Speech pathologists work with people of all ages who are experiencing communication and/or swallowing disorders as a result of illness, injury or disability. Speech pathologists may work in a range of education and health sectors.

 

The Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology at University of Melbourne offers the Master of Speech Pathology degree, which is a two-year full-time course. Completion of this degree qualifies you to work as a speech pathologist.

 

The first year of the course provides the scientific background in anatomy and physiology, articulatory and acoustic phonetics, linguistics, speech and language disorders, clinical practice and processes.

 

The second year builds on the specialised knowledge acquired in first year, develops clinical skills and introduces students to research methods in the field.

 

Speech pathologists may work as a sole therapist or as part of a larger interdisciplinary team (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, doctors, audiologists and psychologists). This profession may be of interest to those with a scientific or linguistics background who are interested in working with people.