Speech Pathology

Overview

Become a competent, reflective and innovative practitioner in the field of speech pathology.

Speech pathologists provide professional services for people across the lifespan whose educational, vocational, personal and social functioning is impaired by disorders of communication and swallowing. Communication and swallowing disabilities may severely impact people’s quality of life and result from developmental difficulties, social disadvantage, illness or accident.

This coursework program is founded on principles designed to encourage lifelong learning in the practice of speech pathology. It involves an innovative, integrated enquiry-based curriculum, incorporating a problem-based learning format. This approach is supported by a wide variety of teaching and learning strategies including lectures, workshops, clinical skills tutorials and practicum.

A variety of assessment methods are used, including peer and self-assessment, performance within authentic tasks and competency-based assessment of practical work.

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Course

Master of Speech Pathology

Duration: 2 years

Delivery mode:
In person

Location:
Bedford Park

Availability:
Full-time

Start dates:
March

SATAC code: 2CM057

Annual indicative fees (2025):
$37,368 (Full fee paying)

Further information on fees listed

Apply via SATAC

Your career

Graduates will be equipped to begin practice in a wide range of health, educational and community settings. The course fosters your ability to respond effectively to the changing nature of professional knowledge and practice, preparing you to provide quality services throughout your working life.

Speech pathology graduates are employed in a wide range of settings around the world and work with people of all ages, their carers/families, services, communities and other professionals across a wide variety of agencies.

Potential occupations include:

speech pathologist
project officer
researcher
manager
policy adviser.

Potential employers include:

healthcare sector (including hospitals, rehabilitation centres, community health services, mental health services)
aged care sector
disability services sector
education sector (including mainstream, special schools and special education units)
early childhood education sector
private practice
youth justice.

Professional accreditation / recognition

Graduates will meet the standards of Speech Pathology Australia, the national accrediting body, which will enable them to practise in Australia and to apply for mutual recognition of qualifications in many other countries and regions around the world, including the UK, New Zealand and Asia.

Speech Pathology:
Build better communication

Being able to communicate with others and have the ability to swallow food and liquids, are fundamental to experiencing a good quality of life.

Learn more about careers in Speech Pathology

What you will study

The Master of Speech Pathology consists of 72 units.

The program is highly integrated and comprises three streams of study:

professional studies and communication sciences
speech pathology skills and practice
research methods.

In the professional studies and communication sciences stream, the content is delivered via problem-based learning tutorials. It involves working through a weekly case study in small groups facilitated by a tutor, and followed up with independent learning. These case studies are also supported by lectures and other learning resources. The case studies cover the areas of professional practice: speech, language, voice, fluency, swallowing and multimodal communication. These areas are considered in relation to lifespan development and socio-cultural context and how they impact health and well-being.

In the speech pathology skills and practice topic stream, you are allocated to work-integrated learning placements under the supervision of placement educators. Regular clinical skills tutorials on campus support development of skills and knowledge.

The research methods stream aims to ensure you become familiar with evidence-based practice in the discipline of speech pathology. It also supports you to understand, critique and apply research methodology, so that you are an informed consumer of research, can use it to inform your practice and are able to develop an understanding of yourself as a practitioner-researcher.

Students will undertake professional experience placement as part of the course. For more information visit Speech Pathology placement.

Practical experience

You will experience work-integrated learning from the start of your course, practising your skills under the supervision of clinical educators. Extensive practical experience commences in the first three weeks of the course and continues throughout. Placements may be in Adelaide, country areas of South Australia or the Northern Territory, and in some circumstances overseas.

Practical experience requirements

Criminal history screening, health checks and immunisations

Prior to commencement in the program, Master of Speech Pathology students are required to undertake specified health checks, immunisations and criminal history screening in accordance with University and Department of Health policies. Successful applicants will be advised about this process.

View study program

Master of Speech Pathology

Entry requirements

Applicants must hold an approved bachelor degree or equivalent qualification, and typically have achieved a Flinders equivalent grade point average (GPA) of 5.00 or above to be considered.

Applicants who did not achieve the minimum GPA in their completed approved bachelor degree or equivalent qualification, can also be considered on the basis of a second bachelor degree, graduate certificate, graduate diploma or masters degree of their choice, provided they have completed a minimum one semester of full-time equivalent study in one of these courses and they achieve a Flinders equivalent GPA is 5.00 or above in this study.

Selection will be based on academic merit.

Up to 4 places are reserved in the course for applicants who have completed the Bachelor of Health Sciences or the Bachelor of Medical Science at Flinders University.