10-15
SPEECH, LANGUAGE, HEARING SCIENCES
Leveling Certificate + Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Certificate
Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) welcomes students possessing a bachelor’s degree
who seek a career change to audiology or speech-language pathology. A master’s degree is required to
become certified in speech-language pathology; a doctoral degree is required in audiology. While students
with bachelor’s degrees in any field are eligible to apply to graduate school, acceptance is competitive. In
2014, nearly 1,200 applications for 180 slots were received by University of Colorado-Boulder and University
of Northern Colorado, the two state graduate programs. Admission is enhanced if students demonstrate
success in the eight courses comprising MSU Denver’s SLHS leveling certificate. These courses are also
required for Colorado Department of Education authorization for Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
(SLPAs).
While degree-seeking SLHS majors are required to take non-SLHS prerequisites for SLHS 2530, SLHS 2890,
and SLHS 3511 (courses with 1 or 2 or 3 in the list), non-SLHS prerequisites are waived for students (called
leveling students) who have a prior bachelor’s degree. However, it is suggested that leveling students lacking
background knowledge: a) of logarithmic scales take a college algebra course1 prior to SLHS 2530, b) of
language structure take a linguistics course2 prior to SLHS 2890, and c) of anatomy take a human anatomy/
physiology course3 prior to SLHS 3511. MSU Denver courses that cover these prerequisite concepts are listed
as footnotes; equivalent courses of algebra and anatomy are also offered at other institutions. Leveling
students are not waived from SLHS pre- or corequisites.

Please note that degree-seeking juniors and seniors are given registration priority for SLHS classes.
We welcome leveling students on a space-available basis. Leveling students choosing to waive the
algebra, linguistics, or anatomy prerequisites or who took these courses on another campus are
unable to self-register for SLHS 2530, 2890, or 3511. Those students must obtain an advisor’s
signature on the SLHS Transcript Evaluation form (p. 3) and submit that form + a registration
request form (p. 4) to an SLHS administrative assistant. See more registration details on p. 2.
MSU Denver’s Leveling Certificate Courses (all are 3 credits)
SLHS 2530 Speech and Hearing Science1
fall, spring
SLHS 2890 Language Acquisition2
fall, spring, online
SLHS 3511 Anatomy and Physiology of Speech3 (+ pre- or coreq = SLHS 2530)
fall, spring
SLHS 3540 Phonetics and Phonological Awareness (pre- or coreq = SLHS 2890)
fall, spring
SLHS 3580 Speech Sound & Fluency Disorders (prereq = SLHS 2890 + SLHS 3540) spring, Maymester
SLHS 3600 Diagnostic Audiology (pre- or coreq = SLHS 2530)
fall, spring
SLHS 4510 Child Language Disorders (prereq = SLHS 2890)
spring
SLHS 4610 Rehabilitative Audiology (prereq = SLHS 2890 + SLHS 3600)
spring
1
2
3
Suggested prereq = MTH 1110
Suggested prereq = ENG 2010 or 3011
Suggested prereq = BIO 2310
Prior to certification as a speech-language pathologist, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
(ASHA) requires students’ transcripts have courses in: a) social/ behavioral sciences, b) biology, c) physics,
and d) statistics. Contact ASHA (www.asha.org) for further information. In addition, some graduate
programs require these undergraduate courses be completed prior to students applying for a master’s degree.
10-15
Registration for SLHS Leveling Students
1. Students with a bachelor’s degree in another field should submit their college transcripts documenting
this degree when applying to MSU Denver. This step enables them to be designated as “seniors” for
registration purposes. Leveling students may apply as either degree-seeking or non-degree-seeking but
cannot obtain financial aid without being categorized as degree-seeking.
2. While the MSU Denver Registrar’s office evaluates transcripts for evidence of a bachelor’s degree,
the office does not evaluate transcripts for individual SLHS coursework. This evaluation process
must be completed by an SLHS advisor.
3. Leveling students granted senior status by the Registrar may register themselves for SLHS courses
only if they completed the prerequisites at MSU Denver. This means leveling students who did not
complete the three suggested non-SLHS prerequisites (MTH, ENG, BIO) listed on p. 1 or who
completed SLHS prerequisites at another college/university are unable to register themselves.
Instead, each semester these students must follow the registration procedure listed below.
a) Before registration begins, submit a copy (unofficial is fine) of your undergraduate transcript(s) +
the SLHS Transcript Evaluation (p. 3 with the top completed) to ONE of the following advisors:
Dr. Catherine Curran – curranc@msudenver.edu
Dr. Jean Lundy – lundyje@msudenver.edu
Dr. Jessica Rossi-Katz – jrossika@msudenver.edu
b) Transcripts + the partially-completed SLHS Transcript Evaluation may be submitted for advisor
signature in person at Central Classroom 120, by fax at 303-556-6239, by e-mail attachment to
one of the above e-mail addresses, or by mail to Campus Box 34, P.O. Box 173362, Denver CO
80217-3362.
c) After an SLHS advisor signs and returns your SLHS Transcript Evaluation to you, present it to
the department’s program assistant along with the Financial Responsibility and Promissory Note
Agreement. On p. 2 of the Financial Responsibility and Promissory Note Agreement, state the
details of the course(s) you wish to be registered for including course record number (CRN).
Indicate your first versus second choice sections, if there are two sections of the SLHS course.
Write the name of the advisor on the line above your name.
4. On the first day of registration (but not before), submit the signed SLHS Transcript Evaluation + the
two-page Financial Responsibility and Promissory Note Agreement to the Program Assistant: Ms.
Jacque Kirby, jkirby6@msudenver.edu. You may also fax these forms to the department fax: 303556-6239.
a) After senior and junior degree-seeking MSU Denver students have had an opportunity to register,
leveling students will be added on a space-available basis in the order in which their fullycompleted SLHS Transcript Evaluation + the two-page Financial Responsibility and Promissory
Note Agreement were received by the department.
10-15
SLHS Transcript Evaluation
Student Name:
E-mail:
Student 900 number:
Phone number:
Date:
Submit this completed form to an SLHS Advisor along with a copy of your undergraduate transcript(s)
(unofficial is fine). If you have completed one or more SLHS prerequisite courses at another institution,
identify which required SLHS prerequisite (the prefix and title of the MSU Denver’s equivalent) you
believe it meets and provide its catalog description on the next page.
SLHS Certificate
Courses
SLHS 2890
Language
Acquisition
SLHS 2530
Speech/Hearing
Sciences
SLHS 3600
Diagnostic
Audiology
SLHS 3540
Phonetics and
Phonological
Awareness
SLHS 3580
Speech Sound and
Fluency Disorders
SLHS 3511
Anatomy and
Physiology of
Speech
SLHS 4510
Child Language
Disorders
SLHS 4550
SLPA Methods
and Internship
SLHS 4610
Rehabilitative
Audiology
Course
Prerequisites
ENG 2010 or
SLHS 1500 or
PSY 1800
MTH 1110 or
MTH 1112
Documentation required for registration if
prerequisite not taken at MSU Denver
Transcript documenting an earned BA/BS in any
field
SLHS 2530
(pre- or corequisite)
SLHS 2890
(pre- or corequisite)
SLHS 3540
Completion of SLHS 2530 (or equivalent) or
evidence student is already registered for it during
the same semester.
Transcript documenting an earned BA/BS in any
field + completion of SLHS 2890 (or equivalent)
or evidence student is already registered for it
during the same semester.
Completion of SLHS 3540 (or equivalent).
BIO 2310 +
SLHS 2530
(pre- or corequisite)
SLHS 2890
Transcript documenting an earned BA/BS in any
field + completion of SLHS 2530 (or equivalent)
or evidence student is already registered for it
during the same semester.
Completion of SLHS 2890 (or equivalent).
all leveling
courses
Transcript documenting an earned BA/BS +
completion of all leveling coursework + course
application.
Completion of SLHS 2890 and SLHS 3600
(or equivalent courses).
SLHS 2890 +
SLHS 3600
Transcript documenting an earned BA/BS in any
field
Advisor
signature