南十字星大学

Speech pathologists assess and treat adults and children exhibiting acquired or congenital disorders of speech, fluency, voice, language, swallowing and multimodal communication.

The Bachelor of Speech Pathology prepares you for entry into professional speech pathology practice.

Topics covered include phonetics and linguistics, audiology and neurology, working alongside and interacting with students from other health disciplines. As well as taking advantage of our state-of-the-art facilities, you will receive hands-on experience via clinical placements in schools, hospitals, nursing homes and the Southern Cross University Health Clinic at our Gold Coast campus.

Career opportunities for speech pathologists continue to grow nationally and internationally throughout the health and wellbeing industry, both in private practice and in working with health and education organisations and with various specialists.

Major areas of study

The Bachelor of Speech Pathology enables students to develop high-level communication skills (both written and oral) and 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 Southern Cross University 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 professionalism, evidence-based practice, cultural safety and responsiveness, person-centred care and holistic practice.

Career opportunities

Speech pathologists work in diverse settings including private practice, the corporate sector, schools, community health centres, nursing homes, mental health services, acute and rehabilitation hospitals, and in research centres. They work independently and also with other health and education specialists in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams.