3 year program vs postbac program

[eeh54]

I recently have made the transition from physical therapy to speech therapy, therefore, I have not completed any of the required prerequisite courses for graduate school. I was curious to hear people's opinion and advice on if I should apply to primarily 3 year programs that grant admission to the graduate program after completion of the prerequisites or if I should complete a postbac program/ take prerequisites at a local college and then apply to graduate school after the prerequisite courses are completed. 

I personally think I would benefit from a 3 year program because it would be less moving around of colleges but not all of the colleges I am interested offer the "3 year program." I also am looking at medical focused SLP programs but I am still trying to determine if choosing a medSLP program has any additional benefits compared to the typical SLP programs. Ideally I would like to work in a rehab neurology/TBI facility in the future. 

 

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

 

[plume]

I asked a similar question a few months ago, and I was advised to go for the 3-year options to save the hassle of reapplying (and potentially not getting in for a while after having paid for a post-bacc) and to potentially save money.

However, I cannot speak to the medical vs. non-medical programs very well. I also am interested in going into the medical side, and I know there are not many medical-specific programs with leveling tracks. Programs do prepare students for all settings, but I have heard that it is helpful to be in a medically-focused program because they have more medical-specific clinical opportunities available. Mostly though, I have been told not to worry about it too much and that you can become a medical SLP through any accredited programs.

[Crimson Wife]

1 hour ago, plume said:

I asked a similar question a few months ago, and I was advised to go for the 3-year options to save the hassle of reapplying (and potentially not getting in for a while after having paid for a post-bacc) and to potentially save money.

3 year extended master's probably won't save you money because grad level tuition is typically higher than undergrad tuition. I took a grad level class last summer and it cost me $434/credit vs. only $335/credit for the UG tuition. And that's at a relatively inexpensive school. Some grad schools I'm considering the difference could be $20k more than taking the leveling courses as part of the 2nd bachelor's. I decided to finish out the 2nd bachelor's for a bunch of reasons but  the potential cost savings was a biggie.

[plume]

@Crimson WifeAh, thanks for the clarification. That does make sense for the true 3-year programs, but what about schools that have shorter "3-year" programs? Some have you complete pre-reqs in an intensive summer or over one additional semester.

[Crimson Wife]

2 hours ago, plume said:

@Crimson WifeAh, thanks for the clarification. That does make sense for the true 3-year programs, but what about schools that have shorter "3-year" programs? Some have you complete pre-reqs in an intensive summer or over one additional semester.

The only one of those I'm familiar with is University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA and that is SUPER-expensive. It's 6 semesters @ $22k/semester. Ouch!

[plume]

That is true. There are others, but as I think about it I realize they are all, for the most part (NM State is the only one I can think of that isn't if you live in-state), a more expensive option than taking prereqs. I suppose it comes down to how important it is to you to be guaranteed admission into a program before spending money on prereqs.

[thespeechblog.com]

On 11/15/2016 at 6:10 PM, eeh54 said:

I recently have made the transition from physical therapy to speech therapy, therefore, I have not completed any of the required prerequisite courses for graduate school. I was curious to hear people's opinion and advice on if I should apply to primarily 3 year programs that grant admission to the graduate program after completion of the prerequisites or if I should complete a postbac program/ take prerequisites at a local college and then apply to graduate school after the prerequisite courses are completed. 

I personally think I would benefit from a 3 year program because it would be less moving around of colleges but not all of the colleges I am interested offer the "3 year program." I also am looking at medical focused SLP programs but I am still trying to determine if choosing a medSLP program has any additional benefits compared to the typical SLP programs. Ideally I would like to work in a rehab neurology/TBI facility in the future. 

 

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

 

Go with the 3 year if you can - you save time, money, and work. 

As for the med route - look for programs that can guarantee you those medical clinical rotations. That is where most of your learning will take place, the actual classes will be quite similar. If you're really serious about it, read up on the professors teaching the adult courses in the programs your looking for (adult neuro, dysphagia, adult motor, etc) and see how much they're publishing and what its on. 

[Crimson Wife]

14 hours ago, mcamp said:

Go with the 3 year if you can - you save time, money, and work.

You won't save time and probably will wind up spending more money than if you did the 2nd bachelor's, but you will have a guaranteed acceptance to grad school. Obviously that's worth something, but each applicant has to decide for himself/herself whether it's worth the extra costs for taking the leveling courses at the graduate vs. undergraduate level.

[thespeechblog.com]

@Crimson Wife How would you not save time? I'm genuinely curious about your thought process. 

My thinking:

• A 3 year program is targeted at the exact classes you need, no "extras" that you might not need (for example: some programs require 2 anatomy classes. You take them both, but then the grad program you get into considers them as one "Anatomy Pre-Req". OR a 2nd degree might require some "intro to comm. sci" classes that most grad programs won't worry about). Personally, if I'd finished my 2nd degree at USU I would have had at least 4 "extra" classes completed that I don't need to do in my current 3-year program. I think USU is a great program, but I think people overestimate what a "2nd degree" gets you for grad school. 
• Even a 2nd degree doesn't guarantee you won't have to take a leveling class or two - my program for example requires some advanced neuro coursework that many students with a degree in SHS/CommDis don't have. A good friend of mine did her bachelor's in SHS and still had to take a few undergrad courses that her masters program required though her undergrad didn't.
• On top of all that, consider that as a 3-year student you might even be able to start mixing in your grad classes (that's what I'm doing currently), again with no worry if they'll transfer to another program. I think many times the 3 year option is most efficient if you can get in. 

My real advice I guess would be: When you have enough pre-reqs finished to do so, apply to a 3 year program. Keep taking pre-reqs in the spring before you hear back (preferably your stats, bio, physical science requirements). If you don't get in: finish more pre-reqs to further boost your GPA and bolster your app for next cycle. If you do get in, great, see what pre-reqs transfer and now you don't have to worry about accidentally taking anything extra. 

I do see what you're saying about the cost of graduate credit over undergraduate credit, that is an important consideration!

In the end I think whatever gets you through the most affordably in the shortest amount of time (obviously in an accredited program) is going to be your best bet. 

[Crimson Wife]

It's either 1 year post-bacc + 2 years for the Master's or 3 years for the extended Master's. 3 years = 3 years. No time saved.

I'm doing the 2nd bachelor's on a PT basis plus an optional certificate so it's going to take 2 years. But if I had wanted to go FT and not do the certificate, it would've taken me just the single year.