What did you get your Bachelor's in?

[jskaro]

Hi! I understand that this is a graduate forum but I just wanted to ask some questions regarding becoming a SLP.

 

I just graduated with my Associate's Degree in Mass Communications and want to go into SLP but don't know what I should major in for my Bachelor's Degree.

 

 

What I really want to know is, if you're in grad school for SLP, what did you receive your Bachelor's in?

[slpassion]

Hey there!
If you are fortunate enough to have a Communication Sciences and Disorders program/major at your college or university that is what many SLP grad's have gotten their bachelor's degree in. Though unnecessary to major in CSD, many find It helpful and an insight into what grad school will be like (you take many courses such as Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Hearing, Articulation Disorders and Phonetics).

Although my school has a Communication Sciences and Disorders program, the chances of getting in are ridiculously difficult and I have chosen to gain my Bachelor's in Human Development then pursue my Masters in SLP at a 3-year program.

Any major will get you into grad school if you have the credentials necessary for that school (GRE, letters of recommendation, GPA, etc.)

Good luck in whatever you choose for undergrad!

[Tuck]

If you have the option, you should major in Communication Sciences and Disorders. (Some schools have other names for this major, but CSD seems to be the most common.)

 

If that's not available where you are, Human Development and Family Sciences, Psychology, Linguistics, and Neuroscience are all relevant to the field.

 

But a lot of us come from other backgrounds. My BA is in Anthropology.

[queenleblanc]

I have a B.Music and a M.A.T. and did pre-req courses part-time over the past year which is basically a "minor" in CSD at most university programs.  People in grad for SLP come from all kinds of majors, but linguistics or CSD seem to be the most common majors.  Tuck has a good list in her post of the other common majors you'll find.  There are a few music performance folks like myself in the field and it all depends on what you really love to do and want to explore in undergrad.  Just make sure you take the required pre-requisites for most CSD programs.  You can always take 1 extra class over the summer but it will be hard to get them ALL in if you haven't gotten a head start on them during college. Best of luck in choosing your major! 

[jskaro]

Wow you guys are quick! Thank you so much. I just started working on my Bachelor's in Sociology but I'm only one semester in and I think it'd be a good idea for me to switch since I'm still so early in the game. I live in South Florida at the moment and was looking to go to UCF to get my Bachelor's and then apply for grad school there but I have to stay in Miami for another year. 

 

I don't want to waste any time so I'm thinking of taking some classes here while I can and then transferring any credits to UCF to graduate with my BS from there. 

 

Thank you guys so much!

[Nebraska19]

The best thing about getting  a CSD degree is that applying to schools will be so much easier because you do not have to worry about applying to only schools that offer admissions to those without a CSD degree. However, if you ever decide that slp is not for you, you do not have many options with that degree. Also, you will need to be taking your slp re-reqs while also taking other classes unrelated to your major, which in my opinion is a pain. Since I was still contemplating on the school psychology and occupational therapy fields, I decided to major in psychology instead since I would not be prepared for those fields if a majored in slp. After researching the fields I realized that slp was right for me, and honestly I personally would not change a thing about my decision because I think it helped me stand out when it was time to apply to grad school. I have also heard that people without a csd undergrad background perform better in grad school because they take all the required courses in 3 years instead of stretching them out in 6 years. But, it is at least 3 years in grad school instead of 2, which means if you get your undergrad degree in 4 years you will need to be in school for a total of at least 7 years instead of 5 and a half or 6.

 

Both have their pros and cons, you just need to decide which decision is best for you.