Biomedical Sciences Emergency Medical Services Occupational Therapy Physician Assistant Studies Physical Therapy Radiologic Sciences  Speech Pathology and Audiology

Admission To Professional Programs

The Dean of the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions oversees the establishment and monitoring of the admission standards for the professional clinical degree programs. Each student must meet the admission standards of the program for which they are applying. However, because of limited capacities, admission is on a competitive basis. Notice of actions on applications for admission is provided by the respective departments. Any other correspondence between students and faculty members, department chairs, and/or administrative officers does not constitute nor does it imply admission to any specific program. 

Application forms and other information may be obtained from each department's website or by contacting the department directly. 

Undergraduate Promotion Policies

For professional component undergraduate students in Radiologic Sciences, a minimum grade of "C" is required in each professional component course. This minimum grade of "C" reflects only the letter grade since many courses will require an 80% or 90% competency in order to be considered passing level. Students receiving less than a "C" in a professional course in  Radiologic Sciences will not be allowed to proceed in the program (i.e. dismissed). Students not meeting this minimal requirement may apply for reinstatement by petitioning the respective departmental Student Evaluation and Promotions Committee. The student must petition in writing through the office of the Department Chair no later than five days prior to the beginning of the semester for which reinstatement is requested. If for any reason, a student must withdraw from the professional component of a program, readmission will require approval of the appropriate Department Chair and the Dean of the College.

Undergraduate students majoring in Speech and Hearing Sciences must complete each SHS course with a grade of "C" or better. 

Transient Course Work Credit

All students enrolled in the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions must receive prior approval from their academic advisor, the Chair of the Department and the Dean before taking courses at another institution. Failure to obtain prior approval may result in loss of credit for the course work.

Graduate Degree Programs

The Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Communication Sciences and Disorders; two clinical doctoral degrees, the Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) and the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT); and 4 Masters degrees, the Master of Biomedical Sciences, the Master of Health Sciences (MHS), Master of Occupational Therapy (MSOT), and Master of Speech-Language Pathology (MSLP). These degrees are administered through the Department, the College, and the Graduate School. Program requirements for all graduate programs can be found under the respective departmental information.

Admission To Graduate Programs

In addition to the minimum requirements set by the Graduate School, students applying to clinical graduate programs in the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The minimum GRE score required to apply for admission to each graduate program is established by the program's admissions committee. Some clinical programs may request a waiver to this requirement.  Interested students should check the specific requirements for every program.

Admission to the graduate programs in the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions is competitive. The programs are limited access and students are admitted based on their credentials. Students are encouraged to refer to the departmental website for admissions criteria and information.

Documents required for Admission

All documents required for admission review such as transcripts and test scores must be official. Transcripts must be transmitted from the home institution to the department. Scores from testing agencies must be sent directly to the University. These documents become the property of the University of South Alabama. Programs may use a Centralized Application System or other admissions process. Students may be asked to upload transcripts, test scores, and letters of recommendation to this system as well. If a student decides to apply to another program, a new application and processing fee must be submitted.

Grade Standards

The grading system for graduate-level includes "A", "B", "C", and "F". A minimum overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 must be maintained throughout the program. A maximum of eight semester credits of courses with the grade of "C" may be counted toward a clinical degree program. Additional details are provided in the Academic Dismissal section below. Students may, with approval of the departmental faculty, repeat a course in which a "C" has been earned. Any grade lower than a "C" in any course will result in academic dismissal from the program.  Academic programs may establish more stringent grade requirements for program retention. 

Students may appeal dismissal in accordance with the CAHP Appeals Process for Academic Dismissal, but reinstatement is not automatically granted and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Academic Dismissal

Any term in which a graduate student drops below an overall 3.0 GPA, the student is placed on probationary status and has a period of two terms to attain an overall 3.0 GPA or be dismissed.

Students who receive more than 8 credit hours of "C" in courses will be dismissed from their program. The student may appeal the dismissal following the CAHP Appeals Process for Academic Dismissal.  If the appeal is granted, the student may be allowed to retake up to one course in order to reduce the number of hours of "C" within the 8-hour limit. If the student cannot reach this limit by retaking only one course, they will be dismissed from the program. If the student is allowed to remain in the program by retaking one course, any "C" grades in the repeated course and future courses will also result in automatic dismissal from the program.

Any grade lower than a "C" will result in academic dismissal.  A student who is academically dismissed from a program will not be allowed to re-apply to the same program.

Academic Misconduct 

A student dismissed from a  graduate program as the result of an academic misconduct penalty will be automatically dismissed from the College and will not be eligible to apply for readmission.

Final Grade Grievance Policy

A student may initiate an inquiry under procedures set forth in The Lowdown (www.southalabama.edu/lowdown/).

Appeal Procedure

Students may appeal academic dismissal, academic misconduct dismissal and final grade grievance decisions under specified circumstances. Information concerning this procedure may be obtained from the office of the Dean of the College.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of twenty-five (25) semester hours of transfer credit from regionally accredited universities may be accepted by a program. Programs in the College may accept transfer credit from a regionally accredited university and/or programs with specialized accreditation; however, programs may set a limit to the total transfer credit accepted and programs are not required to accepted transfer credits.  Prior approval of the Chair of the department and College Director of Graduate/Professional Studies is required. For specific information concerning Transfer Credit see appropriate section under Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions or contact the Chair of the specific program. Only courses with "A" or "B" grades are acceptable for transfer.

Student Responsibility

While the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions will endeavor to provide timely and accurate advisement, it is the responsibility of the student to know and satisfy the degree requirements of the academic program, to be aware of the University and College academic calendar and to understand and comply with University and College academic policies and procedures.