Master of Science in Communicative Disorders

With a competitive Praxis examination pass rate, 100% employment for our graduates, and incredibly low tuition, the ENMU master's in communicative disorders is a top program choice. The Master of Science degree in Communicative Disorders provides advanced training in assessing and treating speech, language and swallowing disorders. A master's degree is the minimum requirement you'll need to serve as a certified speech-language pathologist in public schools, medical, or other private settings.

As a speech-language pathologist, you will work with clients ranging from infants to senior citizens. You will treat clients who have language, articulation, fluency, swallowing, voice and hearing disorders, and you will work in settings such as public schools, preschools, private clinics, hospitals and rehabilitation centers.

Timelines for expected completion of the ENMU CDIS program can be found on the CDIS Portal.

View Program Completion Rates

Apply for This Program

Flexibility

Our CDIS graduate program offers a hybrid of traditional on-campus and online classes. Most students come to our campus in a 16 week fall or spring semester, but we do offer a limited number of 8-week summer options for eligible students. Summer 501/508 placements are sometimes competitive and are students required to interview with supervisors in order to be selected. These placements cannot be guaranteed with admission.This is typically completed in the second semester for full-time students. If you meet all first semester practicum and evaluation competencies, you may complete the remainder of your courses and practicum off campus as long as you continue to attain competencies in future practicums. Please note practicum site availability in your chosen area may be limited in some geographic locales, and you may need to relocate in some cases. Distance learning coursework requires synchronous enrollment, meaning you must "attend" all courses remotely during the time the course is being taught on campus. Our program is also unique in that you can transition between full-time and part-time status at any time during the program.

Graduate school is an intense experience. We recognize you may need to be employed, and we are willing to work with you. Unfortunately, you will not be able to work full-time and attend the CDIS graduate program full-time. Part-time enrollment is compatible with part-time employment for most students.

Additional information about our graduate program can be found at the CDIS portal community.

View Graduate Tuition and Fees

Tuition, Scholarships and Financial Aid

We have one of the most affordable tuition rates in New Mexico and are among the most affordable four-year public institutions in the nation. When it comes to financing your education, ENMU is here to help! Many ENMU students receive some sort of financial assistance, and we can help you find out if you qualify for any grants, loans or scholarships. As a CDIS graduate student, there are additional scholarships for which you can apply: The Gail Ferguson Endowed Scholarship for Graduate Studies in Communicative Disorders, the Drs. Anthony and Patricia Schroeder Scholarship for Outstanding Graduate Student in Communicative Disorders and Speech Pathology, the Pauline Stewart Memorial Scholarship, the Roger and Millie Pattison Scholarship Fund for the Speech and Hearing Clinic, the TEA Scholarship in Communicative Disorders, and the Ike and Joy Stevenson Scholarship for CDIS Students. We also have a limited outstanding number of graduate assistantships, both full and part time, available for both on and off-campus students. Graduate assistants receive in-state tuition rates.

Financial Aid for Leveling Students

As a CDIS graduate student, if you are taking leveling courses, you may be eligible for financial aid for one calendar year, regardless of the number of hours you take. If you wish to take CDIS leveling courses, you should apply to the ENMU Graduate School as a CDIS leveler. This admission status affects your financial aid only, and does not imply admission into the CDIS graduate program. If you are a leveling student who is looking for financial aid assistance beyond your first year, you may wish to pursue a second bachelor's degree. In this case, you would pursue the CDIS undergraduate degree plan and follow procedures listed for undergraduate students.

View more information about our undergraduate CDIS program

Special Service and Opportunities

The National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) is a great opportunity to get to know your CDIS colleagues while gaining a professional membership. The NSSLHA meets throughout the school year. As a student, you also have an opportunity to work in The Speech and Hearing Rehabilitation Outreach Center (SHROC), a community outreach driven practicum experience.

Find out more about the SHROC

Accreditation Status

The Master of Science (M.S.) education program in speech-language pathology {residential, distance education} at Eastern New Mexico University is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850, 800.498.2071 or 301.296.5700.

Find more CDIS accreditation information

CDIS Complaint Process

Program Planning

Our program's strategic, assessment and effectiveness plans are available for public review in the CDIS portal community.

View CDIS program planning documents

Student Outcome Data

Program evaluation and improvement is an ongoing activity for our program. You can find Praxis Examination rates, program completion rates, and employment data on our graduate program student outcome data page.

View ENMU CDIS graduate Student Outcome Data

Master of Science in Communicative Disorders Admission Requirements

CSDCAS applications open each year on July 14 and close the following year on July 1. Applications will re-open for the next application cycle on July 14. Students must indicate which semesters they are applying for on their application in CSDCAS. Once the student’s requested term(s) have passed, their application will be removed from eligibility and the student must reapply for future semesters.

The ENMU CDIS program follows a rolling application policy. This means we consider applications for students as they arrive and we fill available seats with qualified applicants as they arrive. We review applications all year long for the next unfilled admission group. If an acceptable applicant applies for a given semester but all our seats are already filled, we will admit this applicant for the next available semester. Please note that early admission will require early commitment to the program from the student.

The ENMU CDIS program admits 30-35 students each fall and 30-35 students each spring semester. Summer admission is available on a limited basis for students who are "pre-req" complete and require little to no leveling coursework prior to beginning their graduate program.

View ENMU CDIS Pre-requisites

Students applying to the ENMU CDIS program must complete 3 tasks:

1. Apply to ENMU’s graduate school. Our ENMU graduate application can be found at enmu.edu/ApplyNow.
2. Apply to the ENMU CDIS program using the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS). CSDCAS can be found online at csdcas.liaisoncas.org. Our CSDCAS application includes the following components:
   • Graduate Course(s) and Clinical Clock Hours
     • Clinical observation and/or practicum clock hour logs signed by their undergraduate university program director should be submitted to CSDCAS
   • Submit official transcripts from all universities attended to CSDCAS. International candidates or those with foreign transcripts must submit official results of a professional independent transcript evaluation service. Additional information for international graduate students is available at our graduate school website.
     • Send all official transcripts to CSDCAS at the address below:
       CSDCAS Verification Department
       P.O. Box 9113
       Watertown, MA 02471
3. Interview with Casper. Casper is an online interview service that can be accessed via takealtus.com. Applicants should interview with Casper 30 days prior to ENMU application deadlines. Please make sure to register for your test at least 3 days before your preferred test date and time to account for identity verification and payment processing timelines. Last minute bookings are not recommended. Casper results are only valid for a single application cycle, and only for the test type for which you have taken the test. You will need to take a separate Casper test for future application cycles or different program types.

Optional: Students who have not completed a professional writing in communicative disorders pre-requisite course will be required to take CDIS 578. A GRE writing score of > 4.0 may be used to fulfill this requirement. If you opt to take the GRE to meet your professional writing requirements, send your official scores (sent directly from ETS) to CSDCAS. The GRE code for Eastern New Mexico University CSDCAS is 4503. Scores must be less than 5 years old.

Students must have completed at least 15 hours of CDIS coursework to be eligible for early admission. Early admitted students must notify the program of placement acceptance or declination within 30 days of our admission offer. Students who are admitted by term (for the next upcoming semester) must accept a summer or fall term offer by April 15, and a spring term offer by October 15. If we do not receive notification of student decisions by established deadlines, we will award unclaimed positions in the program to another applicant. Please be advised that all students must meet the conditions of their admission letter in order to maintain their position in the program (e.g., completion of specified leveling courses as scheduled by their graduate coordinator with a recorded grade of B or better).

Student applications will result in one of the following actions:

1. Early admission
2. Admitted for next available fall
3. Admitted for next available spring
4. Waitlisted
5. Rejected

Admission deferrals will not be authorized in the ENMU CDIS program unless approved by the CDIS Faculty Review Committee and may only be considered when extenuating circumstances create unforeseeable situations that are beyond a student’s control. Prior to application, students should review the ENMU CDIS program’s Professional Functions for Speech-Language Pathologists and our program Policy on Students and Professionals Who Speak English with Accents and Nonstandard Dialects. Background checks with fingerprinting are required for all practicum placements, as are vaccinations and health care screenings. Students without current vaccinations, students with felony records, students with a significant history of ongoing substance abuse, and students who do not pass required checks and screenings cannot be placed in practicum, and therefore, cannot complete the program. Please note that most practicum placements require student vaccination for COVID-19. Students are further advised that CDIS graduate programs are inherently stressful and may not be well-suited for some students. Changes judged reasonable in academic classrooms may not be deemed reasonable in all practicum placements. Affiliate sites accept students on a strictly volunteer basis.

All accepted students must submit a $50 non-refundable admission fee within published deadlines to affirm their seat in the ENMU CDIS Program. This fee cannot be waived as we use it to pay for your CPR training during your semester on campus.

ADA Compliance

Students, faculty, staff and clients of the ENMU Communicative Disorders Program are treated equitably without regard to age, citizenship, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and veteran status. The institution and program comply with all applicable laws, regulation and executive orders, and we will not discriminate based on any category prohibited by applicable law. All faculty, students, student clinicians and licensed supervisors are bound by the ASHA Code of Ethics.

ASHA Code of Ethics