PhD in Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences

Designed to educate future members of the speech, language and hearing sciences (SLHS) professoriate, industry researchers and clinical practitioners, the PhD program focuses on research and teaching related to human communication sciences and disorders. Students apply basic and clinical findings to real-world problems in SLHS domains. 

Graduates are prepared to produce original research, become effective teachers and communicate their expertise to a variety of audiences.

Graduate Student Resources

Research Areas

Neurological Disorders and Neuroscience

Development, Cognition and Learning

Applied Communication Sciences and Disorders

Perception and Hearing Science

Research Areas

Programs of Study

PhD students choose an area of specialization, such as autism or neurogenic disorders. Curriculum requirements include research exposure courses (such as Research Rotation and Statistical Applications for Translational Research) and teaching experience in the discipline.

Depending on their interests, academic background in speech-language pathology (SLP) and career goals, students can complete this PhD program in three to five years.

• Enroll with 30 credits from a master’s degree: three years minimum in the PhD program
• Enroll with a BA in non-SLP field: four years minimum
• Enroll with a BA in SLHS and earn an MA in SLP along the way: five years minimum

Our doctoral program is on hold due to ramifications from Covid-19. We will not be accepting applications this year.

For more detailed information, please review the PhD Handbook (PDF). If you would like to request an accessible version of the PhD Handbook, please let us know.

Course Requirements