Communication Sciences and Disorders PhD

PH.D. PROGRAM IN COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND DISORDERS


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The Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders is a research-based degree designed to train doctoral candidates to become productive scholars and educators in their field. Students in the program will receive training and experience in all aspects of the research process, including conducting research studies and analyzing data, presenting and writing up research, applying for funding, and personal and professional integration into the international scientific community for their field of study. We emphasize the development of programmatic lines of research and follow an apprenticeship model; thus, students will participate in and eventually lead research in their primary advisor’s specialization area. Involvement in other faculty’s research labs is also strongly encouraged and facilitated. All of our doctoral faculty have strong research portfolios, and are also certified speech-language pathologists with research interests in diverse populations. Translational research, bilingualism and cross-language work characterize much of our research. The doctoral program is full-time.

Topics of study include:

  • The development of outcome measures and novel, theoretically motivated treatments in (monolingual and bilingual) aphasia. Eye tracking methodology to investigate cognitive and linguistic processing in acquired neurogenic disorders and in healthy adult populations.
  • The study of cultural and environmental factors that affect young children’s language and literacy development, as well as the development of school readiness assessments and interventions, with a focus on bilingual populations.
  • Effects of speech cues and treatment for increasing intelligibility across languages in children with dysarthria due to cerebral palsy and in adults with Parkinson Disease.
  • Speech perception and production in second language learning.
  • Improving health outcomes and quality of life associated with disorders of airway protection (i.e., swallowing and coughing) by 1) identifying the mechanisms of swallowing dysfunction to determine targets for treatment and 2) developing and testing novel treatment approaches for airway protective deficits.
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A student is engaged in conversation with one her peers at a study group at Teachers College.

Admission Information

Displaying requirements for the Spring 2025, Summer 2025, and Fall 2025 terms.

Doctor of Philosophy

  • Points/Credits: 75
  • Entry Terms: Fall
  • Enrollment Formats: Full-Time Campus-Based

Application Deadlines

Entry Term AvailablePriority DeadlinesFinal DeadlinesExtended Deadlines
SpringN/AN/AN/A
SummerN/AN/AN/A
FallDecember 1, 2024December 1, 2024N/A

Select programs remain open beyond our standard application deadlines, such as those with an extended deadline or those that are rolling (open until June or July). If your program is rolling or has an extended deadline indicated above, applications are reviewed as they are received and on a space-available basis. We recommend you complete your application as soon as possible as these programs can close earlier if full capacity has been met.

Application Requirements

 Requirement
 Online Degree Application, including Statement of Purpose and Resume
 Transcripts and/or Course-by-Course Evaluations for all Undergraduate/Graduate Coursework Completed
 Results from an accepted English Proficiency Exam (if applicable)
 $75 Application Fee
 Three (3) Letters of Recommendation
 Academic Writing Sample

For admission-related inquiries, please contact BBSadmission@tc.columbia.edu.

Requirements from the TC Catalog (AY 2024-2025)

Displaying catalog information for the Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 terms.

View Full Catalog Listing

This program is designed for individuals primarily interested in research and teaching careers in speech and language pathology. A minimum of 75 points must be completed, though 30 points may potentially be transferred from a master's degree program. There is no foreign language requirement. All doctoral candidates must complete a dissertation. For general details concerning the doctoral programs, please consult the Office of Doctoral Studies website. For more information about our doctoral program, please go to our program website.

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