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 that total 910 hours in schools, hospitals, nursing homes and the Southern Cross University Health Clinics at our Gold Coast, Lismore and Coffs Harbour campuses.

Career opportunities for speech pathologists continue to grow nationally and internationally, often working with various specialists in diverse settings such as; private practice, not for profit organisations as well as government health and education services.

1. English proficiency is a requirement for all students. Applicants who do not meet Rule 2 English Language Proficiency Requirements must demonstrate English language proficiency by:
   • achieving an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 8.0 overall and a minimum score of 8.0 in each of the four components; or
   • Achieving an International Second Language Proficiency Rating (ISLPR) score of at least 4+ in each of the four areas: speaking, listening, reading and writing.
2. An applicant who has completed a Certificate III qualification will not be admitted solely on the basis of this qualification.
3. English language requirements apply to International applicants and other applicants whose previous study was undertaken in a language other than English. The minimum English language requirements for such applicants for entry to this course are as follows:

4. Category	Score
   Overall Score	8.0
   Reading	8.0
   Writing	8.0
   Listening	8.0
   Speaking	8.0

Speech pathologists work in diverse settings including private practice, school programs, in government agencies or in the health and wellbeing industry. They work independently and also with other health and education specialists in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams.