There are two main routes to becoming a speech therapist.

Some countries (such as Australia) offer a four year undergraduate degree that leads to qualification as a practising speech therapist.

In other countries (such as the USA) you first complete an undergraduate degree and then do a masters in speech therapy to become a qualified therapist. However, some US institutions are now offering a five year straight masters degree. Therapists in the USA must also undergo an extra year of supervised practice before they gain their Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) and become a fully fledged speech therapist.

The Master’s degree in speech therapy is also now available in Singapore. The pioneer batch will start in January 2007. If you are interested in becoming a speech therapist, it is a good idea to talk to a currently practising clinician to find out more about the job. If you can arrange to observe some sessions (always with the client's consent), that would also be worthwhile. There is a wealth of information about becoming a speech therapist in this FAQ on Caroline Bowen's speech pathology site.

You may contact the following organizations directly for observation sessions:

Alternative, you investigate the various university courses through their websites. Links to university courses around the world are also on Dr Bowen's site here.