Macquarie Canadian’s top pick for speech pathology

5 October 2015

Born in Canada, raised in Hong Kong and with an undergraduate linguistics degree from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Win Sum Cheung knew she wanted to pursue a professional speech pathology career in Hong Kong, but wanted the option of working in an English speaking country as well.

Macquarie University Speech Pathology School
Win Sum Cheung (Photo credit: Macquarie University)

With limited postgraduate options in Hong Kong and Canada, Win Sum began looking at speech pathology programs in Australia, attracted to its close proximity to friends and family in Hong Kong.
“I applied to a few Australian universities and got offers for Macquarie, University of Melbourne and University of Sydney,” she says. “I chose Macquarie University partly because their admissions and academic staff were much more helpful in answering my questions about the program.”
“Through my research, I found that Macquarie’s program is more established than other Australian universities,” she adds. “It also offers a wider variety of clinical placements, so I can get work experience in pediatric or a hospital or a school, depending on my interests.
“And being qualified by the Speech Pathology Association of Australia means I’ll have work opportunities in English-speaking countries like Canada and the U.S.”
Win Sum was first attracted to speech pathology as a profession after undertaking voluntary observation work with speech disorder patients during her undergraduate study. But with two younger sisters yet to finish university, her parents gave her a warning:
“They said, ‘if you want to study postgrad, you better find a scholarship!’” she laughs.
Win Sum applied for an Endeavour Award, and with good references from her teachers and the community organisation she had been volunteering for, she was able to secure a scholarship.
“When I got the email saying I’d been successful, my hands were shaking—it was like I’d won the lottery! I called my mum straight away.”

Master of Speech and Language Pathology

The Master of Speech and Language Pathology at Macquarie began in 2001. It prepares graduates for the profession of speech pathology, enabling them to work clinically with individuals with developmental or acquired communication disorders. The program enables individuals who have completed a bachelor’s degree in a related field to qualify as speech pathologists in two years and obtain a master’s degree.
Program: Master of Speech and Language Pathology
Location: North Ryde, Sydney, New South Wales
Semester intake: February
Duration: 2 years
Application deadline:  October 30, 2015
Entry Requirements
To be eligible to apply to this program, you must have the following:

  • Completed an undergraduate degree (preferably in the fields of linguistics or psychology). Applicants with degrees in related areas, such as teaching, allied health, medicine, or nursing, will be considered on an individual basis; some bridging coursework may be required.
  • Achieved a minimum cumulative average of at least 75% to be considered.
  • Various prerequisite subjects, including Language Description; Introduction to Psychology; Introductory Statistics; Statistical Data Analysis; Phonetics and Phonology; Introduction to Psycholinguistics or First Language Acquisition; Physiological Psychology and Learning; Developmental Psychology; Cognition and Perception; Speech Physiology; Human Biology; Grammar and Meaning; Developmental Speech and Language Disorders; and Acquired Speech and Language Disorders.

Macquarie Speech Pathology School applicants must submit a personal statement to be assessed with their application. In the personal statement, it is important that applicants demonstrate an understanding of the scope of speech pathology as it is practiced in Australia, since this is where they will be developing their knowledge and skills.

Apply to Macquarie University Speech Pathology School!

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Wondering about Macquarie Speech Pathology School? Email OzTREKK’s Australian Speech Pathology Schools Admissions Officer Jaime Notman at jaime@oztrekk.com or call 1-866-698-7355.

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