Study the neurological processes involved in speech recognition. Discover what happens in the mind of an infant about to speak his first words. Advance our understanding of treating language disorders in patients who have aphasia. Or ask a fascinating new question about human communication processes and begin your own search for the answer.

If you are an exceptional student with a bachelor’s degree who wants to pursue a career in speech-language pathology with a focus on research, you may qualify for this innovative, combined MS/PhD program. For the first two years, you will focus on meeting the requirements for the MS-SLP degree and will graduate with this degree at the end of two years of study.  If you complete all of the MS-SLP academic and clinical requirements with a GPA of 3.5 and a thesis, you’ll be formally admitted to the doctoral program. After completing a year of core topics and research design coursework, you’ll work with your selected research mentor to complete a qualifying research project and begin your dissertation research.

We’re a small program in a large research university

We’re proud that Boston University ranks among the country’s best educators of future speech-language pathologists. U.S. News & World Report’s latest graduate school rankings rated our graduate Speech-Language Pathology program #10 out of 261 accredited programs.

Because you’re at Boston University, you’ll have access to outstanding academic resources and research opportunities—many in Sargent’s own research centers and labs, as well as interdisciplinary projects in other departments at BU. You’ll also find extensive learning and research options in Boston, a world-renowned center of scientific and medical research. Learn more about our faculty’s work in Sargent research centers and labs in Special Edition Inside Sargent: Accomplishments in Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences.

You’ll get broad clinical experience, on campus and off

Starting in your first semester, your clinical practicum courses will give you the broadest possible exposure to patients across the lifespan with communication disorders at all levels of severity. You’ll work in many settings, too, from early intervention to nursing homes, from schools to private practice.

This breadth of experience is possible for two reasons. First, Sargent College operates its own clinical centers right on campus. Our graduate students, supervised by faculty practitioners, treat groups and individuals from the Boston community at the Academic Speech, Language & Hearing Center. Specialized clinics, such as the Aphasia Resource Center, provide greater depth of experience with specific disorders.

Secondly, our location in a world-class medical hub gives us access to premiere institutions like Massachusetts General Hospital and Children’s Hospital Boston for student internships. Our students learn from and work with master clinicians at the city’s most respected medical facilities.

A PhD in Speech-Language Pathology will prepare you for a leadership position in the field. Most of our doctoral students plan to pursue careers in research, university teaching or administration of clinical practice. The MS/PhD program welcomes students with diverse educational backgrounds from all over the world. We invite you to read more about the program.

Want to learn more?

We invite you to introduce yourself by filling out the Request Information form. You can also contact us by email at sargrad@bu.edu.