College of Health Professions speech-language pathology masters program receives full accreditation

CHARLESTON, S.C. (August 25, 2025) – The Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program, which graduated its third cohort this August, received notification from the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association that the program was granted full accreditation.

“We are so excited! Accreditation is an important milestone that reflects our commitment to the highest standards of academic and clinical preparation,” said Christina Pelatti, Ph.D., associate professor and division director. “This distinction affirms our commitment to excellence in student training, and it gives students, employers and our patients confidence in the quality of our graduates’ education and experiences.”

The accreditation marks a major milestone for MUSC’s SLP program, which launched as a candidate for accreditation in May 2021 and welcomed its inaugural cohort in August 2021. The two‑year lock‑step curriculum emphasizes medical speech‑language pathology and provides rigorous hands‑on clinical training that mirrors what students are learning in the classroom. By the time they graduate, students have completed six clinical rotations across the field’s scope of practice, including a full-time clinical externship, a key factor in helping to meet a growing demand for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) equipped to work in health care settings.

Trained to evaluate, treat and teach patients who have difficulty communicating and/or swallowing, SLPs work in a broad range of settings, including schools, hospitals, nursing homes, home health and private practices. MUSC’s status as the state’s only comprehensive academic medical center advantageously positions its graduates for success working with medically complex patients across the scope of practice, in all practice settings, from schools to hospitals, both within the state and nationwide. In an independent report by Wiley Education Services, more than one-third of the nation’s states have a high demand for SLPs, including South Carolina, where the Bureau of Labor Statistics projected a 19% increase in jobs for SLPs from 2016 to 2026.

MUSC’s SLP program stands apart nationally for its innovative design, blending rigorous coursework with clinical rotations from the very first semester in the adult acute care setting. Students also benefit from a unique specification grading system that prioritizes mastery of content via competency over competition. The curriculum emphasizes the development of clinical and decision-making skills that align with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework’s integration of the social and medical models of disability, which is achieved hands-on and with real-world practice, with each didactic course aligned to a corresponding clinical experience. Students learn in an active, team-based environment through group problem-solving, role-playing and real-world case discussions, while rotating through MUSC’s hospitals and community-based settings to serve diverse patients across the scope of SLP. These core aspects, rare in speech-language pathology but common in other medical fields, facilitate students’ integration of knowledge and clinical skills seamlessly, preparing them for excellence in practice from day one.

Applications for the fall 2026 cohort are open through Dec. 1, 2025. For more information about the program, visit chp.musc.edu/slp.