UT Tyler Welcomes First Speech-Language Pathology Cohort
September 9, 2025 | Elizabeth Wingfield
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences Reaches Record-High Enrollment
The University of Texas at Tyler School of Health Professions welcomed its first class of Master of Science in speech-language pathology students to the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences.
The two-year speech-language pathology program prepares students to become skilled clinicians through a combination of rigorous coursework, hands-on clinical experiences and exposure to a variety of patient populations.
“The SLP program offers graduate students the very unique training opportunity of three long semesters in a low acuity hospital serving patients across the lifespan, many with emerging conditions,” said Dr. Amy Louise Schwarz, SLP and communication sciences and disorders program director. “The hospital training includes interprofessional practice opportunities with neurologists, pediatricians and radiologists.”
Enrollment in the department reached record highs, bolstered by the Bachelor of Science in communication sciences and disorders and the Master of Occupational Therapy program.
The four-year Bachelor of Science in communication sciences and disorders offers undergraduates several pathways to employment upon graduation, including speech-language pathology assistant, hearing instrument specialist and audiology assistant, and prepares students for graduate degrees in speech-language pathology and audiology.
The two-year Master of Occupational Therapy program features two pathways: an entry-level pathway for students beginning their professional training and a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant to MOT pathway—the only COTA-MOT bridge in Texas. A blend of online and on-campus delivery allows students to balance flexible learning with in-person clinical experiences, ensuring they gain the knowledge and skills needed to excel in their careers.
“Offering an MOT entry-level pathway has made an impact especially on our undergraduate alumni,” said Dr. Anjali Parti, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences chair. “We boast double enrollment for the entry-level pathway, highest enrollment in the undergraduate program for communication sciences and disorders, first ever speech-language pathology cohort, and continued strong enrollment and board pass rates with our bridge students who also maintain full-time clinical work. Our students are doing the impossible, and we are so proud they chose UT Tyler.”
With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.