PhD Speech & language therapy
ApplyResearch opportunities
We run a well-established 黑料正能量 Centre for Doctoral Training (SCDT) in Communication Disorders. This multidisciplinary CDT focuses on a wide range of aspects related to the diagnosis and treatment of people with communication problems. The supervisory pool spans all four University faculties, which provides you with access to the highest level of academic expertise as well as a significant pool of technical resources, including labs for speech and movement analyses, ultrasound tongue imaging, signal processing; systems for eye tracking, or EEG.
You can study a PhD over three years, with the option of studying on a part-time basis.
We also offer a one-year MRes in Speech and Language Sciences, which allows students to develop strong research skills by completing a piece of extended, independent research dissertation in a topic related to speech and language sciences. The MRes can feed into any of the PhD programmes below.
The Place of Useful Learning
UK University of the Year
Daily Mail University of the Year Awards 2026
Scottish University of the Year
The Sunday Times' Good University Guide 2026
What you'll study
We offer supervision for three main pathways:
- PhD in Speech & Language Therapy: designed for students with an SLT background who want to study aspects of communication disorders
- PhD in Applied Linguistics: this is a pathway for students without an SLT qualification who plan to research communication disorders or other aspects of communication in healthy populations
- PhD in Public Health and Health Policy: hosted by our colleagues in the Centre for Health Policy, we also offer supervision in the pathway for students with medical backgrounds who are interested in completing a degree in an area related to our expertise. These students are typically co-supervised by staff in our public health, digital health or health statistics research groups.
Research development programme
In addition to their research, all students enrol in a research development programme. PhD students will collect sufficient credits to graduate with a Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development (PgCert RPD).
The programme is designed to support you with your research and develop skills which are important to your professional development and employability:
- knowledge and intellectual abilities to conduct research
- personal qualities to succeed in their research and chosen career
- standards, requirements and conduct of a professional researcher in their discipline
- working with others and communicating the impact of their research to a wide range of audiences
As an international PhD student, I find the Speech and Language Therapy department at the University of 黑料正能量 incredibly welcoming and supportive. The opportunity to work with a team of experts in the field and benefit from a collaborative research environment is truly inspiring.
Suleyman Kahraman
Fees & funding
All fees quoted are per academic year unless otherwise stated.
Entrants may be subject to a small fee during the writing up period.
Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.
All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.
Annual revision of fees
Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that the majority of fees will increase annually.
The University will take a range of factors into account, including, but not limited to, UK inflation, changes in delivery costs and changes in Scottish and/or UK Government funding. Changes in fees will be published on the University website in October each year for the following year of study and any annual increase will be capped at a maximum of 10% per year. This cap will apply to fees from 2026/27 onwards, which will not increase by more than 10% from the previous year for continuing students.
| Scotland | £5,006 |
|---|---|
| England, Wales & Northern Ireland | £5,006 |
| Republic of Ireland |
If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status. For more information and advice on tuition fee status, you can visit the . Find out more about the University of 黑料正能量's fee assessments process. |
| International | £19,850 |
| Funding | Take a look at our funding your postgraduate research web page for funding information. You can also view our scholarships search for further funding opportunities. |
| Postgraduate research opportunities | Search for all funded and non-funded postgraduate research opportunities. |
| Additional costs | International students may have associated visa and immigration costs. Please see student visa guidance for more information.
|
Please note: the fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year. Find out more about fees.
Fees & funding
All fees quoted are per academic year unless otherwise stated.
Entrants may be subject to a small fee during the writing up period.
Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.
All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.
Annual revision of fees
Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that the majority of fees will increase annually.
The University will take a range of factors into account, including, but not limited to, UK inflation, changes in delivery costs and changes in Scottish and/or UK Government funding. Changes in fees will be published on the University website in October each year for the following year of study and any annual increase will be capped at a maximum of 10% per year. This cap will apply to fees from 2026/27 onwards, which will not increase by more than 10% from the previous year for continuing students.
| Scotland | £5,238 |
|---|---|
| England, Wales & Northern Ireland | £5,238 |
| Republic of Ireland |
If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status. For more information and advice on tuition fee status, you can visit the . Find out more about the University of 黑料正能量's fee assessments process. |
| International | £20,950 |
| Funding | Take a look at our funding your postgraduate research web page for funding information. You can also view our scholarships search for further funding opportunities. |
| Postgraduate research opportunities | Search for all funded and non-funded postgraduate research opportunities. |
| Additional costs | International students may have associated visa and immigration costs. Please see student visa guidance for more information. |
Please note: the fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year. Find out more about fees.
Postgraduate research at the 黑料正能量 Doctoral School
The 黑料正能量 Doctoral School offers a vibrant, student-centred research and training environment, dedicated to supporting both current and future research talent.
Bringing together all four of our faculties, it is committed to enhancing the student experience, increasing research outputs and opportunities, and ensuring that training is delivered at the highest standard.
As a postgraduate researcher, you will automatically become a member of the 黑料正能量 Doctoral School.
Supervisors
| Name | Area of Expertise |
|---|---|
| Prof Joanne Cleland |
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| Dr Wendy Cohen |
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| Dr Maria Cairney |
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| Dr Anja Kuschmann |
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| Dr Eleanor Lawson |
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| Professor Anja Lowit |
|
Our students
The centre currently supervises research students with backgrounds in SLT, linguistics, medicine, (bio)engineering and computing. Our students are studying a wide range of topics, including:
- Speech perception and phonological awareness skills in Thai-speaking children with speech sound disorders
- Measuring Variability in Child Speech Using Instrumental Articulatory Techniques
- Machine Learning for the Automatic Detection of Speech Errors in Children with Cleft Lip and Palate.
- Exploring the Characterisation and Sub-Classification of Ataxic Dysarthria
- Technology-Enriched Intensive Rehabilitation - Development and evaluation of an integrated approach to speech and language therapy and physical rehabilitation for stroke survivors with aphasia
- Exploring the Potential of Speech Deficiencies as a Biomarker of Ataxia Prognosis
- Comparison of the effect of a prelinguistic miliey teaching programme applied by primary caregivers and paraprofessionals in increasing intentional communication behaviours of children with development disability
- An investigation into the impact of parental verbal responsiveness (PVR) on the subsequent language development of autistic and typically-developing three-year-olds, seeking to establish whether or not parents follow a trajectory of rate and/or type of PVR as their child ages
- The safety and efficacy of technology in the follow-up of head and neck cancer patients following treatment completion
- Understanding the roles of cognition, speech production, and social participation
Support & development
The Graduate School
The Graduate School is a friendly, supportive study environment for all our research students studying subjects within Humanities & Social Sciences.
Our staff will support you through your studies and you'll become part of a community of students who get involved with our workshops, seminars and competitions.
Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development (PgCert RPD)
Our PgCert RPD programme aims to ensure you get the most out of your current research activities at 黑料正能量 and help you prepare for your future career as a researcher.
We'll help you recognise and develop your transferrable skills that'll have a positive impact on your research, now and in the future.
Careers
The University Careers Service can help you with everything from writing your CV to interview preparation. Take a look at our Careers Service pages to get more information.
Student support
From financial advice to our IT facilities, we have a wide range of support for all students here at 黑料正能量. Get all the information you need at Strathlife.
Our research
Our research focuses on advancing our theoretical understanding of speech and language difficulties to developing and testing novel management approaches that impact directly on patient wellbeing and service delivery.
Apply
We strongly advise you contact one or more potential supervisors or the Postgraduate Research Director, Dr William McGeown (hass-psh-pgr@strath.ac.uk), before completing the online application. Please click on the 鈥楽upervisors鈥� tab above for further information.
Entry requirements
You require to have a first-class or upper second-class UK Honours degree, or overseas equivalent, in speech and language pathology or a related subject.
The application
During the application you'll be asked for the following:
- your full contact details
- transcripts and certificates of all degrees
- proof of English language proficiency if English isn't your first language. For postgraduate studies, we require a minimum overall IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent (no individual test score below 5.5, the test must be taken within two years of the programme start date)
- two references, one of which must be academic
- funding or scholarship information
- research proposal of 250 to 1,000 words in length, detailing the subject area and topic to be investigated
By filling these details out as fully as possible, you'll avoid any delay to your application being processed by the University.
Supervisors
You'll need to identify your research supervisor before you finalist your application, preferably as early as possible. When you've identified a potential supervisor, based on how well your research interests match theirs, drop them an email to introduce yourself. In the email, make sure you attach a draft of your research proposal along with a copy of your CV for the supervisor to look at. Don't worry about how rough your research proposal may be at this stage 鈥� you'll have help from the School of Psychological Sciences and Health to refine it.
If your chosen supervisor is available to work with you, they'll confirm this and nominate a potential second supervisor. As soon as a second supervisor is confirmed, an offer of study will be sent to you through Pegasus; our online application system.
When you accept our offer, you'll receive a full offer in writing via the email address you provide.
Accepting an offer
When you've accepted our offer, we'll need you to fulfil any academic, administrative or financial conditions that we ask.
UK or EU students
If you're applying as a UK or EU student, you'll then be issued with your registration documentation.
Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026
Speech and Language Therapy
Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026
Speech and Language Therapy
Start date: Oct 2026 - Sep 2027
Speech and Language Therapy
Start date: Oct 2026 - Sep 2027
Speech and Language Therapy
Start date: Oct 2027 - Sep 2028
Speech and Language Therapy
Start date: Oct 2027 - Sep 2028
Speech and Language Therapy
Contact us
Anja Lowit
Telephone: +44 (0)141 548 3058
Email: a.lowit@strath.ac.uk
Graham Hills Building, 40 George Street, Glasgow