Applying to PhD

[Roses]

Hello, 

I have been interested in applying to an M.A/M.S in Speech Pathology for several years but when I did not get in the first time I applied , I applied and got accepted to M.A in Psychology and I just graduated that program with a GPA of 3.9

I also took a lot of SLP pre requisites as a Post Bac student. Now I am thinking to apply directly to a PhD program because this is my ultimate goal. I just feel like I paid a lot for my M.A and it might be a better option to go into a PhD program that will also guarantee that I get licensed as an SLP. It will take a bit longer but I think it is really worth it. 

I just wanted to ask if anyone has applied /accepted to a PhD program in Communication Disorder. What are your experiences ? what advice would you give to future applicants ?

Thank you so much,

Roses

[mr479]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a PhD will not guarantee that you get licensed as an SLP as a PhD program is generally not designed as a training program. You will not receive the 400 required supervised clinical hours in a PhD program. 

[Roses]

Hello, 

There are some programs that will allow you to work on your certification while you are in the PhD program. 

As an example, here is what UTD says about this in their web page. 

"Admitted students who are interested in concurrently obtaining professional certification in either speech-language pathology or audiology should contact the program head"

This is one program that I am very interested in. 

[PhDinSLP]

It's true that you'll need to find a program that will allow you to pursue certification also, but in my experience programs are very open to this. Getting certification will add a lot of time to your PhD program (you'll probably have to get another master's degree), but you'll come out of it much more competitive for jobs. 

Compared to psych PhD programs, I think you'll find that SLP PhD programs are much easier to get into and much more likely to fund you. And after you graduate the job market is also much better. 

Since your situation is unique, I would start by emailing the programs and asking (1) if it's possible to seek certification and the PhD and (2) how they'd want you to go about applying. My guess is that they'll be very responsive--PhD students are much harder to come by than MA students. Also think about your research interests and what programs might be a good fit. If you did a thesis in your last master's, see if you can relate your thesis topic to an area of research in SLP.

If you think you're interested, go for it! It's a great field and there's a real need for PhDs. 

[jmk]

It takes some time, but you can search through ASHA edfind's PhD programs and find ones that offer a combined Masters/PhD option off the bat as well. I know University of Texas, Austin offers one. 

[Roses]

Hello PhDinSLP, 

I am also thinking that it is a lot easier to get into SLP PhD than in Psych. As an example, I checked UCSD , for their PhD in 

Clinical Psychology they received 427 applicants this year but for the SLP the number of applicants was only 33 !

I did not do a thesis in my master but I was focusing all my projects in topics related to brain and language and also language disorders for children with ASD and I will talk about this in my personal statement. 

Do you think it is important to have research experience before applying to PhD in SLP ? a lot of my friends have worked in labs for years but unfortunately I did not have that opportunity. 

Thank you so much. 

[Roses]

Hello jmk, 

Thank you for letting me know about University of Texas Austin. Texas is one of the states that I am considering but I only looked at University of Texas Dallas. 

Do you have an experience applying to any of those programs ?

[PhDinSLP]

It helps to have research experience, but I don't think it's necessary. Very few SLP master's students do a thesis. Just try to make the case in your personal statement that you're really interested in an area of research that relates to SLP, since you're from a different field. 

[mr479]

It helps to have research experience, but I don't think it's necessary. Very few SLP master's students do a thesis. Just try to make the case in your personal statement that you're really interested in an area of research that relates to SLP, since you're from a different field. 

Hi, in response to your post, do you mean to suggest that it is possible to enter a PhD program having not completed a Masters thesis? This is one of my concerns, as the program I chose does not have a thesis option. 

[PhDinSLP]

Yes, my understanding is that it's possible. See the following from a helpful ASHA FAQ piece about getting a PhD:

What if I did not do a master's thesis? 

Few master's student in CSD complete a thesis, primarily because clinical training programs are so time-consuming. Although the completion of a thesis provides an excellent opportunity for the master's student to learn first hand whether research is exciting, motivating, and interesting to him or her, there are other ways to accomplish this. Many universities have summer research programs for undergraduate students. As an undergraduate or graduate student, you may be able to assist a faculty member with research.

Most doctoral programs have a well-delineated set of research experiences that prepare the doctoral student for the dissertation phase of their program. Thus, there is little assumption that students enter a doctoral program with research proficiency. If you have the opportunity to complete a thesis in your clinical master's or AuD program, it will be good preparation. But if you completed your master's degree or AuD without a thesis, you should not allow the lack of a thesis to deter you from considering a PhD program.