Is it true that a thesis track is more geared towards people who want to go right into research?

[emilymstar]

I come from a strong writing background and have some research experience which has led me to be interested in pursuing a thesis track, but I've heard that it's more beneficial for people who want to start doing research right away and I'm more interested in practicing before eventually doing research. This is super early to be thinking about this probably, but I'm just curious about y'all's opinions. 

[smarieSLP2b]

I don't have any interest in going for the thesis track because I just want to practice. If you are interested in research you can always go back for a Ph.D.

[bibliophile222]

Another consideration is cost/time required. Our thesis option is 3 more credits than the research project/systematic review options and requires significantly more time and cognitive resources! Only one girl in my cohort of 18 is going for a thesis. I am pondering doing a non-thesis research project because I think it would be interesting and challenging to do research with a professor, but it is much less intensive than a thesis would be.

[thespeechblog.com]

I think @bibliophile222 made some good points. Another thing to consider though is that research can absolutely be clinically informed. Depending on your advisor's interests and yours, you can design a project that will enhance your clinical skills. Need to get language samples as part of your project? Eliciting and then analyzing 20 of them for the thesis will drastically improve your clinical diagnostic abilities. Involved in some sort of thesis related to a treatment approach? You'll likely get more training and experience with that specific approach, time to practice, and probably a ton of feedback from your thesis advisor (i.e. an expert).