ashny

That's a great link. I read it and tried taking a few online MAT tests this morning - I scored below average. I looked for universities that would take the MAT but those I've come across so far need a CSD degree (I don't have that) or require very high MAT scores. I'm trying to keep up hope though and see if there is some way I can conquer this.

I did not do my Sociology degree here in USA as I'm an immigrant, now married to a US citizen. Hence I'm having to start over as I can't get my footing in my former field very easily (job market is saturated in HR where I live). I found sociology a very interesting subject ( I studied it over 20 years ago!) but more important I would ask what your career goals are. Would it lead to a specific kind of job? If so, I would go for it - I remember really enjoying the subject.

Thanks for all your advice. That is a lot of work for people who don't have any guarantee if they would be admitted or not into the Masters program (though in your case with your scores I am certain you will get in somewhere). It would make sense for those who could pursue alternative career paths with the second bachelors like special education or an SLPA but I wonder what those people who do a second bachelors like that offered at Utah State would do if they did not get into a Masters program. In my case, spending years studying for the GRE's and a post bachelors etc would absolutely be worth it if I got in somewhere, but the tradeoff is that if I spend that time doing that, I leave a gaping hole in my resume which is frowned upon employers if I try to get into my former career (HR) again. I've already had difficulty finding a decent job in HR and it would only become worse if I took any more time to reach these goals which I am not even sure are attainable. If I were not an immigrant, I think I would probably have an easier time with the GRE but the Maths part looks like Greek to me and I don't know how to compete with young American students who are familiar with the Maths AND score well enough to get into such a competitive program.

Has anyone here taken the MAT test? How did you find it and which universities are you applying to/have applied to?

Yes, thanks - I saw that and tried some of the sample questions on the MAT test some time back and was flumoxed by the questions. I felt stupid. Having said that, doing the MAT does not require study time so it might be worth the try even with a poor score.

Thank you - I assume you mean one and a half years full time study. You are right. I don't have a BS degree in Speech Pathology. It would also be risky for me to spend a year and a half taking pre-requisites with no guarantee of getting in anywhere. I probably would if I were younger but as a career changer, that would take too long.

Some universities require pre-requisites if the don't need a CSD degree and am not sure whether to take these as I am a career change with limited time. For example the schedule below needs 18 credits altogether. Does anyone have any idea how long it would take to complete a schedule this this - weeks, months, a year maybe ? Thanks. Introduction to Communication Disorders (3 credits) Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanisms (3 credits) Phonetics (3 credits) Neuroanatomy (3 credits) [typical neuroanatomy and physiology] Normal Speech and Language Development (3 credits) Audiology and Aural Rehabilitation (3 credits) or Audiology (3 credits) AND Aural Rehabilitation (3 credits)

Yes, I considered that but it's not so simple.....ASHA has a list of requirements to meet and does not guarantee that you will be allowed to practice even despite the mutual agreement it has with other countries. You would have to take a chance not knowing if you could come back here.

H Hi, sorry I studied abroad so different terminology I guess. Undergraduate degree to me is your first degree (bachelors) and graduate degree would be the Masters.

Thanks for the explanation. I am 42 years old and can completely identify with (2) and (3) as I was thinking along the same lines of increasing options and getting current academic LOR's. I could not work as an SLPA in my state though. I have a 2.7undergrad GPA and 3.4 for my Masters. I waver between applying and not applying because of the competitiveness and I am not sure I want to spend another year doing a second bachelors/post baccaleurate when it could leave me with nothing in the end. I have not even attempted the GRE's yet..

When you apply to Masters programs in Speech Pathology, what documents do you include? I have an undergraduate degree and graduate degree (in unrelated subjects) and I will be submitting these, but do you also submit your hight school results. I got a 4.0 GPA for my final year of high school and am not sure whether to submit that too. Thanks

Thanks, it is a tough system here in the USA. In other countries an undergraduate degree qualifies you to become a speech pathologist. Here, you can do a CSD degree and it's no guarantee of anything, plus you have to do a GRE.

I can't find the 3 year extended Masters though. BTW, Crimson Wife, you have excellent statistics which will get you into many grad schools. Why would you do a second bachelors in Communicative Disorders?

You could consider applying to another country - ASHA recognises degrees from UK, Australia, Ireland etc.

Does anyone know of any ASHA certified universities that don't require a GRE and don't require a CSD degree or prerequisites either. I was at school over 25 years ago (and not in this country either) so the GRE is a major stumbling block for me. I have an undergraduate and Masters degree but they are not CSD related. Thanks

Wow, yes you are right. I had read the second sentence instead of the first: A minimum 3.0 GPA is required by COMDDE for continuation in the 2nd bachelor's degree program. Many graduate programs across the country, including USU, accept students with higher GPAs. (Average GPA is 3.75 – 3.8)

Thank you. I scored much better in my graduate degree than my undergraduate (2.7 vs 3.4I wonder if I could use the last 60 units of my graduate degree as it would yield a higher GPA. Does anyone know if this can be done?

Thank you. i checked out Utah state online program and I they have a GPA requirement for acceptance into their second bachelors: 3.75 - 3.8 Unfortunately my highest GPA is around 3.4 I can try calling them to ask anyway, I noticed that a lot of universities ask for a CSD degree. I wonder if Utah State University second bachelors meets this requirement? Thanks

As I have been reading these posts, I have come across people refer to their last 60 GPA and cumulative GPA? What do these terms mean? Thanks

I am almost 43 years old and would like to change my career to speech pathology (I am a stay at home mom who worked in the corporate world before). I studied abroad so when I had my GPA converted, the scores were: Cumulative GPA for 125 semester credits of undergraduate level study 2.76 Cumulative GPA for 51 semester credits of graduate level study 3.42 I was shocked at the 2.76 as I used to get the highest marks in my class so I'm not sure if its just the conversion to the American system that is causing the low GPA. The next problem is that I cannot fathom the GRE math section. It has been over 25 years since I finished school and I have never been exposed to American high school maths before which is many ways different from what I learnt in my country. I burst into tears yesterday when I attempted to read the Princeton review. I am aware of the online prep courses but I am really scared whether all this effort would pay off. I am not sure where to start. Or am I crazy to even try? Does anyone have any advice for me?

I have an undergraduate in a different field from Speech Pathology (Psychology). I noticed that most universities require some kind of pre-requisites before they will consider you for speech pathology grad school. I would like to take a post baccaluerate program or some kind of bridging course to expand my options, but it's tricky because every university has different pre-requisites. So even though I may choose a levelling/bridging program to get the prerequisites, the subjects covered may be not enough to satisfy most schools. Is there any way around this? Thanks.