Mom0012 Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 Does anyone here have a background in this or have a child who is on this path? My dd is exploring career options and met with an SLP yesterday who runs her own business to discuss the field. She came away really excited and I think this could be a great fit for her. However, it seems that the ideal undergrad degree is speech and communication disorders. There are very few colleges that offer this degree and only one of the colleges on her list offers it, which is a bigger university. My dd really wants to attend a smaller LAC. Another possible alternative is a linguistics degree and a few of the schools we have been looking at offer strong programs in that since that was something she’s always considered. In looking at SLP master’s programs, it seems that 25-50% of applicants do not have an undergrad degree in communications disorders. I am starting to get the impression that the GRE score and GPA may factor in more than what the undergrad degree is in. The woman my dd met with yesterday gave my dd a ton of helpful info, but this is one area she may not be as knowledgeable about (she’s been out of school and practicing for many years). Does anyone know how important the undergrad degree is for this field? So, If she goes this route, I’m starting to think she could still go to a smaller LAC and be competitive for a master’s program (because, of course, it is competitive. Isn’t every darn thing these days?). Of course, we originally picked colleges based on their business and classics/Latin programs and then once she got involved in EMT work, she started thinking nurse practitioner (she is meeting with a NP on Tuesday to ask more questions about this field) and will shadow a PA or NP this summer, so things could change. I will be so glad when she makes a decision and knows what college she is attending but if anyone has any info they can share about the path to becoming an SLP, please do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted June 12, 2019 Author Share Posted June 12, 2019 It is common enough for the undergrad to be other than communications disorders that many master’s programs offer a tier I and tier II program for students with a cd degree and those without. It is also seems possible to meet some of the prerequisites or take some of the key courses so that you could participate in the cd tier even without the degree in cd. But is there a disadvantage in doing this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted June 12, 2019 Author Share Posted June 12, 2019 Also, my dd said that most colleges offer the communication disorders degree, but may call it something else, but I am not finding this to be the case. Here is the most comprehensive list of colleges that I could find that offer these types of degrees. https://www.speechpathologygraduateprograms.org/slp-undergraduate-programs/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 On 6/12/2019 at 11:48 AM, Mom0012 said: Does anyone here have a background in this or have a child who is on this path? My dd is exploring career options and met with an SLP yesterday who runs her own business to discuss the field. She came away really excited and I think this could be a great fit for her. However, it seems that the ideal undergrad degree is speech and communication disorders. There are very few colleges that offer this degree and only one of the colleges on her list offers it, which is a bigger university. My dd really wants to attend a smaller LAC. Another possible alternative is a linguistics degree and a few of the schools we have been looking at offer strong programs in that since that was something she’s always considered. In looking at SLP master’s programs, it seems that 25-50% of applicants do not have an undergrad degree in communications disorders. I am starting to get the impression that the GRE score and GPA may factor in more than what the undergrad degree is in. The woman my dd met with yesterday gave my dd a ton of helpful info, but this is one area she may not be as knowledgeable about (she’s been out of school and practicing for many years). Does anyone know how important the undergrad degree is for this field? So, If she goes this route, I’m starting to think she could still go to a smaller LAC and be competitive for a master’s program (because, of course, it is competitive. Isn’t every darn thing these days?). Of course, we originally picked colleges based on their business and classics/Latin programs and then once she got involved in EMT work, she started thinking nurse practitioner (she is meeting with a NP on Tuesday to ask more questions about this field) and will shadow a PA or NP this summer, so things could change. I will be so glad when she makes a decision and knows what college she is attending but if anyone has any info they can share about the path to becoming an SLP, please do! My DD looked into SLP but didn't think she'd make it into the grad program here. She majored in Psychology. The GPA was incredibly important for here, but we're consistently ranked in the top 3 grad programs for Speech Path. (If you're interested, U of Iowa has decent out of state tuition.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 Crimson Wife researched this thoroughly, if I recall, and went back to school to specialize in this. She could probably point you to some threads where it is discussed in detail. Emily 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 One thing to be aware of is that getting into grad school for SLP is VERY difficult. There are many more applicants than there is space for due to the need to have clinical hours. Also, many grad school programs appear to prefer students who went to undergrad in a different state. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted June 17, 2019 Author Share Posted June 17, 2019 1 hour ago, AngieW in Texas said: One thing to be aware of is that getting into grad school for SLP is VERY difficult. There are many more applicants than there is space for due to the need to have clinical hours. Also, many grad school programs appear to prefer students who went to undergrad in a different state. Yes, I did see this. The stats seem to be about the same as for applying to selective colleges. What I did notice is that most of the csd undergrad programs are NOT at selective colleges. I have also noticed that many SLPs do their undergrad and graduate work at the same college/university. Where are you getting the info about doing the undergrad in another state? I am wondering if my dd has a better chance at getting into a program if she is already at a school that offers a master’s or if she would have an advantage if she graduates from a top college/university. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted June 17, 2019 Author Share Posted June 17, 2019 It seems like the GRE score is important and I’m sure this would be a strength for my dd. I’m almost wondering if she should take the GRE soon while her math skills are so strong? I’m not sure she will be taking much math in college. She has been doing college level reading for many years. For example, she and I have looked at University of Notre Dame’s Great Books program and she has already read every book that they cover. Or is this something she is more likely to do better on with maturity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 (edited) On 6/12/2019 at 12:48 PM, Mom0012 said: ...she started thinking nurse practitioner (she is meeting with a NP on Tuesday to ask more questions about this field) and will shadow a PA or NP this summer, so things could change. Sorry, OP, I know you’re asking specifically about SLP grad programs in this thread, but I’ll share a bit about my oldest DD’s research/decision process just in case it might be helpful. It’s been a couple years now so I don’t remember the specific data points, but the reason my DD1 chose to major in nursing after considering (1) communication disorders undergrad + grad degree in SLP or (2) health sciences undergrad + grad program in PA or PT or OT, is that nursing was the only pathway where the undergrad degree would enable her to actually work and support herself should she decide to stop after the bachelors degree OR if she couldn’t get into one of the above-mentioned grad programs. Also, the doctorate in (some) nursing disciplines paid much better than SLP/OT/PT/PA and there appeared to be greater demand going forward in nursing than the other fields. We were primarily looking at the Bureau of Labor Statistics Jobs Outlook as our source of data. Just some things to consider as she is sorting through all this. Hope this is helpful, but if not, please disregard and carry on... Edited June 17, 2019 by fourisenough 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 (edited) Ithaca College has an automatic acceptance into their grad school program if you do speech as an undergrad. Edited June 17, 2019 by gingersmom 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted June 18, 2019 Author Share Posted June 18, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, fourisenough said: Sorry, OP, I know you’re asking specifically about SLP grad programs in this thread, but I’ll share a bit about my oldest DD’s research/decision process just in case it might be helpful. It’s been a couple years now so I don’t remember the specific data points, but the reason my DD1 chose to major in nursing after considering (1) communication disorders undergrad + grad degree in SLP or (2) health sciences undergrad + grad program in PA or PT or OT, is that nursing was the only pathway where the undergrad degree would enable her to actually work and support herself should she decide to stop after the bachelors degree OR if she couldn’t get into one of the above-mentioned grad programs. Also, the doctorate in (some) nursing disciplines paid much better than SLP/OT/PT/PA and there appeared to be greater demand going forward in nursing than the other fields. We were primarily looking at the Bureau of Labor Statistics Jobs Outlook as our source of data. Just some things to consider as she is sorting through all this. Hope this is helpful, but if not, please disregard and carry on... Thank you very much. I appreciate that. These are good things to be thinking about. My dd was very excited after talking with the SLP, but she really needs to consider how many years she is willing to invest in her education. If it were up to me, I think I’d encourage her along the nursing path for exactly the reasons you stated. It seems more guaranteed, especially if she went with a direct admit program. Plus, you can stop after the bachelor’s degree if you want. I can see what interests her about being an SLP though, and how good of a fit it might be for her. Thanks again. I am going to share your post with her. Edited June 18, 2019 by Mom0012 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCB Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 My dd just finished her first year of college and she is a communication science and disorders major and wants to be an SLP. She decided this is what she wanted to do almost at the end of the college application process so had not really applied to colleges with this in mind. We thought long and hard about her doing another degree and then going on to the SLP masters, but in the end decided it was better for her to go to a school that did the undergrad degree. One reason for this was that she would have found it really difficult to get all the undergrad courses required for the graduate course at the other colleges that did not do the major and that would probably have meant her having to take time out between undergrad and graduate degree to get those prerequisites done. Also, I'm a nurse and honestly I think these 2 jobs are significantly different and you may not necessarily like one just because you like the other. My dd is definitely more suited to SLP than RN I think. There is an assistant job that you can do with just the undergrad course. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted June 18, 2019 Author Share Posted June 18, 2019 43 minutes ago, TCB said: My dd just finished her first year of college and she is a communication science and disorders major and wants to be an SLP. She decided this is what she wanted to do almost at the end of the college application process so had not really applied to colleges with this in mind. We thought long and hard about her doing another degree and then going on to the SLP masters, but in the end decided it was better for her to go to a school that did the undergrad degree. One reason for this was that she would have found it really difficult to get all the undergrad courses required for the graduate course at the other colleges that did not do the major and that would probably have meant her having to take time out between undergrad and graduate degree to get those prerequisites done. Also, I'm a nurse and honestly I think these 2 jobs are significantly different and you may not necessarily like one just because you like the other. My dd is definitely more suited to SLP than RN I think. There is an assistant job that you can do with just the undergrad course. My dd will be applying to colleges this fall, so it’s not too late, but it feels kind of jarring to suddenly shift gears. There is one college in particular that she’s had her heart set on since last fall and they do not offer the csd undergrad degree. Only one of the colleges she had planned to apply to offers it and she was only applying to that one as a financial safety. It makes more sense to get the csd degree to me too if that is the direction she definitely decides to head in. She’ll be talking with a NP tomorrow, so we’ll see how she feels when she gets home, lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 On 6/17/2019 at 8:58 AM, Mom0012 said: It seems like the GRE score is important and I’m sure this would be a strength for my dd. I’m almost wondering if she should take the GRE soon while her math skills are so strong? Be aware that GRE scores expire after 5 years so if she were to take it while still in high school or her freshman year of college, they might expire before she is ready to apply to master's programs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 A friend's daughter completed San Jose State's speech language pathology extended master's program (for people who don't have a background in the subject) in 2018. She attended a liberal arts college as an undergraduate and majored in a different area; she graduated in 2015. She began working for a school district this past August. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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