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- If helping others is your calling,
then we're here to help you reach your goals.
Speech pathology is a career
that empowers others to communicate.
And our degree will give you the knowledge and skills
to support people to participate fully in their daily lives.
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- So why should you study speech pathology at ACU?
One excellent reason is because ACU graduates get jobs.
In Australia, we're top three in graduate employment
and first for employer satisfaction.
We also rank in the top 2% of universities worldwide.
Our speech pathology program will prepare you
to assess and diagnose difficulties
with communication and swallowing
and enable you to provide support that is person centred,
culturally sensitive and evidence based.
You'll recognize the dignity of the human person
and your responsibility towards the common good
and have opportunities to put your values,
knowledge and skills into action.
Ultimately, we'll support you
to improve individual and community wellbeing.
I want you to know that by studying with us,
you'll have so many options.
Our graduates have pursued careers in hospitals,
private practice, universities, schools,
mental health services, aged care facilities, and more.
It's up to you, which path you take,
but we're here to support you every step of the way
to help you reach your goals.
- When you study speech pathology with us,
you'll pursue excellence in the theoretical, practical
and evidence-based management
of speech, swallowing and communication.
With the aim of helping people
live their lives to the fullest.
You'll also get a work ready degree.
We insure our degrees are industry relevant.
For example, the Bachelor of Speech Pathology
is accredited with Speech Pathology Australia.
We have a friendly and close-knit staff.
We work in groups of specialization,
so your learning experiences
are created by knowledgeable teams.
Never just one person or from one point of view.
One of the things I'm probably most proud of
is the caring culture amongst our staff and students.
The speech pathologists supervising
our students on placement,
often comment on the compassion and care our students show.
And as a result,
our students successfully gain speech pathology positions.
Many even before they graduate.
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- The speech pathology courses we offer nationally
include the Bachelor of Speech Pathology
and the Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours).
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- We believe a hands-on degree
is one of the best ways for you to learn.
So you will combine community engagement opportunities
with theoretical units and professional practice placements
at partner institutions, such as hospitals,
community health centres, aged care facilities,
early intervention services or schools.
Here's a bit more about some of the experiences
you may get involved with.
All our students undertake a one day
observation placement in first year.
In second year,
you're placed at a school one morning a week
where you'll assess and provide intervention
to school children under the supervision
of a speech pathology educator.
In third year,
your placements consist of simulated experiences
in semester one and 15 days of placement in semester two.
And in fourth year, you'll attend two placements.
Each of about 30 days,
one with children and another with adults.
So you get experience across different ages.
We also have our own ACU health clinics on campus,
which offer more placement opportunities.
For example,
this year we've been offering
telepractice speech pathology services
to clients up and down the east coast.
Most students will have
at least one placement on campus during their studies.
Another great thing about studying with us
is that we organize all your placements for you.
So you don't have to worry.
And in your final year,
we're usually able to offer rural placements
which have provided really amazing experiences for students.
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- We have a range of study abroad opportunities
you can take advantage of in the future.
When you study with us,
you can choose to complete a unit at our Rome campus
or head off to the UK, USA, Asia, or Europe
for a new perspective by studying
for a few weeks, a semester or longer.
And don't forget,
we offer many scholarships to help you along the way.
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- If you intend to study speech pathology at ACU
and want to either increase your chances of getting in
or accelerate your studies,
pathways and entry programs may help.
Pathways are extra qualifications or tests
that will help you meet the entry requirements
if your selection rank isn't high enough
and can't be adjusted further.
Examples include partial or full completion
of a pathway certificate or diploma or an entry test.
An entry program is a way of boosting your chance of success
with your first application.
They may be based on your personal background,
such as if you went to school in a regional area,
experienced financial hardship
or identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
We also offer programs for community volunteers
and elite athletes and performers.
Finally, you can also look into ACU Guarantee
an early offer program for Year 12 students
that assesses you for entry to ACU
based on your Year 11 results.
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- As a university,
we've grown rapidly over the past few years,
but our classes are the perfect size.
You won't get lost in the crowd.
Your lecturers will know your name
and they're here to support and mentor you.
And you make great friends and strong networks.
Now let's talk about your schedule.
The number of days you spend on campus each week
will depend on how your units are timetabled.
As a full-time student,
you might be able to fit it all into three days.
Or you might have classes across more days.
In the final years of the degree,
there are usually two days a week
set aside for placement activities.
Remember, as a student dedicating 40 hours
each week to study, this is your full-time job.
If you're a part-time student,
you'll spend more like one to two days each week on campus.
This might suit if you have children,
or if you need to juggle study with a full-time job.
We know timetables are important to you,
which is why ACU has just introduced a new timetabling
system to help you secure the classes that suit you best.
- Now, here's what you need to know about assessments.
There are a range of quizzes,
written responses and live simulations
where you take on the role of a speech pathologist
in case-based learning exercises.
Some units also hold end of semester exams.
As you progress through the course,
we try to make the assessments
as real and authentic as possible.
So, for example,
you might have to analyse assessment results,
write clinical reports and demonstrate therapy.
In professional practice units,
assessment occurs over the duration of your experience.
We use an assessment tool
that's used by all universities in Australia.
And allows us to evaluate your competency in
performing clinical activities.
In the early years, you're expected to demonstrate,
beginner level skills.
But by your final year,
we want to see you demonstrating work ready competencies.
A sign that you're ready to graduate
and start making a difference.
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- In your third and fourth year
of the Bachelor of Speech Pathology,
you can apply to do honours.
Which involves you working with one or two staff
on a small research project.
Many of our past honours students have published
their projects in national journals
or presented at national conference,
which are excellent achievements and a fantastic experience.
Also, if you have your eyes set on academia or research,
doing well in honours enables you to do a PhD in the future.
If later on,
you want to further your career, change jobs or up-skill,
we have a selection of postgraduate courses.
For example,
we offer the Graduate Certificate in Rehabilitation,
Graduate Diploma in Rehabilitation,
Master of Rehabilitation,
Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy or PhD.
Thank you for joining us today.
Don't forget, you can always find more information online,
at our events, in our course guides
or by contacting AskACU.
Good luck with your journey to university.
We hope to welcome you to ACU soon.