Program Overview

Speech-Language Pathology

Speech-Language Pathologists are autonomous rehabilitation health professionals with specialized knowledge, skills, and clinical training in the prevention, screening, identification, assessment, and management of communication and swallowing disorders.

Faculty of Health Sciences

The program is anchored within the innovative and renowned School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University, adding to the interprofessional mix of health care disciplines within the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Degree Options

• Speech-Language Pathology (MSc)
  • The MSc (SLP) program offers a unique learning and training opportunity within Canada for students interested in a career in Speech-Language Pathology.
  • The goal of this program is to prepare SLPs with the knowledge, skills, and professional behaviors needed to practice in a variety of Canadian health care and community settings.
  • The program will prepare students to be eligible to register to practice speech-language pathology and will meet professional accreditation and practice standards.

Program Details

• Length: 23 months
• Required Credentials: 4-year bachelor's degree
• Type: Course-based
• Options: Full-Time
• Typical Entry: September
• Typical Deadline: January (First Friday)

Scholarships

• Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS)
  • Varied values
  • External
  • The purpose of the CNST is to develop a cadre of scholars and scientists with northern experience and, at the same time, to enhance the educational opportunities available for northern residents.
• Bertram Scholarship
  • $$$$$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: May 26, 2025
  • The scholarship will support the work of students who are conducting research into organizational governance as part of their doctoral research project.
• Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program
  • $$$$$
  • External
  • The bi-national program is an educational exchange, with a mandate to enhance mutual understanding between the people of Canada and the people of the United States of America.
• CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • $$$$$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: September 10, 2025
  • Fellowships provide support for highly qualified applicants in all areas of health research at the post-PhD degree or post-health professional degree stages to add to their experience by engaging in health research either in Canada or abroad.
• CSA Group Graduate Scholarship
  • $$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: March 31, 2024
  • The purpose of the CSA Group Graduate Scholarship is to support graduate students in the pursuit of knowledge generation related to standards.
• Dr. J. A. Campbell Young Investigator Award
  • $$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: April 30, 2023
  • The award is available to students and those who have recently completed degrees for any kind of research into celiac disease and/or gluten sensitivity.
• Dr. John Thomas Memorial Bursary
  • $
  • External
  • The bursary fund will assist graduate students enrolled in the department of philosophy or the Faculty of Health Sciences who demonstrate financial need.
• E.B. Eastburn Fellowship
  • $$$$$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: March 3, 2025
  • The fellowship will be awarded for 24 months for a total value of $90,000.
• Fulbright Canada Student Awards
  • $ – $$$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: November 15, 2023
  • Traditional Fulbright Canada Student awards are intended for Canadian citizens who are graduate students, prospective graduate students, or promising young professionals who wish to study and/or conduct research in the United States.
• GSA Travel Award
  • $
  • External
  • The GSA Travel Assistance Grants fund is administered through the School of Graduate Studies.
• H.G. Hilton Master’s Scholarship
  • $$
  • External
  • The scholarship is tenable for one year, and is awarded annually to incoming Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or international students from departments which offer full-time Master’s graduate studies.
• Harvey E. Longboat Graduate Scholarship
  • $$-$$$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: March 10, 2025
  • The scholarship is tenable for one year, although previous award winners may re-apply.
• Health Research Postdoctoral Opportunities
  • External
  • A comprehensive list of funding sources and agencies for postdoctoral fellows in the Faculty of Health Sciences and those doing health-related research can be found in McMaster’s funding database.
• Iranian Student Memorial Scholarship
  • $
  • External
  • To be awarded by the School of Graduate Studies, on the recommendation of the Associate Deans responsible for graduate studies, to international graduate students from Iran who demonstrate academic excellence.
• John Charles Polanyi Prize
  • $$$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: December 2, 2024
  • In honour of the achievement of John Charles Polanyi, recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Government of the Province of Ontario has established a fund to provide annually up to five prizes to outstanding researchers in the early stages of their career who are continuing to postdoctoral studies or have recently started a faculty appointment at an Ontario university.
• Lyle Makosky Values and Ethics in Sport Fund
  • $
  • External
  • Deadline Date: April 30, 2024
  • This award is through the True Sport Foundation of Canada.
• Mackenzie King Memorial Scholarships
  • $$-$$$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: February 2, 2026
  • Two classes of Mackenzie King Scholarship are available.
• Manulife Life Lessons Scholarship Program
  • $$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: March 31, 2023
  • Manulife has introduced the first Life Lessons Scholarship Program in Canada, for students who’ve experienced the death of a parent or guardian with little to no life insurance.
• Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security
  • $$$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: February 23, 2024
  • Four scholarships open to master’s and PhD students who are conducting research on determinants, impacts, and policy or program interventions into food insecurity in Canada.
• Mary Buzzell Graduate Scholarship for Resilient Aging
  • $
  • External
  • Deadline Date: December 1, 2024
  • The Mary Buzzell Graduate Scholarship for Resilient Aging will be awarded to an outstanding student enrolled in any Master’s Degree program at McMaster University who is preparing for a career in the multidisciplinary field of Aging.
• McMaster Graduate General Bursary
  • $
  • External
  • The McMaster Graduate General Bursary Program application opens mid-August in AwardSpring.
• McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • $$$$$
  • External
  • Prospective postdoctoral fellows are invited to submit a research plan that focuses on interdisciplinary, impact-driven approaches in the study of optimal aging.
• MIRA Graduate Scholarship Program
  • $$$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: November 25, 2024
  • The McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) provides funding to support interdisciplinary research on aging led by McMaster researchers from across all six Mac Faculties.
• MIRA Graduate Student Travel Awards
  • $
  • External
  • Deadline Date: March 15, 2020
  • The McMaster Institute for Research on Aging funds up to 10 graduate student travel awards per year – five in each round – valued at $500 each for students working with MIRA researchers.
• Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program
  • External
  • Deadline Date: November 13, 2024
  • The Mitacs-JSPS Summer program is offered in partnership with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and Mitacs.
• OGS for Indigenous Graduate Students
  • $$$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: March 10, 2025
  • Two OGS-I scholarships are awarded to Indigenous graduate students at McMaster University who face significant financial hardship, with particular priority given to women with family responsibilities.
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) and Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST)
  • $$$
  • External
  • The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) and The Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) programs provide funding to full-time students at the master’s and doctoral levels.
• Psychology Foundation of Canada
  • Varied values
  • External
  • Various grants and travel supports available.
• Rainbow Fund
  • $
  • External
  • To be granted to graduate students enrolled in any program who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ students and demonstrate financial need.
• Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada Graduate Student Award of Merit
  • $$
  • External
  • At least three awards, each in the amount of $4000, will be awarded annually to the women graduate students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the university or general community while maintaining exemplary academic records.
• Speech-Language and Audiology Canada scholarships
  • $ - $$
  • External
  • Speech-Language & Audiology Canada (SAC) offers a variety of scholarships to support students pursuing careers in communication health.
• The Barkleys of Avonmore Scholarship
  • $
  • External
  • The Barkley’s of Avonmore Scholarship was established in 1977 through the generosity of Fred Barkley to assist a student from a developing country to pursue advanced studies at McMaster University.
• The Dr. Colin Webber Graduate Scholarship
  • $$
  • External
  • Established in 2013 to honour the memory of Dr. Colin Webber, McMaster University professor, physicist, radiation safety expert, teacher, mentor, and leader in the field of bone research.
• The Dr. M. Corinne Devlin Graduate Scholarship in Women’s Health
  • $
  • External
  • Established in 2023 by Kelly Kjeldsen and the family and friends of Dr. M. Corinne Devlin to honour the contributions Dr. Devlin made to McMaster University and to advancing women’s health.
• The Edna Howard Bursary
  • $
  • External
  • Established in 2022 by the family of Edna Howard, this bursary honours the support Edna offered graduate students through her work as a cook at The Phoenix Bar and Grill, owned and operated by the Graduate Students Association.
• The Graduate Students Association Bursary
  • $
  • External
  • The Graduate Students Association Bursary was established in 1999 by the Graduate Students Association at McMaster University under the McMaster Student Opportunity Fund initiative.
• The H. Vincent Elliott Memorial Travel Bursary
  • $
  • External
  • The H.Vincent Elliott Memorial Travel Bursary was established in 2010 by Dr. Susan J.Elliott (MA 97 and PhD92), esteemed former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, professor of Geography and Earth Sciences, and senior research fellow at the United Nations Institute on Water (UNU-IWEH), Environment and Health, in memory of her father, H.Vincent Elliott.
• The James F. Harvey and Helen S. Harvey Travel Scholarships
  • $
  • External
  • Established in 1995 with funds from the estate of Helen S. Harvey.
• The Lambda Scholarship Foundation Canada Graduate Award
  • External
  • Established in 2022 by the Lambda Scholarship Foundation Canada.
• The Myra Baillie Academic Grant
  • $
  • External
  • Established in 2005 by the Surgical Associates in memory of Myra Baillie.
• The Rambynas Bursary in Healthy Aging
  • $$
  • External
  • Established in 2023 by the Board of the Hamilton & District Senior Citizens’ Home RAMBYNAS Inc.
• The School of Graduate Studies Grant in Aid for Research Travel
  • $-$$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: March 7, 2025
  • The SGS Grant is intended to be a grant in aid of research; students should not expect the grants to cover the full cost of travel or field work.
• Wilson Leadership Scholar Award
  • $$-$$$
  • External
  • Deadline Date: March 28, 2022
  • The Wilson Leader Scholarship Award for graduate students is different. Valued at $12,000 in direct funding and up to $2,000 for experiential funding, it’s a leadership development and career launcher program that builds on your studies.