U.S. News & World Report has released its 2025 “Best Graduate Schools” rankings, and CWRU’s master’s program in speech-language pathology (SLP) was ranked 44th in the nation.

“We are grateful for the recognition that this list has generated and welcome the chance to highlight what makes our program special,” said Kay McNeal, MA clinical program director.

One of the aspects that make the CWRU SLP program special is the hands-on research by students. 

“Every student completes a research project on a topic of their choice, unique for master’s level SLP programs in the country,” said psychological sciences’ Angela Ciccia. 

McNeal and communication science’s Lauren Calandruccio gave us a breakdown on other aspects of the program that stand out:

• The university’s smaller size as compared to others on the list fosters faculty/student collaboration. Students assigned research and clinical advisors.

• Students engage the community and perform clinical work at area hospitals, rehab facilities, clinics, early childhood programs and in CWRU’s Speakeasy program.

• The 10 master’s students from the program’s 2023 graduating class logged over 4,300 hours of clinical service.

• Students participate in IMPACT (Innovative Mentoring and Professional Advancement through Cultural Training), which is designed to increase the diversity of SLPs serving an increasingly diverse U.S. population.

• The program recently hired 2 new tenure-track faculty who will bring additional research and teaching depth.

• 100% of SLP students obtain clinical fellowships either before or shortly after they graduate. This includes at The Cleveland Clinic, University of Wisconsin’s Waisman Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, just to name a few.

“We have an amazing faculty and an amazing student body,” said Calandruccio. “Rankings are nice, but what we are accomplishing in our small program is awesome. I am very proud to serve on the faculty.”