UQ speech pathology ranked number one in Australia by students

29 September 2017

The UQ Speech Pathology program has been ranked number one Australia wide by students for teaching quality and educational experience.

UQ speech pathology ranked number one in Australia by students
OzTREKK student Mackenzie enjoyed her time in the UQ speech pathology program

More than 178,000 students from Australian universities and non-university higher-education institutions rated their experiences in the 2016 federal Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) survey.

More than 94% of speech pathology students at UQ were satisfied with the quality of their “entire educational experience” and over 97% were satisfied with the “quality of teaching.”

The impressive results continued with students ranking the program number two on the skill development scale (student satisfaction 92.9%), and the learning resources scale (student satisfaction 94.7%).

I was surprised by the amount of real clinical expertise integrated into the learning environment. Not only does the course offer clinics each semester for the students, but the teachers also use their real clinical experience and expertise to promote learning and to allow students to think through clinical situations they may experience one day. ~ OzTREKK student Mackenzie Gunn

UQ Speech Pathology Head Dr Nerina Scarinci said the results were a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire speech pathology team, including course coordinators, lecturers, tutors, and clinical educators, who all work together to ensure an exceptional experience for students.

“The UQ speech pathology team provide the best of both worlds for students, with expert knowledge and experience in both research and clinical practice,” Dr Scarinci said.

Final-year speech pathology student Monica Gehrke said she has found the lecturers at UQ to be experts in the fields they lecture in and passionate about the content they teach.

“Many lecturers provide insight and examples from their first-hand experiences in an area, so students are assured that the information being taught is highly relevant and applicable,” Ms Gehrke said.

The variety of opportunities provided to students include clinical placements from first semester, simulated learning opportunities in paediatrics, acute care, swallowing, and voice disorders, overseas placements, and interprofessional courses.

Second-year speech pathology student Isabella Loeskow moved from Bundaberg to live in one of the colleges at the St Lucia campus when she began her studies.

“Moving from my family and friends in Bundaberg to study speech pathology in Brisbane was a daunting but exciting move. I’m thoroughly enjoying my studies and in particular the placement opportunities.

“As I’m interested in working with children it was great to be able to do a full day placement at a school last year to get an understanding of what’s involved in this area of speech pathology.

“This year, we work for half a day every week in the UQ clinics. We see patients with a variety of experiences and this provides us with an opportunity to see what it would be like working in the real world as a speech pathologist.”

As one of Australia’s leading health and rehabilitation educators, the school has internationally recognised and award-winning teaching and research staff, inspiring alumni and high-quality students produced every year.

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Head Professor Louise Hickson congratulated academic and professional staff on their hard work to deliver quality course structures and exceptional teaching standards.

“We are very lucky to have a team who work closely together and thoroughly enjoy sharing their energy and enthusiasm for speech pathology to the next generation of clinicians.”

About the UQ Speech Pathology program

The UQ speech pathology program is an accelerated program for students who have already completed an undergraduate degree. The program 2.5 years in length and will prepare graduates for a career in speech path across any of the diverse areas in which speech pathologists practice, such as education, health or private practice.

Program: Master of Speech Pathology Studies
Location: Brisbane, Queensland
Next intake: July 2018
Duration: 2.5 years
Application deadline: February 27, 2018

Apply to UQ Speech Pathology School!

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