This is a guest post written by Julie Doner, Part 2 of 3.
Check out Part 1: Deciding to Pivot: From Linguistics PhD to Speech-Language Pathology  

In this post, I will be describing how I identified which Speech-Language Pathology programs to apply to and the process of determining their prerequisites. In my next post, I will describe the process of enrolling in an undergraduate program to complete the SLP prerequisites. I am writing because I expect this will be useful to others considering a similar path. My perspective is the Canadian context, but it can give you an idea of what to watch for in programs in other countries, too.

There is a shortage of SLPs in Canada, so many of the programs are restricted to Canadian permanent residents and citizens. Several of them even have restrictions on the province of residence. This makes it especially hard to be applying as a resident of Manitoba, as there is no program in Manitoba at all.

Picking programs

There are currently 13 SLP programs in Canada, all of which are listed on the Speech-Language and Audiology Canada website. Five of the programs are in French and eight are in English. Although I went to a French immersion school growing up, my French is very rusty and I am nervous enough about going back to school that I am not eager to do a French program. However, I would be very interested in a bilingual program. None of the programs are clearly identified as bilingual, but there appear to be bilingual opportunities at the English programs at McGill and UAlberta, and possibly at the French programs at UOttawa and Laurentian. In fact, McGill even has a bursary specifically for bilingual students who will commit to staying in Montreal for at least a year after graduation.

At first, UToronto was my first choice. I didn’t even look at the other programs! I did my graduate studies there. I know the city, I still have friends there, it is close to my family, and I’m fairly certain I could get teaching contracts in the linguistics department. But UToronto has been especially uncooperative in recognizing my experience and background, and so now I am thinking I will not even apply there at all.

At this point, I will likely apply to all or nearly all of the English programs that will not make me re-take my linguistics courses and that admit out-of-province students.

Prerequisites

Every program had slightly different prerequisites, but there are some commonalities. The details will change from year to year, I’m sure, so I won’t bother being super specific. If you want to do a Master’s in SLP, you should verify all of the requirements yourself. Most programs included lists on their website of “pre-approved” courses that would meet their requirements from most Canadian universities. Some of them appeared to be out of date. For example, UManitoba changed their curriculum a few years ago, and sometimes only the older version of a course is listed.

Most programs require introductory linguistics, phonetics, an anatomy course, a statistics course, and some psychology courses. Some require a certain number of credits in certain areas, but the exact choice is up to you. Some of the programs are very specific about which courses qualify and some are more vague.

There is also often a minimum grade for all prerequisite courses, usually a B+ or equivalent. However, I know these programs are highly competitive and likely a higher grade will be needed for an application to be successful. McMaster publishes their numbers; in 2025, they had 556 applicants for 32 spots. In 2026, they had 630 applicants.

Some programs have a restriction on how many prerequisite courses may be in progress at the time of application, which makes it a bit more difficult to get it all done in a year.

In addition, some programs require the Casper test, which assesses social intelligence and professionalism.

Recency Requirement

Most annoyingly, three of the English SLP programs in Canada require prerequisite courses to be less than ten years old. Of course, my undergraduate linguistics courses are more than ten years old. I thought this would be a simple matter of demonstrating that I exceed the prerequisites and that my knowledge is current and fresh because I have a PhD, have taught the prerequisite courses, and have even co-authored a linguistics textbook! But alas. The admissions admin person at UToronto says no “exceptions” can be made. I asked if I could challenge the course to meet the prerequisite requirements, and they said no, because all of my prerequisite courses need to have a grade, and challenging is pass/fail. The second university, Western, originally missed my email. I followed up later, and they said that I can apply but should include a form requesting special consideration. The third university, UAlberta, will accept my old linguistics courses, but emphasized that I still have to complete the courses that I am missing.

I could of course retake those linguistics courses. It would be easy, and maybe even a bit fun. I could probably easily get an A or A+ without attending or much studying, especially if I can convince the professor to waive any participation grades. But I really don’t want to, for two reasons. First, I want to apply to teach or TA some linguistics courses since the student loans and grants won’t be quite enough to cover living expenses and tuition, and I don’t think I can teach a course if I am enrolled in it. Second, I would have to pay tuition for those courses. It feels like a waste of time, but mostly of money. Plus, I’m opposed to retaking them on principle. I don’t think it’s quite ethical; you should not be able to get credit for an introductory course in a field you have a PhD in. It also feels like an insult to my background and expertise.

My Plan

After comparing the prerequisites for all of the programs across Canada and cross-listing them with the courses I took already in my undergrad and the course offerings at a local university, here is my plan for which courses I should take over the next year.

Some relevant courses I already have:

  • Introductory linguistics
  • Phonetics
  • Acoustic Phonetics
  • First Language Acquisition (both at the undergrad and graduate levels)
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Introductory psychology
  • Graduate-level statistics for linguistics

Courses I need to take:

  • Human Anatomy and Physiology
  • The stats and research methods courses offered by the psychology department
  • Neuroanatomy
  • Developmental Psychology I and II

I am taking anatomy in the summer term as a 9-week intensive and the rest in Fall and Winter next year. All are half courses (typically one semester) except anatomy, which is a full course (typically two semesters). I could probably get away without taking the undergrad stats course because I took a grad-level stats course, but the graduate-level course isn’t on any of the pre-approved courses lists. I also don’t remember much of it, so I decided to re-take it to refresh my memory and avoid the stress of trying to get the grad-level course approved.

Additional relevant courses I may take to fill up my schedule:

  • Applied psychology
  • Speech and Language Disorders
  • Introduction to Disability Studies
  • Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

Up next!

Stay tuned for Part 3 of this series, where I will describe the process of enrolling in an undergraduate program to complete the SLP prerequisites.

 

This is a guest post written by Julie Doner.
Check out Part 1 here, and stay tuned for Part 3!