qualify for our Bridge Program to complete required prerequisites for graduate study in Speech-Language Pathology.

Learn More about McDaniel's graduate SLP admission requirements

Please Note: Classes taken at the high school level are not eligible to meet this requirement, with the exception of advanced placement (AP) courses that appear for credit on your college/university transcript. Coursework in the areas of biological sciences, physical sciences, social/behavioral sciences, and statistics cannot be related to speech-language pathology, audiology, communication sciences, hearing sciences, or logopedia unless they fulfill a university or college general education requirement and are available to students who are not majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders or Speech-Language Pathology.

The Bridge Program provides SLP content prerequisites for entry into the M.S. in SLP program, to include one course in each of the following:

Introduction to Communication Disorders
Phonetics
Speech and Language Development
Speech, Communication Sciences
Anatomy, Physiology and Neurology of the Communication Mechanisms
Audiology
Aural Rehabilitation*

*Students may complete the Aural Rehabilitation course as part of our Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program.

McDaniel's bridge courses will be offered beginning summer 2026 and will be delivered online. Students may take any of the prerequisites from any accredited college or university. Students who complete three or more bridge courses at McDaniel and who meet all other admissions requirements will be guaranteed an admission interview for the M.S. in SLP.

Contact the Program Director

D'Jaris Coles-White

Bridge Courses Offered Beginning Summer 2026

Students who have completed a bachelor's degree in a field other than Speech-Language Pathology or Communication Sciences and Disorders and who need to complete prerequisite courses for consideration for admission to the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology will have the option to join our Bridge Program and take the necessary prerequisites online.

Students taking Bridge Courses are considered non-degree seeking students. Students may apply to the MS-SLP graduate program through the traditional entry process (CSDCAS.org) with up to 3 outstanding SLP prerequisite courses but if admitted must meet all admission requirements and complete all prerequisites before enrollment in the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology.

To apply to begin Bridge courses complete the non-degree course application. For more information about this option, please contact gpsadvising@mcdaniel.edu.

The Bridge courses at McDaniel provide the Speech-Language Pathology foundation content courses required to gain entry into most graduate SLP programs. However, all programs may also have additional admission requirement to include meeting the minimum 25 hours of observation under the supervision of a CCC-SLP.