Speech-Language Pathology

The Department of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) was established at the University of Toronto in 1958 with the creation of a two-year postgraduate diploma program, the first English-speaking program in Canada. The Master of Health Science (MHSc) program was established in 1978 and is a full-time professional graduate program. Academic and clinical faculty provide innovative teaching and learning opportunities for students in a unique integrated curriculum.

• Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies.

• Applicants must also satisfy the Department of Speech-Language Pathology's additional admission requirements stated below and outlined in the Ontario Rehabilitation Sciences Application Service (ORPAS) Application Guide.

• Applicants must obtain an appropriate bachelor's degree from a recognized university, with a standing equivalent to at least a University of Toronto mid-B in the final year.

• Applicants must complete prerequisite undergraduate university-level courses with grades of at least a B+ in child development (one half course), general linguistics (one half course), phonetics (one half course), elementary statistics (one half course), research methods (one half course), and human physiology (one full course).

• Applicants must arrange to have two academic referees complete the Confidential Assessment Form and write an academic reference letter.

• Applicants must complete a minimum of 14 hours of clinical experience supervised by a registered speech-language pathologist.

• Applicants must arrange for a Clinical Reference Form and accompanying letter from the primary supervisor of the clinical experience.

• Applicants must complete a Statement of Intent that has two components: 1) their reasons for choosing speech-language pathology as a career; specific personal attributes that would be relevant to the profession; academic and non-academic accomplishments; and reasons for choosing the MHSc program in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Toronto; and 2) a summary of volunteer experiences.

• Proficiency in oral and written English is required for both the academic and applied aspects of the program. Applicants who were educated outside Canada, whose primary language is not English and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction was not English, must demonstrate proficiency in the English language through the successful completion of one of the English proficiency tests. To satisfy the requirement, the department strongly prefers the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with the following minimum scores:

  • Internet-based TOEFL: 100/120 with 22/30 on the speaking section and 22/30 on the writing section.

• If an applicant finds it impossible to take the TOEFL, the department will accept the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 8.0.

• Applicants may be requested to attend a personal meeting with members of the Department of Speech-Language Pathology to provide an opportunity to clarify documentation and explore in-depth issues, such as spoken and written language ability and areas of academic performance or interpersonal communication skills.

• See the departmental website and the ORPAS Application Guide for details on application instructions.

Duolingo English Test:Tests completed on or after July 1, 2024: Overall score of 120 with a score of 120 in production.

Tests completed before July 1, 2024: Overall score of 120, with no subscore below 100.

International Baccalaureate English:A minimum score of at least 4 (predicted or final) in Higher Level or Standard Level English A: Literature or English A: Language and Literature. English B Higher Level is not acceptable. Learn more about IB English.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS):The minimum requirement is an overall band of 6.5, with no band below 6.0. Results from IELTS (Academic) for UKVI test sittings are accepted. Learn more about IELTS.

Note: We do not accept the IELTS Indicator test or results from the IELTS One Skill Retake. Applicants must achieve the scores listed above on a single date.

Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic:The minimum requirement is an overall score of 65 with no part below 60. Results from PTE (Academic) UKVI test sittings are accepted. Learn more about PTE.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL):Tests completed before January 21, 2026:

- The minimum requirement is a total score of 89 with 22 in each of Speaking and Writing
- Applicants must achieve the scores listed above on a single date. TOEFL MyBest (super-scored) results will not be used.

Effective January 21, 2026 there will be a new TOEFL scoring format. Admission requirements for the new scale are under review and will be posted once finalized.

Paper based test: Tests will be reviewed on an individual basis. Learn more about TOEFL

We do not accept TOEFL Essentials, TOEFL ITP or TOEFL ITP Plus for China for admission purposes.