History

Speech and Language Therapy is a health-based profession focused on the prevention, assessment, and rehabilitation of communication, speech, language, voice, and swallowing disorders in individuals. The first academic developments in this field in Turkey began in the mid-1980s. The "Speech and Voice Disorders" master's program, launched in 1984 at Hacettepe University's Institute of Health Sciences, was the first graduate-level education program in this field in our country. Similarly, the "Language and Speech Disorders" Master's Program, which was opened in 1989 at the Anadolu University Institute of Health Sciences, was an important step in supporting scientific and academic development in this field. This development was further supported by the doctoral programs that were opened later.

The first Speech and Language Therapy Departments to offer independent undergraduate education in Turkey were established in 2011 at Anadolu University Faculty of Health Sciences and Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences. This development was a turning point in making the profession more visible and defined both at the academic level and within the healthcare system.

The Department of Speech and Language Therapy at Gazi University's Faculty of Health Sciences was established in 2017 with the aim of training therapists who are focused on scientific research, open to multidisciplinary collaboration, and committed to ethical principles. The department will complete its academic and physical infrastructure and has accepted its first undergraduate students in the fall semester of the 2025-2026 academic year. Combining Gazi University's long-standing academic history in the field of health, this program aims to provide a qualified response to the growing need for speech and language therapists in our country.