Undergrad

Transfer Student FAQ

Rocky the Bull


How do I transfer to USF and declare a major in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) with a concentration in Language Speech and Hearing (LSH)?

Provided that a student is admissible to USF, s/he will be able to declare an intended major in CSD/LSH. A separate application to CSD will not be required. Please note that students must complete the State Mandated Course Pre-requisites with a C- or better before being able to start the major cohort courses.

What courses should I take at my home institution prior to transferring to USF to pursue CSD-LSH?

For students transferring from a public institution in Florida who will complete the general AA degree prior to transferring to USF, by virtue of having an awarded AA from a Florida public institution, you will automatically meet USF's general education requirements without the need for a course-by-course comparison. 

For all students transferring and as part of the general AA degree, students should take the following State Mandated Pre-requisites which require a C- or higher to meet CSD requirements:

  • Statistics
  • Physics
  • Anatomy & Physiology 1 (or a human biology course, though Anatomy & Physiology is strongly encouraged as additional anatomy is required in the LSH major)
  • Introduction to Psychological Science (can also be met with Sociology, though Psychology is strongly encouraged)

*** If you do not earn a C- or higher in the pre-requisites, you'll need to either repeat the courses, earn a C- or higher in one of the alternatives, or repeat them when you arrive at USF, prior to starting the major cohort.

What if I'm transferring without my AA from a Florida public institution or I'm transferring from out of state?

USF Admissions will evaluate your transcripts to determine admissibility to the university. Upon admission, and prior to your attendance at Orientation, the college will review your courses to determine whether they meet USF general education requirements. Lastly, any major-specific coursework taken at another institution will require a full syllabus review by the CSD-LSH Undergraduate Program Director to determine if it can meet any USF major requirements. 

What courses will I have to take to complete my CSD-LSH major?

Please see the following major specific courses that students will take to earn the BA in Communication Sciences and Disorders-Language Speech and Hearing by clicking here.

Depending on the number of credits and courses completed as a part of the general AA or transfer credits, students may need to build in additional credits and/or two semesters of a foreign language at the college level to satisfy graduation requirements. Students must meet with their academic advisor each semester to ensure they are on track to graduation.

When can I register for my classes?

After admission to USF, students will receive notification to sign up for a mandatory orientation. Once admitted and registered for orientation, students can schedule an advising appointment that will allow them to possibly register for classes prior to attending orientation.  While students may be able to register before attending orientation if pre-advised, please be aware that if they do not attend orientation, they will be dropped from all registered courses. Also, if you applied and were admitted to a different major and would like to pursue CSD-LSH during your first semester at USF, please contact Admissions and request that they change your major in the system so you are classified correctly from the beginning.

How long will my degree take to complete?

For students coming in with a Florida public AA and all major pre-requisites met, students should be able to complete the degree within two years.  For other students, the time to complete the degree will depend the course-by-course comparison noted above.

Are these courses available online?

CSD-LSH majors on the Tampa campus are required to take their courses on campus. Classes in the cohort generally require attendance four days per week during morning/afternoon hours. Please note, this is a full-time program. 

What is the sequencing of the major coursework?

You can find additional information about the order in which courses are presented here.

CSD-LSH functions as a lockstep cohort program. Upon the completion of pre-requisites, students can start the major cohort in either the fall or spring semester. Most courses within the CSD major have pre-requisites from previous semesters and some courses are only offered once per year. As a result of the sequencing and frequency of course offerings, students will need to take courses in the order they are listed to avoid a delay to graduation.

Please note that students starting the major cohort during a spring semester must attend classes during the following summer semester. Summer courses are a pre-requisite to fall courses, so students must attend during summer to avoid any delay to graduation (up to a year). Summer courses in CSD are offered during the Summer C semester (10 week term).

Who will be my academic advisor?

The academic advisor for CSD-LSH students is Kerry Jablonski. Email is the preferred method of contact, and you can reach her via email at lshadvise@usf.edu. 

To set an advising appointment:

USF Students: https://usf.appiancloud.com/suite/sites/archivum/page/archivum/report/daQEig

Prospective Students: http://eschedule.forest.usf.edu/NonStudentlogin.aspx

Will the bachelor's degree in CSD-LSH prepare me to get a job as a Speech-Language Pathologist or Audiologist upon graduation?

The BA in Communication Science and Disorders is considered a pre-professional degree. The BA degree prepares students for graduate school. Speech-Language Pathology requires a master's degree and Audiology requires a Doctorate of Audiology (AuD). The undergraduate program in CSD-LSH will prepare students to apply to graduate programs in either Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology. Additionally, students who graduate with the BA in CSD-LSH are eligible to apply for Florida state licensure as an SLP-Assistant.