Bilingual Extension Institute

For the past 30 years, more than 1000 bilingual speech-language pathologists have successfully completed the Teachers College, Columbia University Bilingual SLP Extension Institute, founded and directed by Professor Catherine Crowley. Throughout the entire 30 years of the Institute, many SLPs have traveled to New York from all over the U.S. to complete the in-person Institute. Additionally, since the online Institute began in 2017, we have welcomed international students who are SLP professionals from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Taught by its eight-person faculty,  the Institute’s Advanced Certificate Diploma in Bilingual Speech-Language Pathology is designed to provide students with the knowledge and clinical skills needed to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services, focused on current evidence-based practice. Each student is assigned a master clinician/mentor to provide support and guidance as students integrate what they are learning into their clinical practice. The focus is primarily on birth through 21 years, however, both the online and in-person cohorts have content related to bilingual adults.

• Requirements:  

  The Institute to all SLPs, whether monolingual or bilingual,  who wish to enhance their content knowledge, competencies, and clinical skills in working with bilingual and multicultural children and adolescents.

  Academic Credit: Offered as a credit-bearing, non-degree program. Students receive six graduate-level credits from Teachers College, Columbia University through two courses focused on assessment and treatment for pre-school and school-age children. The cost, noted below, is significantly discounted from the current cost for credits at Teachers College, Columbia University.
• Certificate: Completion of either the online or in-person Bilingual Extension Institute meets the requirements of the Advanced Certificate diploma in bilingual SLP. Additionally, the Institute meets the academic and clinical requirements for the bilingual extension to the NYSED TSSLD, except for passing the NYSED language proficiency test.  

The Bilingual SLP Extension Institute is accepting applications. Total tuition for all six credits in 2025 is $6,950, or $3,475 for each of the 3-credit courses, with a course fee of $40 per semester for evaluation materials and a required Columbia Health and Related Services Fee.

Both the online Institute and the in-person Institute are offered each year. Students can join the in-person Institute in the fall semester and finish the following summer. However, students can only begin the online Institute each May and finish in December.

The Bilingual SLP Extension Institute is six graduate-level credits from Teachers College, Columbia University. The program is divided into two parts, each consisting of two three-credit courses.

Everyone who meets the requirements of the 6-credit Bilingual SLP Extension Institute is eligible for the Teachers College Columbia University Advanced Certificate in Bilingual SLP. Many professionals enroll for the Institute even if they are not bilingual so they can acquire the content knowledge and clinical skills needed to work with bilingual populations. There is no language proficiency requirement for the Advanced Certificate.

Students who complete the Institute meet the requirements for the Teachers College Columbia University Advanced Certificate in Bilingual SLP. Those students who also want the NYSED bilingual extension certificate must also hold the “base certificate” (the TSSLD or TSHH), pass the NYSED Bilingual Education Assessment, and apply through the TC Office of Teacher Certification.  

Dates for the 2025 In-Person Bilingual Extension Institute:

The 2025 In-Person Bilingual Extension Institute begins on May 26 and ends on June 22 for the first 3-credit course. The second 3-credit course for 2025 begins September 12 and ends at the beginning of December.

Summer 2025 weekends
May 16, 17, 18
June 20, 21, 22

Fall 2025 weekends
Sept. 12, 13, 14
Oct. 17, 18, 19
Nov. 14, 15, 16
Dec. 5, 6, 7

Dates for the 2025 Online Bilingual SLP Extension Institute: 

The fully online asynchronic cohort begins May 5 and finishes August 17 for the summer semester.  The fall semester begins September 8 and ends December 14.

For more information, contact bilingualslp@tc.edu.

How to Apply