Many people find themselves wanting to pivot into a new career or industry, but aren’t willing or capable of completing a whole new bachelor’s degree to do so. In these cases, a leveling pathway can be the best course of action, allowing prospective students to complete a bridging course that fills the gaps they’re lacking and enables them to pursue the Master’s qualification without first earning the relevant undergraduate degree.
If you’ve been harboring dreams of becoming a Speech-Language Pathology therapist but feel put off by the prospect of first needing to complete another undergraduate degree, as the one you have is in a different field, then you’re in luck. You now have the option of completing SLP leveling courses online, which will act as the essential bridge you need to reach graduate school.
These leveling courses aim to equip you with the specific science and communication prerequisites that are required for a Master’s in Science in Speech-Language Pathology without needing to earn a second bachelor’s degree.
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What is an SLP Leveling Pathway?
As with any other Master’s program, SLP Master’s programs require you to have a specific set of foundational courses prior to commencing your clinical training. Leveling pathways are a program designed specifically for those who have a bachelor’s degree in a field outside of the communication sciences.
It basically fills the gap between your degree and the graduate-level academic requirements. These courses typically include:
- Anatomy of speech and hearing
- Phonetics
- Audiology
- Language development
Some institutions build these into a 3-year Master’s program while others offer them as a separate 1-year post-baccalaureate certificate. With the inclusion of graduate-level training incorporated into these programs, you should be prepared for ASHA certification and licensure upon completion.
Why Choose an Online SLP Leveling Course?
The availability of online courses has made education more accessible to a wider demographic of people. Before, external factors hindered many people from furthering their education.
Some of these factors included:
- Long-commutes
- Familial responsibilities
- Demanding careers
- Packed schedules
But online programs have eliminated all of these obstacles, allowing you to fit your studies into your schedule and complete your coursework in your own time and at your own pace.
Geographical Freedom
By studying online, you can remove the necessity to commute to lectures or study halls, and you also get to continue fulfilling your other responsibilities as well. Now, you can take your leveling courses from a high-ranking institution in another state without having to physically uproot your life and move there. You also don’t need to quit your job, as many students continue to work full-time in their current field whilst completing their leveling courses online.
Cost-Effectiveness
Many online courses are also extremely cost-effective as they only require you to pay for the classes you actually need due to being priced per credit. You’re also saving a lot of money by not having to complete a second bachelor’s degree just to qualify for this Master’s program.
Higher Admission’s Success
When you do well in your leveling pathway, you prove to the admissions committee that you can handle the specific science-focused curriculum of Speech-Language Pathology. In fact, many universities give priority status to students who have successfully completed their own leveling pathway before applying to the full Master’s program.
How This Course Will Boost Your Career Prospects
With the SLP field being projected to grow 19% by 2032, this certification will certainly improve your future career prospects. Thanks to the time you’ll save by pursuing a leveling pathway, you’ll be able to enter this high-growth field much faster.
The leveling pathway also allows you to reach the status of Clinical Fellow quicker, gaining you entry into a much higher tier of income in hospitals and private practice. As is, the average annual salary of an SLP is between $84,000–$89,000.
This degree comes with a wide variety of options when it comes to the industries you can work in. You can choose between:
- Healthcare where you would work in hospitals to help stroke patients regain the ability to swallow and speak.
- Education where you could help children with autism or speech delays within the school system.
- Nursing facilities where you’d assist the elderly who struggle with swallowing disorders.
- Telepractise, which would allow you to work remotely.
There is a growing demand for SLPs in all of these areas, which means that acquiring this degree will potentially afford you job security.
Is a Leveling Pathway Right for You?
Pivoting into a different industry can be a scary choice, but it has the potential to yield amazing results. If you have a bachelor’s degree and have been looking for ways to redirect your career toward something that’s more aligned with healthcare, then this leveling path might just be the thing you’ve been looking for. By offering a reduced option that won’t require you to get a second bachelor’s degree, these leveling pathways are removing a lot of the hesitation that many people have faced when considering this choice.
The availability of online educational courses from reputable institutions has further lowered the barrier to entry for many professionals who have other responsibilities and wouldn’t realistically be able to put their lives on pause to further their education. Online learning has given everyone access to a high standard of education, no matter where they live. It has empowered working professionals to upskill themselves while still being able to keep their full-time job.
