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.

Course description

The course consists of formal lectures, seminars, practical work and student presentations along with a substantial clinical component. Students will be scheduled for approximately 400 hours of supervised clinical work at various health-care and educational facilities in metropolitan and rural areas in Victoria. The clinical work will occur throughout the semesters alongside the lectures as well as block placements during the semester breaks. Please see the Course and Subject Handbook for more information about the subjects and the time commitment.

The course consists of formal lectures, seminars, practical work and student presentations along with substantial clinical component. Students will be scheduled for approximately 400 hours of supervised clinical work during the two-year course at various health-care and educational facilities in metropolitan and rural areas in Victoria.

Graduates from the Master of Speech Pathology will develop and apply clinical skills for the assessment, diagnosis and intervention across all areas of speech pathology practice. Students graduate from this well-established course as speech pathologists qualified to work with children and adults who have communication and/or swallowing issues.

Upon graduation, students are eligible for membership with Speech Pathology Australia and can work in any area of the field.

Students who demonstrate an aptitude for research may be considered for PhD studies.

A well-established pathway to career opportunities

Graduates from this program are equipped to work with, and help, people of all ages and backgrounds with communication and/or swallowing issues.

Opportunities for employment with a Master of Speech Pathology may include:

• Clinical practice in public or private health institutions
• Epidemiological and intervention-focused research of communication and/or swallowing impairments
• Neurological and genetic-based communication disorder research.

Graduates will also benefit from strong external teaching and clinical partnerships, which can help develop important professional networks.

An internationally recognised qualification

Through the Master of Speech Pathology, graduates are equipped to pursue opportunities in this specialised field throughout worldwide institutions and organisations.*

*Graduates who wish to practice overseas should check the relevant local speech pathology requirements to ensure that this degree meets their needs.

Graduate pathways

Once you've completed your undergraduate degree, you can go on to gain employment or begin a graduate degree and work towards a professional qualification such as law, engineering or medicine. Or you could join our graduate research community and contribute to our world-changing research.

Your graduate degree will be internationally recognised, and set you apart from those who study a traditional Australian single or double degree.

Explore the graduate pathways available once you complete your undergraduate degree here.

In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed: An undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline (Science, Biomedicine, Linguistics, Phonetics, Education, Psychology), o

IELTS (academic English Only): 7.0 (written 7.0 and no band less than 7.0)
TOEFL Internet-based test: 94 + ; Writing 27; Speaking 24; Reading 24; Listening 24;
Pearson Test of English Academic: 65 + no communicative skill below 65
Cambridge English: Advanced/ Certificate of Advanced English (CAE): 185 + no skill below 185.