Singaporean student FAQ
 
At a glance
 

Is there a Speech Therapy University course in Singapore?
The National University has just launched a 2-year Master’s course to meet the growing demand for Speech therapists in Singapore. The first  intake will in January 2007. For more information on the course please go to the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences (http://www.med.nus.edu.sg/dgms).
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Are there any scholarships available to Singaporean students?
There are some bonded scholarships available, see this page.

 
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Are there any preferred universities?
Most of the universities in Australia, UK, USA, Canada are well regarded. There is no list of approved or recognised universities in Singapore at present. A list of universities offering SLT courses (also called speech pathology) can be found here.

Courses are typically either a four-year undergraduate degree, or a two-year Masters program after an approved undergraduate degree. This will vary among the different universities - see their sites for details.

 
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What are the academic requirements to get into speech therapy courses?
This will vary according to each university's requirements. In general, it is preferred that applicants have either a science or language background.

 

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Can I study this course by distance?
No, undergraduate speech therapy courses cannot be carried out via distance because of the clinical components which are an essential part of the course.

 
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Is there a demand for speech therapists in Singapore?
Currently there are about ninety Speech-Language Therapists (SLT) in Singapore for a population of around four million people. So the demand is huge, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. You will be very employable!
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What kind of career path can a speech therapist follow?
Some SLTs specialise in a particular field that interests them - examples include swallowing disorders, voice disorders, child language, research and management skills such as setting up services, running services etc. However most SLTs will continue to retain a caseload of patients regardless of their speciality.

Chances for promotion from entry level therapist to senior therapist and so on is dependent on each organisation's career path, each individual's performance etc. Pay-wise, entry level in most government hospitals is currently $2200-$2500. After that it is dependent on performance. Pay will also vary dependent on whether you have a BSc, MSc, type of experience and any area of speciality.

 
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What challenges does a speech therapist face?
This depends on each person! Some of the difficulties would be that there will always be a huge number of patients to see because there are so few of us. If you speak some dialects, that will help with working with adults. The need to educate the doctors and public about what we can provide, how we can help will always be there. The limitations of our job are also challenging, eg. there is no pill to take to improve one's swallowing! See the general Student FAQ at Caroline Bowen's site for more information on SLT work.

 
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How can I get an idea of what speech therapists do?
Observing some SLTs at work is very helpful. I would recommend calling up to ask for an observation opportunity. Perhaps ask for a couple of hours, or maximum of half a day because everyone is very stretched for manpower. That way you get to see what some of the challenges and rewards are.

 
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Can mature age students succeed in the SLT course?
A large number of students come into this field as mature students who have perhaps worked in a totally different industry. However, the added experience will stand you in good stead in providing a different perspective when it comes to discussions in class. Age is never a factor, passion for the work will get you everywhere!

 
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