The program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (CAA).

The Master’s of Science education program in speech-language pathology (distance education) at Ithaca College is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.

Our current accreditation period extends through January 31, 2027.

View our department's vision, mission, and strategic plan here.

Ithaca College is accredited by The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)

Tuition for the online MS SLP degree is $1,000 per credit hour. For those who already meet all prerequisites, the total tuition is $53,000. For those who need to complete prerequisite courses, the total tuition is $71,000.

Throughout your program, you will have four clinical practica, as well as two full-time externships in the final semester. These experiences will prepare you for a career in speech-language pathology.

Our dedicated placement team will work with you to secure a clinical placement as near to your home as possible.

Our dedicated placement team will help you find an appropriate clinical experience so you can save time and focus on your studies.

The clinical experiences are designed to provide you with real-world, hands-on experience to complement your classroom learning. These off-campus experiences in practice settings near your home enrich your graduate experience by preparing you for action in the field in a variety of settings.

General students have a bachelor’s degree and have completed all their foundational Speech-Language-Hearing coursework.

• They have bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders/speech-language hearing fields and have completed all the necessary foundational courses.
• They have a bachelor’s in another field but have completed the foundational SLP coursework in a leveling or bridge program.

Leveling students typically do not have a communication sciences and disorders/speech-language-hearing background and require foundational coursework to begin the MS-SLP program.

Successful completion of the M.S. SLP degree includes 53 credit hours (8 semesters) without prerequisite courses and 71 credit hours (11 semesters) should prerequisite courses be required.

Yes! This program is designed specifically for working professionals to maintain work/life balance. No campus visits or travel are required. However, in certain semesters you will be expected to dedicate time to clinical experiences and work commitment may need to change.

Ithaca’s MS-SLP online leveling pathway includes 6 foundational speech-language-hearing courses, completed over 1 year before starting your graduate SLP courses.

The degree can be completed in 3 years (8 semesters) or less without prerequisite courses or just under 4 years (11 semesters) with prerequisite courses.

Yes! Ithaca College has a more than 100-year legacy in SLP education, so you can expect a quality education taught by expert faculty dedicated to student success.

Foundational Speech-Language-Hearing Leveling Courses are the core courses required to enter the MS-SLP program. These are typically included in a Speech-Language Hearing bachelor’s program or bridge program, but Ithaca College offers an optional online MS-SLP pathway that incorporates these foundational courses into the SLP degree.

Leveling courses include Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanisms, Phonetics, Child Language Development, Basic Audiology, Basic Speech Science and Clinical Observation.

Prerequisite Science Courses are typically taken elsewhere and must be completed by both General and Leveling students before entering Ithaca’s MSSLP program. However, students can apply to the MSSLP program before the prerequisite coursework is completed.

Students must take one college class in Physics or Chemistry, Biology, Statistics and Social or Behavioral Science.

Ithaca College’s offers two online pathways to an MS-SLP:

• A General pathway for those with a Speech-Language-Hearing background.
• A Leveling pathway that incorporates required foundational Speech-Language-Hearing coursework.

Yes. The coursework for this program is 100% online with no on-campus residency requirement. However, students will gain hands-on experience through in-person clinical placement near their community.

The online M.S. SLP degree has two intakes per year, Fall and Spring.

For admission into this program, students must meet the following requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree with 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
• 2 letters of recommendation
• 25 observation hours (General track students only)
• Prerequisites courses

If you have completed any leveling courses with a B or higher, you do not need to retake them. Upon the completion and verification of a completed CSDCAS application, your application and transcripts are reviewed to determine your plan of study and any outstanding coursework, or requirements needed.

After reviewing our site, we encourage you to submit a request for information, which will direct you to a program brochure page with a link to register for one of our upcoming information session webinars. The information session webinar is a valuable opportunity to hear from an admissions advisor to gain a comprehensive understanding of the program, requirements, application process and more. You’ll also learn from a live audience Q&A session.

Required Speech-Language-Hearing Leveling Courses – Offered Online

These required foundational leveling courses are offered online by Ithaca College and can be built into your MSSLP program.

• Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanisms
• Phonetics
• Child Language Development
• Basic Audiology
• Basic Speech Science
• Clinical Observation – Leveling Students Only

Prerequisite Science Courses*

One college-level course in each of the following must be completed before starting your MSSLP program, but you can apply to the program before the coursework is completed.

• Physics or Chemistry
• Biology
• Statistics
• Social or Behavioral Science

*These courses are not offered online and are typically completed elsewhere.

An evaluation of your transcripts will determine what prerequisite courses are needed.

Yes, to prevent delays in the verification process all applicants must provide official transcripts from ALL colleges and universities where they have received college credit. Transcripts are required to submit your courses to your CSDCAS application.

CSDCAS (Centralized Application Service for Communication Sciences and Disorders) is a centralized application service for graduate SLP programs, including Ithaca College’s online MS-SLP. When you are ready to apply to Ithaca’s online MS-SLP program, you will be directed to the CSDCAS site.

Due to the high demand and limited MS-SLP program capacity application deadlines can change. Please refer to https://csdcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login for the most up-to-date deadline information.

Upon the completion and verification of a completed CSDCAS application, your application and transcripts are reviewed to determine your plan of study and any outstanding requirements needed.