Lead with Confidence in Speech-Language Pathology

Our fully online 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 healthcare and 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. We provide rich intellectual resources through our affiliation with Mass General Brigham.

Curriculum Tailored for Working Professionals

1

The only clinical doctorate of SLP in New England

6

Semesters of Primarily Asynchronous Courses for MS-SLPs

2

Points of Program Entry (Fall & Summer)

Curriculum

  • Eight 3-credit core courses
  • Two 3-credit electives
  • Five capstone project specific 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.

 

View Fall Entry Curriculum

View Summer Entry Curriculum

The MGH Institute Advantage in Speech-Language Pathology Doctoral Studies

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.

Customize your coursework by taking a deep dive into your specific area of interest within each of our core courses. 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. 

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

The Speech-Language Pathology doctorate program is beneficial to individuals who wish to take on roles as master clinicians, clinical educators, clinical administrators, or who wish to become more active in research. 

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

  1. Develop a deeper understanding of knowledge gaps within your 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. 

How to Apply

Step 1: Submit the application in our online portal.
Step 2: Upload Required Supplemental Documents*

*After submitting your application, you will receive an email with your log-in information and a link to upload all the required supplemental documents. You can also view your application status and pending supplemental documents via the application portal.

 

Dates & Deadlines

Program Start Date: Summer 2025
Priority deadline is November 15, 2024
 

 

Apply Now

Degree

For admission to the SLPD program, applicants must be a speech-language pathologist, having an earned a bachelor’s degree (in any field) and a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from one of the following:

  1. A regionally accredited U.S. college or university
  2. An accredited college or university (for those educated outside the U.S.)

GRE

The GRE is not required for Masters-prepared applicants.

TOEFL/ IELTS

The language of instruction and clinical education at the MGH Institute is English and a high level of proficiency in both written and spoken English is required.  Applicants who have not completed either an undergraduate or graduate program where English is the language of instruction must demonstrate English Language proficiency as part of your application to the MGH Institute of Health Professions.  If you have questions about the language requirements, please contact the Office of Admissions.

  • Applicants who are citizens of Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, Guyana, an Anglophone country of Africa, or an English-speaking country of the Caribbean are not required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores.
  • Applicants who are candidates for graduation from an accredited degree-granting program in the United States or at an English-speaking school in one of the countries listed above are also not required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. Acceptance to the IHP will be contingent upon successful completion of this degree prior to matriculation. 

Please note that in some circumstances, demonstrating English language proficiency may be required by the academic program even if you are a citizen of a country in which the (or one of the) national language(s) is English. Decisions about the need for TOEFL or IELTS scores are at the discretion of the academic program to which you are applying in coordination with the department of OES.

The IHP accepts either the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). The test must have been taken within two years of the application deadline and official score reports are required. The minimum TOEFL (internet-based) score accepted is 89 and the minimum IELTS score accepted is 6.5.   

  • To forward your TOEFL score please contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS).  The MGH Institute of Health Professions code is 3513.
  • For IELTS, a Test Report Form may be mailed to MGH Institute of Health Professions and score information will be verified by the IHP directly. You may designate up to 5 schools to receive Test Report Forms at the time you register for the test.  To request additional Test Report Forms, contact your test center.

Please contact the Office of Admissions if you have any questions about the MGH Institute’s English Language requirements.  

Applicants are required to submit a transcript from each college and/or university attended, even if a degree was not received from that institution. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted throughout the application process, and official transcripts will only be required prior to enrolling in the program. 

The Office of Admission strongly encourages the use of online electronic transcript ordering which can be sent directly via email to admissions [at] mghihp.edu (admissions[at]mghihp[dot]edu). If this is not an option and your institution does not participate in electronic transcript delivery, please request official transcripts be sent to the mailing address listed below:
      

Admission Office
MGH Institute of Health Professions
36 First Avenue
Boston, MA 02129

Applicants that have earned a degree from a non-US institution are required to submit a course-by-course credential evaluation from one of the following NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) members: Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., SpanTran: The Evaluation Company, World Education Services (WES), or the Center for Educational Documentation. If you earned your bachelor's degree outside of the U.S. this credential evaluation must document minimum equivalency of a US baccalaureate degree or higher.

Essay/Goal Statement

An essay is required for admission to the IHP SLPD program, which should include self-reflection related to leadership potential and long-term goals. The applicant will be prompted to upload the essay as part of supplemental materials, after submitting the application online.

All applicants are required to compose an essay that addresses the following:    

The mission of the MGH Institute of Health Professions Clinical Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology program is to develop highly effective leaders who draw upon cutting-edge clinical expertise and critical thinking abilities to advance the impact of our profession on patient outcomes. MGH IHP highly values having a diverse student population as a key element in the educational experience of its students. Diversity presents itself in many different social identities, such as: socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality or place of origin, ability, unique life or work experience, etc.  

During the program, students will complete a Capstone Project based on a topic area or skill set that aligns with their unique learning goals. Using 5,000 characters or less:

  1. Describe your short and long-term career goals and how they relate to your current clinical practice area
  2. Describe how you anticipate your academic pursuits at IHP will help you achieve these goals, and lastly
  3. Reflect and share how your social identities, experiences, and/or perspectives might advance the impact of our profession on patient outcomes.

If you are applying to the SLPD program with a Capstone project mentor in mind, please also include how you envision this mentor helping you achieve your professional goals.

(Optional) Recommendation Letters

Letters should address the applicant’s potential for graduate education/scholarly study and the applicant’s potential for leadership within the profession. 

All recommendations will be processed electronically through our online application. Please provide contact information for each recommender within the online application.

Resume or CV

Please upload your most recent resume or CV. At a minimum this document should include:

  • Undergraduate and any graduate institutions, degree(s), major, minor/concentration (if applicable)
  • Your SLP License information (state and number), if licensed in the United States.
  • Certifications and Professional Designations
  • Employment Experiences

For more information about the academic program, curriculum, or course requirements:

Please contact the Program Director.

 

For information about the application process, my application status, or what documents to submit:

You are welcome to admissions [at] mghihp.edu (email the admission office), or call (617) 726-1304 weekdays between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Institute supports your path toward obtaining a post-professional degree.

Current rates:

  • Tuition Rate: $1,270 per credit
  • A matriculation fee of *$700 will be charged in the first semester of attendance.
    • *A General Student Fee will be charged at $69 per credit.
    • *Matriculation and General student fees are subject to change based on rates for the 2021-2022 academic year which will not be approved and published until March of 2021. 

 

Tuition & Costs

Tuition Reduction

 

Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology (SLPD) program slide presented by Bridget Perry, focusing on advanced SLP certification, speech-language pathology doctoral studies, and leadership roles in communication sciences.
View a recorded webinar led by our Program Director Bridget Perry, discussing the requirements, student experience, capstone projects and mentorship.

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, where the primary focus of students is research.  The SLPD program allows students to continue working while pursuing their degree and takes less time to complete than the PhD. 

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 12 students.

The SLPD is beneficial to individuals who wish to take on roles as master clinicians, clinical educators, clinical administrators, or who wish to become more active in research. Approximately 10% of university positions in the field during the 2010-2011 academic year were filled by individuals with an SLPD. You can do many things following your speech-language pathology doctoral studies, including Pediatric speech pathology, language therapy specialization and SLP leadership roles.
 

Upcoming Admissions Events

12 Dec
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Learn from Leading Experts in SLP

Faculty members in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders regularly publish in leading academic and professional journals, present at conferences, and secure grants – all with the goal of improving techniques and care practices to help improve the lives of patients

View All CSD Faculty
Professional headshot of an MGH IHP Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology program faculty member with a studio background.

Interim Chair, Communication Sciences and Disorders Associate Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders Program Director, Clinical Doctorate in Speech Language Pathology Program Director, Swallowing & Communication Collaborative

Outdoor headshot of a faculty member from the MGH IHP Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology program.

Assistant Professor Communication Sciences and Disorders Director, Teaching and Supporting Student Experience in Learning Lab (TASSEL)

Professional headshot of a distinguished faculty member in the MGH IHP Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology program.

Chair, Professor Communication Sciences and Disorders School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

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Assistant Professor Communication Sciences and Disorders

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Assistant Professor, SLPD Communication Sciences and Disorders