MASTER OF SPEECH PATHOLOGY

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1 Disclaimer and Copyright Information This publication has been written specifically for prospective students who are Australian or New Zealand citizens, or have Australian resident status. Information in this publication is correct at the time of printing, but may change from time to time. For the most up-to-date details on Curtin s prerequisites, refer to the TISC website at: tisc.edu.au Curtin will not be liable to you or to any other person for any loss or damage (including direct, consequential or economic loss or damage) however caused and whether by negligence or otherwise which may result directly or indirectly from the use of this publication. International students please note: This publication is intended for Australian citizens and permanent residents only. As some information contained in this publication may not be applicable, international students should refer to: international.curtin.edu.au or phone for further information. Part-time study, external study and online learning is only available to international students studying outside Australia. International students studying on a student visa in Australia cannot study part-time or externally. Some courses are not available to international students. Copyright Curtin University 2013 This publication is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Published by Curtin University. CRICOS Provider code 00301J (WA), 02637B (NSW) Curtin University is a trademark of Curtin University of Technology. Inquiries and Applications: Instruction for Application can be found at: how-to-get-in/how-to-apply.cfm Please read the information regarding supplementary information required: how-to-get-in/supplementary-info.cfm Inquiries about applying and other general information can be directed to the Future Students Centre on Tel: Specific inquiries about the course, eligibility and selection procedures may be addressed to: Miss Kristina Sfreddo Academic and Courses Support Officer [email protected] healthsciences.curtin.edu.au HEALTH SCIENCES School of Psychology and MASTER OF SPEECH PATHOLOGY 2014 Information for Prospective Students 1 ADV

2 2 CONTENTS About the Master of...2 About the Master of...2 Entry Requirements...3 Selection Process...3 Preparing for Entry into the Master of...3 Work Load and Time Commitment...3 Clinical Placements...4 Accreditation of the Master of...4 Assessment...4 Course Structure...5 Unit Descriptions...6 Example Timetable...8 Staff...9 ABOUT THE MASTER OF SPEECH PATHOLOGY The Master of is a two year, full-time, full fee paying course. It is a rewarding and academically challenging health sciences degree. There is no mid-year intake into the course and it is not offered in distance or external mode. The Master of has been operating since 2000 when the first intake of students entered the program. Since then more than 100 students have graduated from the program. Curtin University is the only university in Western Australian that offers a Master program in speech pathology. The Master of builds on the Bachelor of Science (), the most established speech pathology course in Western Australia. Graduates of the Master of are highly regarded both within the university and in the community. The program has a reputation for attracting and producing high calibre graduates who are readily employed within the industry both within and outside Western Australia. Students have come from a wide range of backgrounds including law, teaching, physiotherapy, neuroscience and psychology. Entry Requirements Applications for the Master of close on the 31st of October each year. An honours degree or a bachelor degree with a minimum course weighted average of 65% is required. Entry to the course is competitive. Typically, successful applicants have demonstrated a minimum of a distinction average. There is no preferred undergraduate degree for admission. Pre-requisite Units Students must have completed previous tertiary level studies in (i) Human Biology and/or Brain and Behaviour, and (ii) Statistics to be eligible for entry to the course. It is important to note that while completion of the pre-requisite units enables eligibility for entry; this does not guarantee a place. Applicants without this background will need to complete additional units in this area before commencing the course. Prospective domestic students wishing to complete the pre-requisite units at Curtin may apply for the Health Sciences Graduate Entry Foundation Course. The pre-requisite units must be completed prior to commencement of studies in the Master of Speech Pathology. Some prospective students choose to complete these units prior to applying for and being offered a place in the program. This may enable them to commence the Master of with the next intake of students; however is with knowing that completion will not guarantee entry into the course. Alternatively, a conditional offer can be made, which would delay commencement of the program for 12 months while the pre-requisite units are undertaken. English Competency We recognise the value of bilingual speech pathologists to the profession and to the Australian community, so are happy to provide opportunities to applicants whose first language is not English. We also recognise the need to ensure that graduates have appropriate levels of competence in English. All classes and clinical placements, and all assessments, including clinical placement evaluations, are conducted in English. Graduates of the course will therefore have demonstrated appropriate English language skills. The minimum level of English language competence required for entry to the program is determined via the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Students are required to demonstrate a minimum score of 7.0 across all scales of the IELTS (writing, speaking, reading, listening, and overall band score). Selection Process Applications are assessed on the basis of their academic record and personal statement. Personal statements should convey an applicant s reasons for pursuing a career in speech pathology and their knowledge of the profession. Demonstrating direct or indirect contact with the profession helps to strengthen the personal statement along with evidence that relevant work experience or volunteer opportunities have been sourced and undertaken. Scores for both components of the selection process (i.e. academic record and personal statement) contribute to an Entry Score, which allows candidates to be ranked and selection for offers made. First round offers occur in December. If places are available, second round-offers will be made in January or early February prior to the start of semester. A cohort of students is typically accepted into the Master of each year. Preparing for Entry into the Master of To prepare for entry to the Master of prospective students should undertake subjects in which they are academically strong and have the potential to do well. As entry to the course is competitive a strong academic record / course weighted average is essential. This means that the academic record is more important than the area of previous study. If a prospective student does not have a strong academic record they may choose to consider ways of strengthening this before applying for the Master of. This could include pursuing further undergraduate or postgraduate study (such as a post-graduate certificate or diploma course) to lift their course weighted average. Choosing a subject area where success is likely is advised as well as one with relevance for more general career progression. Undertaking direct or related work experience or volunteer work in the field of speech pathology is also important preparation for entry into the Master of. The School of Psychology and is unable to assist with arranging work experience opportunities however prospective students may like to contact the Curtin Career Centre for advice and direction. Work Load and Time Commitment The Master of is an intensive program of study. Given the integrated nature of the curriculum full time study is recommended. If undertaking the course full time students should be prepared for attendance at the university Monday to Friday. All students should be aware that classes may be scheduled between 8am and 6pm. As such, it is recommended that only very limited (and flexible) part-time employment is pursued. The course is only offered internally with most of the course content presented via face to face lectures and activity-based tutorials. The course is applied and interactive, which means that the teaching and learning activities and discussion that takes place within class will not be accessible or replaceable via i-lectures or self-study. Attendance at all lectures and tutorials is strongly encouraged. Students will also complete a number of group assessments as part of their studies and should allow time to meet with peers on campus during business hours. While efforts are made to cater for the needs of part time students the intensive and applied nature of the course limits how much flexibility can be offered in terms of timetabling and flexible study options. It is very important for prospective students to be aware of this before applying for and commencing the program. 3 It is important to note that a number of units and lectures are taught in conjunction with units from the Bachelor of Science (). However, many opportunities are provided for masters students to engage in experiences specifically tailored to their needs at key points during the course.

3 4 Clinical Placements Students will undertake a number of clinical placements across the course. Placements are offered in Perth metropolitan area as well as rural and remote areas. Students complete one full semester of academic study prior to commencing clinical practicum. There is an observation placement in the first semester of the course. Applicants should be aware that before students commence any clinical placements, they are required to show evidence of the following: Senior First Aid Certification (this must be completed in Australia) A Department of Health Criminal Record Screening A Department of Education Police History Check A National Police Clearance A Working with Children Check Immunisations as required by the Health Department of WA Accreditation of the Master of Australia (SPA) is the professional accrediting body for all speech pathology programs in Australia. The Master of at Curtin University is officially accredited by the Association. All graduates from the program will be eligible to practice as a speech pathologist in Australia. Assessment Assessment depends on the nature of the unit. Most units involve three to four pieces of written work. Assessment may involve essays, case studies, program and treatment plans, research reports, literature reviews, reflective journals, and clinical evaluations. Students are required to complete a number of group assessments and interprofessional education experiences during their studies. All assessment is geared toward the objectives of the course to produce reflective, theoretical and evidence-based practitioners who can assess and intervene effectively across the range of speech pathology practice. COURSE STRUCTURE Master of The Master of is currently undergoing course review. As a consequence, there will be minor changes to the course structure and unit names from 2014 onwards. The program for a full time student is outlined below. Year Units Required Unit Name Hours/ Week Year 1, Semester Cognitive Neuroscience Language Analysis and Communication Science Research Design and Analysis in Clinical Science in Year 1, Semester Human Communication Science Credit Points 5 The School runs the award winning community speech pathology clinic in the nearby suburb of Gosnells and the on campus Stuttering Treatment Clinic. These clinics provide the opportunity for students to learn in a clinical environment as part of the clinical program whilst also providing a service to the members of the public. Students that enter the Master of must be available for clinical placements throughout the duration of the program. Placements may be scheduled outside of semester time and over the summer period. With increasing numbers of students in the undergraduate program and pressures on clinical placements there is limited flexibility around scheduling placements. Fees Master of is a full fee paying course. There are no commonwealth supported places for the Master of. You may be eligible for FEE- HELP. This is a loan given to eligible fee-paying students to help pay part or all of their tuition fees. Australian citizens, holders of a permanent humanitarian visa, and holders of a permanent visa who are undertaking a bridging study for overseas-trained professionals, are eligible to apply. Please contact the Fees Centre at Curtin for more details: fees.curtin.edu.au Lifespan Communication Science Practice Clinical Science in - Dysphagia Year 2, Semester Human Communication Science - Evidence Based Practice Speech and Hearing Science Practice Practice Year 2, Semester Speech and Hearing Science Practice Practice Research in Practice

4 6 UNIT DESCRIPTIONS Language Analysis and Communication Science 571 This unit provides an introduction to normal communication, language and speech. In this unit, you will begin your studies of language with the psycholinguistic models of normal language and speech, then continue with a focus on components of language, pragmatic and sociological factors affecting human communication. Alongside this, you will undertake language analysis and use standardised clinical and research procedures for analysing and interpreting different parameters of communication. Clinical Science in 571 Clinical Science in 571 focuses on developing your skills as a clinical scientist. Clinical Science units form a bridge between your developing knowledge of theory and speech pathology practice. In this first semester we cover assessment. What is assessment? Why do we assess? How do we assess? What do we need to consider? How do we apply frameworks? How do we draw on theory? What is hypothesis testing? What is evidence based practice? How do we gather data? How do we report data? We begin to look at goal setting and then move into intervention. We use a range of content areas and discuss a range of clients as we move through the year. Cognitive Neuroscience 571 This unit will draw your attention to the nature of human abilities through the integration of several domains of knowledge. Principles of neurology, cognition, psycholinguistics and neuroscience, will be studied simultaneously. The knowledge gained will be applied to the clinical context. Research Design and Analysis in 571 This unit is designed to (a) develop your ability to collect, analyse and interpret data relevant to professional practice in speech pathology, and (b) understand and evaluate research in speech pathology. In this unit you will be introduced to experimental and quasi-experimental research designs, and ways of summarising, analysing and interpreting data from those designs. You will also develop your report writing skills. In the labs you will also receive a practical introduction to undertaking clinically relevant measurements of speech and voice. The skills and knowledge obtained from completing this unit successfully provide a foundation for evidence-based practice in speech pathology. Human Communication Science 572 This unit focuses on developing your existing theoretical framework to apply your knowledge and understanding to clinical practice. It builds on information you have covered in Cognitive Neuroscience 571 and is very closely linked to Lifespan Communication Science 572. Lifespan Communication Science 572 This unit continues the focus on developing your skills as a clinical scientist, forming a bridge between your developing knowledge of theory and speech pathology practice. In this unit you will move from assessment to intervention. The unit covers clinical skills, therapy programmes/approaches and their theoretical underpinnings, evidence based practice and applications of clinical skills and therapy to specific cases. In addition, in this unit you develop an understanding of medicolegal and ethical principles in clinical practice in a range of settings and with various model/s of intervention and service delivery. Practice 572 This unit focuses on introducing you to speech pathology fieldwork through your attendance at up to 3 clinical placements / experiences in Semester 2. In this unit, you will have the opportunity to manage paediatric and adult clients with a range of communication disorders, models of intervention and models of service delivery. This includes stuttering, paediatric communication and adult inpatient clients. Clinical Science in - Dysphagia 572 This unit provides a theoretical foundation for clinical practice in the area of dysphagia or swallowing disorders. Human Communication Science - Evidence Based Practice 671 The aim of this unit is to help form a bridge between the academic content of the course and clinical practice. Human Communication Science 671 continues the focus on developing your skills as a clinical scientist. This unit covers evidence based practice and theory in the context of assessment and therapy/intervention/management. This unit is co-taught with Human Communication Science 371 and has the same assessment tasks. Speech and Hearing Science 671 This unit covers a range of current topics in the speech and hearing sciences including coustic phonetics, speech perception, speech production, and computerbased speech processing. In the laboratories you will be introduced to the acoustic analysis of speech using PRAAT software. Overall, this unit provides key foundational and practical knowledge required for a speech pathologist to explain and evaluate speech related disorders in clients, and important information on managing those disorders. Speech and Hearing Science 672 This unit re-examines the auditory pathway but this time with a stronger focus on the impact of hearing disorders on development or maintenance of speech and language, as well as treatment, management and the role of the speech pathologist, audiologist and other medical and health professionals. In undertaking this unit you will be provided with a basic understanding of audiological assessment and competency in audiological screening. Practice 673 This unit is a seminar plus fieldwork unit. The seminar aspect is aimed at extending your theoretical knowledge in specialised areas of speech pathology practice and preparing you for the workforce. The fieldwork component focuses on developing and applying knowledge, skills and personal qualities required to provide services to clients with communication and swallowing impairments with an appropriate degree of independence. It will provide you with hands on clinical experience in assessment, intervention and management of paediatric and adult clients in a variety of settings with a range of communication and/or swallowing disorders. Practice 675 The theoretical component of this unit focuses on assessment of and intervention for voice and motor speech disorders across the lifespan and for severe communication disorders requiring augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The fieldwork component of this unit focuses on developing and applying knowledge, skills and personal qualities in providing services with an appropriate level of independence. Practice 674 This unit is a fieldwork unit. The fieldwork component of this unit requires students to complete a COMPASS assessed clinical placement. This fieldwork focuses on expanding and consolidating student s application of knowledge, skills and personal qualities required to provide services to clients with communication and swallowing impairments with an increasing degree of independence. Guidance and supervision are provided by speech pathology clinical educators. The seven professional competencies required for speech pathology practice as defined by the Competency Based Occupational Standards Entry Level (CBOS) [SPAA, 2011] document will be targeted along with the four generic academic abilities of reasoning, communication, lifelong learning and professionalism. Practice 676 This unit is a seminar plus fieldwork unit. The seminar aspect is aimed at extending theoretical knowledge in specialised areas of speech pathology practice and preparing students for the workforce. The fieldwork component of this unit requires students to complete a clinical experience or COMPASS assessed clinical placement. The fieldwork aspect focuses on developing and applying knowledge, skills and personal qualities required to provide services to clients with communication and swallowing impairments with an appropriate level of independence. Research in Practice 674 This unit is designed to give you hands-on experience in the research process by designing an intervention for one client modelled on a single case study, carrying out the planned intervention under the supervision of your clinical placement supervisor, and then reporting the outcomes in a written report. A series of lecture and discussion sessions will cover content relating to evaluating research literature, and designing and conducting research. These are intended to provide support for you to develop your clinical research proposal, implement the project, and write the final report. 7

5 8 EXAMPLE TIMETABLE The following Timetable should be used as a general guide only as the timetable does change from year to year. However, this does provide a sense of the intensity of a full time load. Year One - Semester One 2012 Class Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 8am - 9am 9am - 10am 10am -11am 11am - 12pm 12pm - 1pm 1pm - 2pm 2pm - 3pm 3pm - 4pm 4pm - 5pm 5pm - 6pm Cognitive Neuroscience 571 Clinical Science in 571 (Lab) * Clinic Observation Placement (3 days) LACS 571 Cognitive Neuroscience 571 Clinical Science in 571 Cognitive Neuroscience 571 (Lab) LACS 571 (Lab) Research Design and Analysis in 571 LACS 571 Research Design and Analysis in 571 (Lab) * Students complete an observation placement during their first semester of the program. This currently runs over 3 consecutive Tuesdays. The other Tuesdays are free from lectures during the rest of the semester. STAFF Lecturers that teach within the program come from a range of different clinical and research backgrounds. Most of the academics have many years of clinical experience working within the field of speech pathology and/or active research portfolios. Ms Jade Cartwright Lecturer and Program Coordinator Jade is a speech pathologist and lecturer within the School of Psychology and. She currently coordinates the Master of. Jade has had over 11 years clinical experience working in acute, rehabilitation and community hospitals managing adults with a wide range of neurological communication and swallowing disorders. She is currently completing her PhD in the area of primary progressive aphasia (a type of fronto-temporal dementia). She has been actively involved with Australia since graduating from Curtin University in 2000 and is the current Vice President of the WA branch. Jade is on the Editorial committee of the Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech Language Pathology and is a trained rater for speechbite TM. Jade is also a Board Member of Huntington s WA. Ms Mary Claessen Lecturer and Director of Programs Mary is a speech pathologist, and a current practising member of Australia. She is currently completing a PhD at Curtin University in the area of phonological processing skills of children with Specific Language Impairment. Mary is the Director of Programs. She has been lecturing at Curtin University since 2002 and currently teaches in the areas of language development, language analysis, phonology, evidence-based practice and ethical issues in. Mary s focus is on encouraging students to become lifelong learners who are passionate about the importance of communication skills across the lifespan. Her focus is on teaching students to become clinical scientists and in bridging the gap between theory and practice through evidence-based practice. Associate Professor Cori Williams Cori is a speech pathologist and fellow of Australia who also holds qualifications in linguistics and education. She completed a PhD in applied linguistics in Cori has held a range of positions in Speech Pathology Australia, including National President ( ) and WA Branch President ( ). Together with Suze Leitao she edited the Proceedings of the National Conference in 2002 and 2003, and ACQ from She was the National Tour speaker for SPA in Cori received the SPA Recognition of Service award in 2004, and national advisor, EBP and Research. Cori has held a lecturing position at Curtin since 2000, and currently holds the position of Deputy Head of School. She provides specialist lectures within a range of units. She supervises honours and HDR students. Her research interests encompass cross cultural and Indigenous issues in speech pathology, phonological processing and literacy and communication development. Dr Suze Leitao Suze is a speech pathologist and a Fellow of Speech Pathology Australia. Suze is currently the Chair of the Ethics Board of Australia. Suze has been lecturing at Curtin since 2002 and teaches in the clinical science stream of the course. The focus of these units is assessment and intervention across the lifespan with a focus on building links between theory and clinical practice and teaching students to become clinical scientists. She also teaches within clinical research areas and supervises a range of research students. Suze s research interests include phonological processing and literacy, discourse processing, text production, evidence-based practice and treatment effectiveness research. In 2005 Suze was the Chairperson of the Speech Pathology Australia Literacy reference group which involved co-coordinating and writing the SPA submission to the National Literacy Inquiry (Rowe Report). In 2006 she was an invited member of the literacy working party for the Western Australian Department of Education and Training literacy and numeracy review. Associate Professor Anne Whitworth Anne is a speech pathologist with interests in adult aphasia. She has most recently worked as head of Speech and Language Sciences at Newcastle University in the UK where she taught, supervised and carried out research in aphasia and related areas. She was a founder member of the North of Tyne SLT Research Collaborative which is a highly active partnership aimed at building research capacity and embedding innovation in Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) within the NHS. The purpose of the collaborative is to establish and implement a reciprocal framework between knowledge and practice in order to build research capacity in speech pathologists, and to foster a culture where ideas emerge and innovation is valued. Anne is committed to the development of productive partnerships in research and practice involving community clinicians. Ms Janet Beilby Janet is a speech pathologist, a member of Speech Pathology Australia and a member of the Private Speech Pathology Association of WA. She received a Master of Science (Speech Science) from the University of Arizona in Janet also has a Certificate of Clinical Competence that permits her to be accredited with ASHLA and to practice in the US. Janet has over 30 years experience lecturing in the assessment and management of children and adults with stuttering disorders across both the undergraduate and Graduate Entry Masters programs at Curtin University. Janet has been a clinical educator and has been responsible for the Curtin University Stuttering Clinic. 9

6 10 Janet s current research interests include stuttering disorders in children and adults, adolescent stuttering and social anxiety and psychological aspects of early stuttering. In 2009 Janet was part of a team of researchers who received a Neurotrauma Research Program Project Grant of $150,000 to investigate Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Neurotrauma Patients: Application of a novel intervention. Dr Neville Hennessey Neville completed an Honours degree and Doctorate in Psychology at The University of Western Australia. Neville has been lecturing in the Bachelor of Science () program at Curtin University for more than 15 years, and in the Graduate Entry Master of program since it began in Neville currently teaches speech science at second year undergraduate and GEM level and research methods within both the undergraduate and GEM programs. He is the Honours co-coordinator for the undergraduate Speech Pathology program. Neville is an editorial consultant for the Journal of Fluency Disorders. Neville s research interests span a number of areas including normal and disordered speech perception and production, and psycholinguistic models of language and reading. He has published in the areas of visual word recognition and naming, stuttering, phonological deficits in dyslexia, child speech and language impairment, and the effects of speech therapy on the use of computer based speech recognition technology by people with dysarthria. Ms Brooke Sanderson Brooke is a speech pathologist with experience working for the Department of Education currently as part of the Statewide Speech and Language Service. She is a member of Australia. Brooke became involved in clinical coordination in 2010 providing clinic preparation and support tutorials for all third year undergraduate and 1st year GEM students. In 2012 Brooke commenced the role of final year clinical coordinator and provides clinic preparation and support tutorials for all final year students, in addition to training for community clinicians. Dr Naomi Cocks Naomi is a speech pathologist with an interest in acquired communication and swallowing impairments. Prior to working as a lecturer, she worked as a speech pathologist specialising in swallowing and communication difficulties of a neurological cause in a range of healthcare settings in Perth. In 2005 after completing her PhD, she moved to London to take up a lecturing post in the Language and Communication Science Division at City University London, UK. She became a Senior Lecturer at City University in At City University London she taught a range of different topics including swallowing disorders, acquired communication impairments and professional studies. She was Programme Director of the undergraduate speech and language therapy training programme at City University London in Whilst at City University London, Naomi was also involved in a number of research projects on swallowing difficulties and acquired communication impairments. She has published a number of journal articles on these topics and is also the author of two books on swallowing difficulties. She has presented at a number of international conferences, including invited presentations at conferences in the UK and Russia. At City University she, along with Dr Madeline Cruice, set up the City University Reading Clinic. This clinic provided an assessment and treatment service for people with reading difficulties after stroke or head injury. In 2012, she returned to Perth to take up her current role of Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology and Speech Pathology. Ms Michelle Quail Michelle is the clinical coordinator for the first clinical year of the speech pathology courses. She began this role in 2012 after a number of sessional teaching roles at Curtin University. Michelle is also a senior speech pathologist and manager in paediatric private practice and enjoys bringing these practical experiences into her teaching. Michelle has also worked for Playgroup WA and volunteers on a number of committees including Australia and Early Childhood Intervention Australia. GRADUATE TESTIMONIALS The course I am studying is highly regarded and I like their strong focus on practical experience. Alana Watts It s really amazing to be able to put all the theory into practice, and see the outcomes in these patients. Thank you very much for educating me with such valuable knowledge and clinical experience.our Master program is very well appreciated here. Kamini Jaganathan Curtin offers the Graduate Entry Masters in and has a very good reputation out in the profession. Kerry Judge I found that this degree was structured to help you succeed; the assessments, lectures and tutorials are all integrated. and one important point for my future career was the fact that Curtin s courses are accredited. 11 Melissa Trinca The staff are all experienced clinicians and can really give you practical, real-world advice Vanessa Wolz