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Doctor of Philosophy Communicative Sciences and Disorders

Get the training you need to become an academic researcher and scholar. Through rigorous research experience, intensive course work, and collaboration with faculty mentors, you'll gain the skills for a career as an independent researcher in communicative sciences and disorders.

Degree Details

Official degree title.

Doctor of Philosophy in Communicative Sciences and Disorders

Your Academic Experience

Careers and outcomes, doctoral funding.

We welcome students with degrees in communicative sciences and disorders as well as related fields like psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience, with a strong and demonstrated interest in CSD-based research and scholarship to apply to our program.

The goal of the PhD in Communicative Sciences and Disorders is to develop outstanding scholars trained as strong independent researchers and teachers. You will learn to perform cutting-edge research on speech, language, and swallowing in both typical and atypical populations. 

Once accepted, you will have the opportunity to work closely with faculty members actively pursuing both basic science questions about the nature of communication sciences and the application of these questions to clinically diverse populations. The degree offers a rigorous mentorship process pairing individual students with a primary faculty advisor to develop a tailored program of study, including a research-focused lab rotation and teaching experience, to broaden your training. Learn more about our curriculum and degree requirements .

Current doctoral students are pursuing a wide range of research topics based on their specific interest areas, such as swallowing, speech and language disorders, multilingualism, acoustic biofeedback, noninvasive brain stimulation, and neuroimaging.

This field is positioned at the border of basic human science and applied clinical science. Our doctorate trains you to be an independent investigator and educator poised to contribute to each of these areas of inquiry. 

You will be presented with the opportunity for a variety of interdisciplinary experiences and skills to enhance your research career. The structure of our degree leads you to engage in scholarly, publishable research endeavors, positioning you for academic positions in a field with a well-documented shortage of faculty candidates.

NYU Steinhardt and the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders offer all full-time PhD students a complete funding and mentoring program. The funding is designed to help PhD students undertake full-time study and research, to participate in superior academic and scholarly experiences, and to complete their studies in a timely manner.

Students in the PhD program in Communicative Sciences and Disorders receive five years of fellowship (full tuition and fees, student health insurance, and a living stipend of ~$32,000). There are also opportunities to teach in order to supplement the scholarship. 

All admitted full-time PhD students in CSD are awarded a full funding package and are assigned to a faculty mentor. There is no special application for this funding program.

More Information 

To read more, please request the latest PhD Student Handbook.

For specific research queries about the doctoral degree, please contact the faculty member whose interests most reflect your own. Learn more about  our faculty members' active research . 

Learn more about our current doctoral students .

Questions 

If you have any additional questions about our degree, please feel free to contact Tara McAllister at [email protected] .

Communicative Sciences and Disorders

665 Broadway, 9th floor New York, NY 10012 Phone: 212-998-5230

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Graduate School

Communication sciences & disorders (ph.d.), communication sciences & disorders (ph.d.) | graduate.

Our students seek to understand the etiology, symptomatology, prevention, and remediation of speech, language, and hearing disorders. They significantly contribute to the communication sciences and disorders field, applying clinical and research evidence to real-world cases.

The Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Howard's Graduate School attracts exceptional students from diverse backgrounds and prepares them for fulfilling careers in research, teaching, or clinical practice in communication sciences and affiliated fields. Our program welcomes applicants with a master's degree in speech-language pathology or speech, language, and hearing sciences. You may choose from two research specialization areas: the adult neurological track or the child language track. In addition, you may elect to complete the more traditional dissertation or to develop a research project. You’ll have the opportunity to conduct case-based research, working alongside clinicians at Howard's Speech and Hearing Clinic or our partner schools, hospitals, early intervention and community clinics, and private practice settings throughout the DC Metropolitan Area. You'll pursue interdisciplinary coursework spanning psychology, special education, neurophysiology, linguistics, cognitive science, and health policy fields. You’ll also enjoy a highly collegial atmosphere and learn from faculty committed to your professional development. Our faculty conduct research on measures associated with treatments in childhood aphasia and apraxia of speech, eye tracking methodology to examine cognitive and linguistic processing issues, early intervention in aural rehabilitation, language processing and development in second language learning and monolingual contexts, and novel treatment approaches for neurogenic and swallowing disorders, among other areas of research. 

Program Snapshot

      ❱  72 credit hours        ❱  Full-time       ❱  On-campus format       ❱  Degree: Ph.D.

Application Deadline

Spring 2025 entry:         ❱  No spring entry 

Fall 2025 entry:         ❱  Dec. 1, 2024 (early deadline)       ❱  Feb. 15, 2025 (priority deadline)       ❱  Mar. 15, 2025 (final deadline)

Applicants should submit their applications as early as possible for earlier consideration of departmental funding opportunities. Applicants have until the final deadline to apply. However, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the admissions cycle. 

Transfer credits accepted (reviewed by director)

Dr. Andrea Toliver-Smith

Dr. alaina davis, program details.

• Degree Classification: Graduate
• Related Degrees: Ph.D.

Admission Requirements

Application for admission.

• Online GradCAS application
• Statement of purpose/ Statement of academic interest ( 500-1,000 words )
• GRE scores not   required
• Official transcripts sent to GradCAS
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Master’s degree in speech-language pathology or speech, language, and hearing sciences from an accredited college or university or the international equivalent 
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae
• Autobiographical statement (500-750 words)

GRE Required?

Gre preferred minimums     .

• GRE Verbal Reasoning: N/A
• GRE Quantitative Reasoning: N/A
• GRE Analytical Writing: N/A

GPA Required Minimums    

• Overall GPA minimum: 3.2
• Undergrad GPA minimum: 3.0

Reference Requirements    

Evaluator type accepted:

• Professor (Required)
• Supervisor/Manager

Evaluator type not accepted:

• Family Member

• SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

Where Science Meets Practice

Many Backgrounds

Biology - Education - Engineering - Linguistics - Neuroscience - Physiology - Physics - Psychology - Speech/Hearing Learn more about our people

Many Approaches

Basic & Clinical Research - Behavior Brain Imaging Physiology - Development & Aging - Molecules to Clinical Trials Learn more about our research

Common Goal

Speech - Language - Hearing - Learning Learn more about our program

Communication Sciences and Disorders PhD

Ph.d. program in communication sciences and disorders.

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.

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

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

For admission-related inquiries, please contact [email protected] .

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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Program Director : Professor Michelle Troche

Teachers College, Columbia University 528 West 121st St., Room 1161 New York, New York 10027-6696

Contact Person: Corey Allen, Department Secretary

Email: csd@tc.columbia.edu