The 12 Best Online Master’s Programs for Speech and Language Pathology

If your goal is to become a speech-language pathologist (also known as an SLP or speech therapist), you’re going to need to earn a master’s degree in speech-language pathology or communication disorders. The programs that offer these degrees are academically rigorous; they typically require applicants to hold a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology or to have completed numerous prerequisite undergraduate courses relevant to the field. They also tend to be highly focused and designed for aspiring SLPs, and, as a result, they don’t usually offer many elective courses.

There are more than 260 master’s degree programs for speech therapists accredited by ASHA’s Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) at US graduate schools. Many of them are designed for distance learners. They even assist students in finding clinical placements right in their own communities. Not all graduate degrees are compatible with online study, but the master’s in speech and language pathology clearly is.

Some, but not all, of these programs are 100 percent online. Some require students to visit campus to participate in immersion events or clinical practicums. Make sure you understand what you’re committing to in terms of on-site study before you enroll in an online speech-language pathology master’s degreeprogram.

In this guide to the best online master’s programs for speech language pathology, we’ll cover:

• What you’ll study in a speech-language pathology degree program
• How long is the master’s program for speech pathology?
• What are the best online master’s programs for speech and language pathology?

What you’ll study in a speech-language pathology degree program

The curricula in master’s in speech-language pathology degree programs and master’s in communication disorders degree programs are very similar. In both, you’ll complete coursework focused on the following topics:

• Anatomy and speech
• Audiology
• Biology
• Communication disorders
• Communication technologies
• Craniofacial abnormalities
• Dysphagia
• Language development
• Language disorders in children
• Neurology
• Phonological disabilities
• Phonology
• Principles of intervention
• Psychology
• Voice science

All speech pathology degree programs at the master’s level require students to complete 400 clinical observation hours and clinical practicum hours. Online students typically complete their fieldwork hours locally. Most schools have clinical placement field advisors who arrange placements at schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and other clinical facilities. Students do not have to find their own placements.

How long is the master’s program for speech pathology?

Aspiring speech-language pathologists who want to study online and start working faster are out of luck: there are no accelerated online speech-language pathology graduate programs. Most online speech-language pathology and communication disorders programs take about three years to complete.

Students who begin their graduate studies as part-time students may eventually transition to full-time students during the most intensive practicum semesters. University program guides caution that it is very difficult to work full-time and complete an SLP master’s degree—even for part-time students. Remember, this is a clinical degree for driven speech-language professionals. There are no shortcuts.

What are the best online master’s programs for speech and language pathology?

For each of the online master’s in speech and language pathology programs below, we’ve included the most relevant information to consider when choosing a program:

• Degree type
• Tuition
• Graduation requirements
• Core courses
• Elective courses
• Features

All of these programs are accredited by the CAA. All facilitate the clinical experiences and skills necessary to obtain licensure and certification.

California State University – Northridge

• Degree: Master of Science in Communicative Disorders
• Format: 100 percent online (local clinical practicum experiences)
• Tuition: $832 per academic credit/$52,416 total tuition
• Graduation requirements: 63 credit hours over 41 months
• Core courses: Interviewing and Counseling in Communicative Disorders; Research in Communication Disorders; Language Disorders; Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology of Speech, Language and Hearing; Advanced Study of Articulation and Phonological Disorders in Children; Neurogenic Disorders of Cognition and Language; Structural and Neurogenic Speech Disorders; Voice and Disorders of Voice; Seminar in Developmental Language Disorders; Adult and Pediatric Swallowing/Feeding Disorders; Advanced Diagnostics in Speech and Language Pathology; Pediatric Audiology; Observation in Communication Disorders; Computer Applications in Communication Disorders; Leveling in Communication Disorders and Sciences; plus clinical experiences
• Elective courses: None listed
• Features: Program is in the cohort format to foster community and promote networking opportunities; the school offers a two-year prerequisite path for students who don’t have a bachelor’s degree in the field of communication disorders; the program won the Outstanding Program Award from the National Awards Committee of the University Professional & Continuing Education Association; completion of program satisfies licensure requirements for medical, rehabilitative, and educational settings in all 50 states, and confers certification by ASHA

East Carolina University

• Degree: Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Format: Online, full-time; students must attend two- to three-day orientation on-campus at outset of program; students for whom local field placements cannot be found must attend an 11-week summer clinical residency on the ECU campus
• Tuition: $249.26 per credit for in-state students; $893.82 for out-of-state students
• Graduation requirements: 54-60 credit hours over three years
• Core courses: Sample curriculum—Language Disorders; Articulation/ Phonology Disorders; Methods in SLP; Voice Disorders; Multicultural Communication Disorders; DE Clinical Internship; Linguistic/Cognitive Disorders; Craniofacial Anomalies & Alaryngeal Rehabilitation; Stuttering; Motor Speech Disorders; Professional Issues; Language & Learning Disabilities; Brain, Language & Aphasia; Dysphasia, Research Design
• Elective courses: None listed
• Features: The online SLP program mirrors the on-campus program; students can choose between speech-language pathology or communication sciences tracks

Emerson College

• Degree: Master of Science in Communication Disorders
• Format: Online, full-time or part-time, plus two visits to Emerson’s Boston campus
• Tuition: $1,251 per credit (app. $67,554 for full program)
• Graduation requirements: 72 credit hours over 20 or 36 months (54 applied credit hours and 18 foundational credit hours)
• Core courses: Neurologic Bases of Communication; Preschool Language Disorders; Research Methods and Measurements; Language and Literacy Disabilities; Speech Sound Disorders; Autism: Social Communication; Aphasia; Dysphagia; Aural Rehabilitation for the Speech-Language Pathologist; Fluency Disorders; Motor Speech Disorders; Voice Disorders; Augmentative and Alternative Communication; Cognitive Communicative Disorders; Clinical Methods; plus clinical hours
• Elective courses: Craniofacial Anomalies; Counseling and Family Systems; Early Intervention; Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Populations; Progressive Neurodegenerative Disorders; Practical Approaches to Fluency Therapy; Practicing Speech-Language Pathology in a Medical Setting
• Features: Students learn the same curriculum as in the on-campus program; students from all academic backgrounds are accepted; networking opportunities facilitated; close to 100 percent of our master’s degree program graduates have found Clinical Fellowship positions within three months of starting a search; a team of placement specialists helps students find clinical placements; clinical supervisors are licensed SLPs

Idaho State University

• Degree: Master of Science in Speech and Language Pathology
• Format: Online (plus two summer campus visits for clinical practicums)
• Tuition: $495 per credit hour
• Graduation requirements: 60-64 credits over three years
• Core courses: Early Language Development & Disorders; Speech Sound Disorders; Principles of Research in Communication Disorders; School-Age Language Development & Disorders; Disorders of Swallowing; Neurogenic Disorders of Language and Cognition; Neuropathologies of Speech; Augmentative & Alternative Communication; Craniofacial Anomalies; Fluency Disorders in Children and Adults; Advanced Issues in Language Disorders; Voice Disorders; Professional Issues: Speech-Language Pathology; plus clinical practicum hours and an externship
• Elective courses: None listed, though some students are required to take three credits of electives to fulfill graduation requirements
• Features: The school offers a 38-credit hour prerequisite program for students without a bachelor’s degree in Communication Science; students can choose between thesis and non-thesis program options; in addition to two on-campus summer clinical experiences, students also complete an eight-week full-time externships in their hometown region

James Madison University

• Degree: Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology
• Format: Online, part-time (some on-campus time is required)
• Tuition: $499 per credit hour for in-state students; $1,231 per credit hour for out-of-state students
• Graduation requirements: 44 credit hours over three years
• Core courses: Research in CSD; Neuroanatomy & Neurophysiology of Speech & Language; Physiological & Acoustical Phonetics; Advanced Children’s Language Disorders; Advanced Study of Phonological Disorders; Neuromotor Speech Disorders; Autism; Early Intervention; Language Disorders in Adults; Evaluation & Treatment of Swallowing Disorders; Pediatric Dysphagia; Aging & Communication; Communication Disorders of TBI; Voice Disorders; Processes & Disorders of Speech Fluency; Augmentative Communication; plus clinical hours
• Elective courses: Human Communication & Aural Rehabilitation; Advanced Sign Language; Reading and Research
• Features: Online students can complete clinical work in their communities; the program is open to career changers who complete prerequisite undergraduate course work in speech pathology; the school has a 100 percent PRAXIS pass rate and a 100 percent graduate employment rate; clinical placements are arranged and scheduled by an Off-Campus Field Placement Coordinator; clinical practical experiences are available in a wide range of professional settings

New York University

• Degree: Master of Science in Communicative Sciences and Disorders
• Format: Online, full-time or part-time, plus on-campus clinical immersions
• Tuition: $1,795 per credit hour
• Graduation requirements: 48 credit hours over 6-10 semesters
• Core courses: Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Swallow Mechanism; Neurological Bases of Cognition, Behavior, and Communication; Introduction to Audiology and Aural Rehabilitation; Phonetics; Science of Language; Language Development and Disorders in Children; Speech Development and Disorders; Critical Evaluation of Research in Speech and Hearing Sciences and Disorders; Speech Science: Instrumentation; Motor Speech Disorders; Adult Language Disorders; Fluency Disorders; Language Development and Disorders in School-Aged Children; Voice Disorders; Language Disorders in Children; Dysphagia in Children and Adults; Principles of Intervention with Speech-Language Disorders; Speech Sound Disorders in Children; Multicultural Issues in Communicative Sciences and Disorders; Professional Issues in Communicative Sciences and Disorders; plus clinical immersions and field placements
• Elective courses: Augmentative and Alternative Communication; Therapeutic Procedures in Speech Pathology: Aphasia; Craniofacial Anomalies; Language and Communication in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders; Neurogenic Speech Disorders in Children; Computerized Analysis of Language Transcripts
• Features: Students who graduate from the program have a 100 percent PRAXIS pass rate; each student is assigned a dedicated placement specialist who finds NYU Steinhardt faculty-approved clinical field placement sites; students can study abroad in Sweden or Ghana; three cohort start dates; classes are taught by scholars, published researchers, and active clinicians

Nova Southeastern University

• Degree: Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology
• Format: Online and hybrid, full-time or part-time
• Tuition: $1,219 per credit hour
• Graduation requirements: 53 credit hours over eight to 12 semesters
• Core courses: Diagnosis of Language and Speech Disorders; Language and Learning Disabilities in School-age Children and Adolescents; Communication Disorders in Infancy through Preschool; Clinical Processes; Language Disorders in Adults; Augmentative and Alternative Communication; Voice Disorders; Fluency Disorders; Motor Speech Disorders in Adults; Pediatric Feeding and Motor Speech Disorders; Dysphagia; Articulation and Phonological Disorders; Research Methods; Seminar in Professional Issues in Speech-Language Pathology; Multicultural and Counseling Issues; plus a capstone project, clinical labs, and one or more externships
• Elective courses: Autism Assessment: A Communication-Based Perspective; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Cognitive Communication Disorders; Craniofacial Anomalies; Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Educational Settings; Medical Aspects of Communication Disorders; Organization and Management of School-Based Speech-Language Pathology Programs
• Features: Asynchronous coursework paired with synchronous virtual class meetings allows students to continue working; classes are offered on evenings and weekends to meet the needs of working professionals; the university has specialized clinics in Augmentative and Alternative Communication; the program helps aspiring speech-language pathologists secure practicum placements

Texas Woman’s University

• Degree: Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology
• Format: Online
• Tuition: $276.30 per credit hour for residents; $698.30 for non-resident students
• Graduation requirements: 61 credit hours over seven semesters
• Core courses: Ethics and Clinical Procedures; Assessment and Diagnosis of Communication Disorders; Clinical Practicum; Neuronal Pathways of Communication; Language Disorders in School-Age Children; Adult Dysphagia; Speech Sound Disorders; Seminar in Neurological Disorders; Aural Habilitation; Pediatric Dysphagia; Advanced Neurological Disorders; Research in Communication Sciences; Augmentative and Alternative Communication; Speech and Hearing Science; Pediatric Motor Speech Disorders; Contemporary Issues in Communication Disorders; Fluency Disorders; Voice and Resonance Disorders; Counseling in a Cross-Cultural Society; Language Disorders in Preschool Children; plus clinical experiences
• Elective courses: Families and Young Children in Deaf Education; Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Relevance to Communication Disorders; Advanced Neurological Disorders
• Features: The program is funded by the Texas Education Agency, which sponsors SLPs who agree to work as speech pathologists in the Texas public school system; speech pathology graduate students can complete clinical work in local schools and medical centers; program runs in two-year cohort cycles

University of Akron Main Campus

• Degree: Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology
• Format: Online, part-time to full-time lockstep
• Tuition: $421.05 per credit hour for residents / $726.93 for non-resident students
• Graduation requirements: 74 credits over eight semesters
• Core courses: Language and Literacy Development; Advanced Phonetics; Neuroscience for Communicative Disorders; Clinical Processes in Communication Sciences and Disorders; Language Disorders in Later Childhood; Advanced Clinical Practicum: Speech-Language Pathology; Speech Sound Disorders; Adult Neuro-language Disorders; Cognitive Communicative Issues in Special Language; Dysphagia; Augmentative Communication; Neurogenic Speech Disorders; Public School Issues in Speech-Language-Hearing Programs; Voice Disorders; Fluency Disorders: Assessment, Counseling and Treatment; Audiology for the Speech-Language Pathologist; Research Methods in Communicative Disorders; plus medical or school-based externships and five clinical experiences
• Elective courses: None listed
• Features: This graduate program degree is offered in partnership with the University of Cincinnati; students can complete their clinical practicum requirement locally; small class sizes; no on-campus hours are required

University of Northern Colorado

• Degree: Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology
• Format: Online, part-time, plus a two- to three-week on-campus residency
• Tuition: $600 per credit hour
• Graduation requirements: 63 to 75 credit hours over three years
• Core courses: Interpretation and Evaluation of Behavioral Research; Introduction to Graduate Research; Foundations of Research & Writing; Articulation and Phonological Disorders in Children; Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology of Communication; Research in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology; Aural Rehabilitation and Amplification; Speech and Hearing Science; Assistive Technology for Communication Disorders; Disorders of Language & Literacy: School-Age and Adolescent; Diagnostic Procedures: Introduction; Clinical Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology: Intermediate; Language Disorders in Early Childhood & Preschool; Diagnostic Procedures: Intermediate; Clinical Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology: Intermediate/Advanced; Motor Speech Disorders: Lifespan; Voice & Resonance Disorders; Fluency Disorders; Advanced Diagnostic Procedures; Acquired Disorders of Language & Cognition; Professional Issues in SLP; Feeding and Swallowing Disorders: Lifespan; plus practicum and internship hours and a capstone project
• Elective courses: None listed
• Features: The program was designed for students who are working in speech-language pathology in a public school setting while earning a degree; students are admitted in cohort groups; the program follows a clinician-researcher model

University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire

• Degree: Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Format: Online, part-time (plus two weeks of on-campus residency)
• Tuition: $700 per credit
• Graduation requirements: 40-54 credit hours over three years
• Core courses: Aphasia and Related Disorders; Language Assessment; Clinical Methods in Communication Sciences and Disorders; Research in Communication Sciences and Disorders; Seminar: Childhood Apraxia of Speech; Seminar: Accent Addition; Counseling in Communication Disorders; Organic Voice and Speech Disorders; Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Assistive Technology for Speech-Language Pathologists;Seminar: Child/Adolescent Language Intervention; Dysphagia; Motor Speech Disorders; Birth to 21 Methods in Communication Disorders; Acquired Cognitive-Communicative Disorders; Pediatric Dysphagia; plus clinical practicum courses
• Elective courses: None listed
• Features: The university has an expert clinical facility with state-of-the-art technology on campus in the Center for Communication Disorders; program begins once a year, in the summer

Western Kentucky University

• Degree: Master of Science in Speech and Language Pathology
• Format: Online, full-time and part-time, plus a six-week summer internship
• Tuition: $45,000 for the entire program
• Graduation requirements: 60 credit hours
• Core courses: Research Methodology in CSD; Early Intervention in Speech Language Pathology; Motor Speech Disorders; Seminar in Child Language; Fluency Disorders; Aphasia; Voice Disorders; Speech Science; Neurology for Speech and Language; Speech Sound Disorders; Cognitive Linguistic Disorders; Dysphagia; Rehab Audiology; Professional IssuesAdvanced AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication Modalities); Clinical Methods in Speech-Language Pathology; plus clinical internships, externships, and clinical hours
• Elective courses: None listed, though students must complete 12 credit hours of approved electives
• Features: Study abroad opportunities in Belgium, France, the UK, and Northern Ireland; classes meet online (with synchronous lectures) during the evening to accommodate working professionals; the university offers a Pre-SLP leveling program

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