College of Health Professions’ speech-language pathology master’s program receives full accreditation

CHARLESTON, S.C. (August 20, 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. 

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About MUSC 

 Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates over 3,300 students in six colleges and trains more than 1,060 residents and fellows across its health system. MUSC leads the state in federal, National Institutes of Health and other research funding. For information on our academic programs, visit MUSC.edu. 

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. In 2025, for the 11th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit MUSCHealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $8.3 billion. The nearly 34,000 MUSC members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, contract employees, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research and patient care.