Share

PEBT

 

Lead with Confidence. Advance with Knowledge. 

Our Speech-Language Pathology doctorate program develops highly effective leaders and practitioners who draw on cutting-edge clinical expertise and critical thinking abilities to improve patient outcomes and advance educational systems. The program prepares certified speech-language pathologists with a strong desire to advance their clinical practice and leadership skills to assume advanced professional roles both within the field and within interprofessional teams. The program provides rich intellectual resources through our affiliation with Mass General Brigham.

 

Designed for the Working Professional

 • Two points of entry (fall and summer)

 • Flexible schedule with primarily self-directed learning & optional live discussions

 • Personalized learning model with assignments focused on your area of clinical practice

View of the back of a red headed lady wearing over ear headphones and monitoring a session on a computer
Primarily Online Format

6 semesters for Master's prepared SLPs

+ 2 On-site Intensives

Complete coursework online; come to Boston twice with your cohort

The Only

Clinical doctorate of Speech-Language Pathology in New England

 

 

 

The IHP Advantage for SLPD

Interdisciplinary focus

Learn and collaborate with students and practitioners from across the health professions, empowering you to provide patient-centered care in an increasingly complex health care environment.

Personalized learning model

Customize your coursework and take a deep dive into a specific area of interest. You will be matched with capstone mentors that help you meet your specific learning objectives. Mentors can be from within or outside the Institute depending on your selected topic. 

Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Topics, projects, and action plans throughout the curriculum focus on influencing and promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in service delivery for clients. 

 

Meet our Program Director: Bridget Perry

 

"As a speech language pathologist myself, I know firsthand many of the challenges SLP’s face in clinical practice today. The Post-Professional SLPD program at the IHP aims to provide practicing SLPs with the skills they need to become highly skilled, advanced clinical practitioners and field leaders within interprofessional health care and educational settings. Additionally, the SLPD will provide speech language pathologists with the opportunity to obtain an advanced degree similar to those now required by our colleagues in other rehabilitation disciplines."

-Bridget Perry, PhD, CCC-SLP

 

 

bridget perry headshot - she leans against a corridor wall with arms crossed in a friendly manner

Meet other Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders faculty 

A professor points to a laptop one of her students is working on, while another student works on a laptop nearby
 

SLPD Curriculum

The SLPD curriculum consists of:

  • Eight 3-credit core courses

  • Two 3-credit electives

  • Four 1-credit Capstone Project courses

The core courses are six weeks long and are taken one at a time.  The Capstone Project courses span the entire 14-week semester and run concurrent with core classes.  The Capstone Project sequence provides an opportunity to individualize your learning experience by allowing you to target a specific skill set and immediately apply it to your clinical practice.

Course content is delivered via our online learning platform and available in written, video, and auditory modes to meet all learning styles. In addition to self-directed learning, an optional weekly live session allows you to collaborate with peers and further expand opportunities to apply new knowledge.

 

 

 

 

A Unique and Innovative Approach to SLP

Achieving your clinical doctorate in speech language pathology supports "advanced clinical practice and opportunities for specialization" (ASHA, 2020). The SLPD is beneficial to individuals who wish to take on roles as master clinicians, clinical educators, clinical administrators, or wish to conduct their own independent research.

4 column infographic saying develop, define, advance and disseminate with a bar underneath them all saying examine

 

Over the course of the two-year online program, you will: 

  1. Develop a deeper understanding of knowledge gaps within their area of clinical practice or interest 
  2. Define a focused question and targeted approach to address a specific knowledge gap  
  3. Advance interpersonal, interprofessional, and interdisciplinary knowledge through the execution of a capstone project 
  4. Disseminate newly discovered knowledge to wide audience of peers and interdisciplinary teams.  

Throughout the program, students will tackle their studies with careful examination of issues surrounding justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in their area of clinical practice and in health care service delivery in general. 

 

A group of two women and a man sit around a coonference table smiling, the man gestures with his hands
 

Institute Pledges to Combat Racial Injustice Head On

Group of multi-racial students on a staircase

In late June 2020, the IHP announced the diversity office would become the Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, or JEDI. Its agenda includes a new anti-oppression statement; the expansion of the JEDI Fellowship program; programs to improve the diversity, retention, and support of faculty, staff, and students of color, especially Black faculty, staff, and students; and a review and streamlining of procedures for reporting bias. View an update on the progress in this January 2021 email from IHP President Paula Milone-Nuzzo and JEDI Executive Director Kim Truong.

screen grab from PPP event in spring 2020 with Dr. Taharee Jackson and Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah

 

 

 
 
 

SLPD Frequently Asked Questions

How does an SLPD degree compare to a PhD?

The Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology (SLPD) degree is primarily for students who want to acquire additional knowledge and skills in a focused area of speech-language pathology in order to assume advanced professional roles-such as master clinician, clinical educator, clinical administrator, or leader in a clinical setting or area of specialization-or to serve as collaborators and supporters of clinical research. The SLPD is unlike the PhD, as the focus is not developing individuals whose primary focus is research.  The SLPD program allows students to continue working while pursuing their degree and takes less time to complete than the PhD. 

Is the program traditional (face-to-face), online, or hybrid/blended? 

The program is primarily online, with two visits to Boston required over the course of the program. 

How many students do you accept each year? 

Students have flexibility in when they choose to enter the program, with either a Summer semester start or a Fall semester start. Each cohort will have approximately eight students. 
 

How much does the program cost? Will there be funding available? 

The Institute supports your path toward obtaining a post-professional degree. Tuition information including costs and discounts are detailed here. Please reach out to the program director for any questions regarding program costs and available discounts.  
 

What kinds of career benefits would a SLPD bring me? Would an SLPD allow teaching at the university level?  

The SLPD is beneficial to individuals who wish to take on roles as master clinicians, clinical educators, clinical administrators, or who wish to conduct their own independent research. Approximately 10% of university positions in the field during the 2010-2011 academic year were filled by individuals with an SLPD.