Job Title: Program Director, Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MSLP)

Department: College of Health Professions (COHP)

Location: Hybrid-remote; Primary site - Phoenix, AZ and Satellite site - San Diego, CA

This administrative/faculty position offers 100% Hybrid/Remote flexibility.

FLSA: Exempt

Supervisor: Cassandra Peel, Dean - College of Health Professions

Rank: Assistant Professor

 

About the Institution:

Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) is an accredited, private, not-for-profit institution specializing in healthcare education, with a focus on integrative, whole-person care. The university holds institutional accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) as well as multiple programmatic accreditations.

Founded in 1911 as a Chiropractic college (long before the field was widely known or accepted) we have been challenging convention and pushing healthcare forward for more than 100 years. As a Whole Health University, we offer a wide range of certificates, baccalaureate, and graduate-level programs in both conventional and complementary disciplines, both on-ground and online. We empower students in every discipline to blend the best of conventional and complementary approaches and to treat the whole person--body, mind, and spirit.

 

General Purpose of the Job:

The Founding Program Director (PD) for the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MSLP) is a full-time faculty and administrative leadership role. The PD is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) standards. The PD will provide academic and administrative leadership for SCU’s new, 16‑month MS‑SLP program (Primary site – Phoenix, AZ and Satellite site – San Diego), ensuring quality curriculum, clinical education, faculty oversight, student success; and maintaining program quality through continuous evaluation, planning, and improvement. The position requires effective communication, collaborative leadership, demonstrated academic expertise, and the ability to oversee an inaugural, dynamic graduate-level program.

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The MSLP Program Director provides academic and operational leadership through:

 

Program Leadership & Administration:

  • Lead development, review, and revision of the program’s mission, vision, goals, and student learning outcomes.
  • Oversee program operations, including scheduling, staffing, accreditation documentation, and policy adherence.
  • Ensure compliance with all CAA and ASHA standards and institutional policies.
  • Provide fiscal oversight, budget planning, and resource allocation.
  • Maintain continuous programmatic assessment, data analysis, and strategic planning.
  • Lead CAA accreditation processes, including self-studies, annual reports, and site visit preparation.

 

Curriculum & Instruction

  • Oversee curriculum design, implementation, evaluation, and revision based on evidence-based practice, professional standards, and stakeholder feedback.
  • Teach assigned courses aligned with Program Learning Outcomes and best practices in SLP education.
  • Utilize varied evidence-based teaching strategies, including simulation, case-based learning, clinical labs, and active learning.
  • Assess student learning outcomes through multiple modalities.
  • Maintain currency in field knowledge, research, and clinical trends.

 

Faculty Leadership

  • Recruit, hire, train, supervise, and evaluate all program faculty and staff, including clinical educators, adjunct faculty, and support personnel.
  • Provide mentorship for faculty development, scholarship, and teaching excellence.
  • Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and integrative health education.

 

Student Success & Engagement

  • Participate in student recruitment, admissions processes, and applicant interviews.
  • Provide academic advising, mentorship, and remediation as needed.
  • Ensure students meet academic, clinical, and professional competencies required for    certification and licensure.
  • Support student progression, retention, and graduation.

 

Clinical Education Oversight

  • Develop, maintain, and oversee relationships with external clinical partners.
  • Ensure high-quality clinical placements aligned with ASHA standards.
  • Coordinate clinical education processes, evaluations, and site performance reviews.             

 

University Engagement

  • Participate in college and university committees, shared governance, and strategic institutional initiatives.
  • Attend ceremonies and key events, including White Coat, orientation, and graduation.
  • Promote interprofessional education and collaboration across programs.

 

Supervisory Responsibilities

The Program Director oversees all personnel assigned to the MSLP program, including:

  • Faculty (core, clinical, adjunct)
  • Clinical Education Coordinators
  • Administrative support staff

 

Qualifications

  • Doctoral degree in Speech-Language Pathology, Communication Sciences and Disorders, or a related field (e.g., PhD, EdD, SLPD).
  • Current Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP).
  • Eligibility for state licensure as a Speech-Language Pathologist.
  • Minimum 3 years of full-time higher education experience, including teaching and curriculum development.
  • Minimum 3 years of clinical SLP experience.
  • Demonstrated experience with CAA accreditation requirements.
  • Proficiency with clinical education standards and supervision.
  • Experience with curriculum design and clinical education.
  • Strong record of scholarship, service, or leadership in CSD/SLP.
  • Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills.

 

Attendance:

Must be punctual and timely in meeting all requirements of performance, including, but not limited to, attendance standards and work deadlines; beginning and ending assignments on time; and scheduled work breaks, where applicable.

 

Onsite:

This position is hybrid/remote and periodically requires as needed onsite support for lab immersion and/or institution or programmatic accreditation support.

 

Competencies:

  • Analytical and data-driven decision making.
  • Business acumen and strategic alignment.
  • Change management and leadership.
  • Instructional and curriculum design.
  • Professionalism and collaboration.

 

Expectations for SCU Employees:

The SCU President’s Cabinet has identified a set of values and attributes that are bare minimums for employment, those that are core to who we are as a university, and values to which we aspire. Further identified are qualities and attributes desirable for employees in general, and senior leadership specifically. This is in harmony with principles found in The Advantage, by Patrick Lencioni.

 

SCU Core Values:

1) Integrative Health: We teach, learn, collaborate, and lead by creating an open environment for multiple disciplines and professionals to bring their shared and unique skills together for the benefit of patients and students.

 

2) Evidence-based Practice: We value a culture of inquiry, assessment, research, scholarship, and judicious use of current best evidence to inform our decisions and work.

 

3) Health Equity: We value people equally. We strive to educate graduates that are prepared to improve individual and community health.

 

4) Inclusivity: We welcome everyone regardless of age, race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other similar or protected status. We believe inclusivity leads to more diversity in our reasoning, better representativeness in our conclusions, more ingenuity in our problem solving, and greater equity in our care.

 

Profile Qualities:

1) Customer service focused

 

2) Willing to invest in student/client success by fostering positive relations, guidance, and assistance

 

3) A belief that no task that improves the University is beneath us/servant leadership

 

4) Be an ambassador of the brand

 

5) Be a part of recruitment

 

6) Resource innovator

 

Profile-Specific Qualities by Category:

1.) They promote positivity and teamwork.

  • They actively work to build up teams and break down silos.
  • They actively work to be part of the solution.
  • They actively work to empower themselves and their teammates, working together in decision making processes.

 

2.) They see how they can affect the bigger picture.

  • They understand how their role helps to build the future of integrative healthcare.
  • They pay attention to the details.
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