If you want a career that combines your desire to help people with an interest in language and communication, then a Bachelor of Speech Pathology may be the perfect choice for you.
Helping people overcome their communication challenges can be transformational. In this four-year degree, students are prepared with the right skills to diagnose and treat adults and children who have disorders affecting their speech and swallowing and to start changing those lives.
As a student, you will learn about phonetics and linguistics, audiology and neurology, as well as inter-professional subjects alongside students of other health disciplines in our state of the art facilities at our Gold Coast campus. Through hands-on experience in placement at hospitals, nursing homes or even at the University’s unique Health Clinic, you will gain skills to help you become an empathetic and innovative practitioner, able to help people with all aspects of communication.
Graduates may seek to set up in private practice, work in schools programs, in government agencies or even continue to research in the health and wellbeing industry.
Career Opportunities
Speech pathologists work in diverse settings including private practice, the corporate sector, schools, community health centers, nursing homes, mental health services, acute and rehabilitation hospitals, and in research centers. They work independently and also with other health and education specialists in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams.
Professional Recognition
The Bachelor of Speech Pathology is accredited by Speech Pathology Australia (SPA), the national professional and accrediting body. Students and graduates of the Bachelor of Speech Pathology will be eligible for membership of Speech Pathology Australia.
Professional Placement
Students can complete up to 1,000 hours of professional placement in various settings throughout the four years of study. These settings include, but are not limited to, the SCU Health Clinic on campus, public hospitals, private practice, community health, rehabilitation centers, aged care facilities, schools and rural health locations.
Professional experience placements require students to fulfill certain pre-requisites prior to attending any placements. Before applying for this course, it is important that you understand what these requirements are.
Major Areas of Study
The Bachelor of Speech Pathology enables students to develop an understanding of the theoretical and practical components of speech pathology, with a focus on both general and specialist knowledge and skills. The course shares components with other SCU degrees such as the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy, Bachelor of Podiatry and the Bachelor of Clinical Sciences (Osteopathic Studies).
Arts and science-based units are included in the course, for example, phonetics and linguistics, audiology and neurology for speech pathology. Embedded throughout the course are principals of evidence-based practice, cultural competency, multi-modal communication and holistic perspectives of functioning.
Honors: The course includes an embedded allied health Honours program for eligible students, which can be studied concurrently during the Bachelor degree course.
Assessment methods
Assessment methods vary for each unit and may include multiple choice, short answer and essay style examinations, scenario-based case studies and reflective journals, presentations, written assignments, Vivas, object structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), practical skills testing and fieldwork performance evaluation.
Teaching methods
On-campus students experience a variety of teaching approaches including lectures, tutorials, online activities and video-linked or podcast virtual classes as well as clinical practice experience. The method of teaching may vary from unit to unit. There is an emphasis on learning-centered teaching.