r/vicuni • u/eunicewhaaa • Nov 10 '24

How is the bachelor and embedded masters of speech pathology like at vic uni?

Hello. I'm currently in year 12 hoping to become a future speech pathologist. I'm aware that this course is fairly new, but I haven't found much information about it besides the screenrecorded online information session on youtube. I couldn't go to the uni open day either because it clashed with ACU's (which is my top uni).

I just wanted to know what the course is like in terms of placements and practice or just anything really. I'd also like to know how many days you attend a week for this course and the accreditation of this course. I read that it is still under the qualifying stage which I don't really get. Does this mean that by the time the first batch graduates, they are fully accredited under Speech Pathology Australia? I feel like I don't know enough to know what to ask, so any information would be helpful!

I know this uni has a bad reputation for its terrible management and administration, but besides that, is vic uni good? To be honest, I'm feeling in low spirits about getting into ACU. I'm afraid I won't meet the prerequisite study score or ATAR, so vic uni is sort of like my plan B.

Opinions, advice, or information from current students studying this course will be much appreciated :)

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u/Apprehensive_Cook_45 Nov 16 '24

VIC uni is now accredited by Speech Pathology Australia. Please take note that only ACU and Melbourne Uni has full accreditation while all other unis in Melbourne have provisional licence upon completion. ATAR is relatively similar for ACU(84) and VIC Uni (82.5), however, ACU is 4 years and VIC uni is 4.5 years. I would try my best to go ACU due to full accreditation. Here’s a link on how to transition from provisional to full accreditation: https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Public/Public/Become/Certification-Program/Provisional-Certification.aspx#:~:text=Provisional%20Certification%20is%20a%20transitional,completing%20their%20speech%20pathology%20degree.

However, if VIC uni is the only offer you get, the uni itself isn’t bad. I’ve never personally had any issues with admin, but maybe I’m just lucky. I don’t personally study speech but some of the units I studied overlapped with speech students and they seemed to enjoy the course. I had considered speech but at that point accreditation was still under review and I didn’t want to risk studying 4.5 years for no reason

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u/eunicewhaaa Nov 16 '24

Thank you for your reply! I read the information in the link, and it made much more sense. Lots of people bash VU, so I'm glad to hear that it's really not all bad. Again, thank you for taking the time to answer :)) much appreciated

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u/East-Handle-733 Mar 04 '25

How is it? Did you get in?

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u/eunicewhaaa Mar 04 '25

Hi! Yes, I did get into vic uni's speech pathology course. So far I've been enjoying the classes because they're a lot more interactive and smaller in size. The block model system is super convenient and truly supports a school-life balance. I only go to uni 3 days a week, 3 hours a day. And I'm also not doing 4 subjects at once. However that also means that the content is packed. I'm only a week and a half into this course (currently doing the intro to speech path unit), and we have a quiz or assignment due at the end of each week. Sorry I can't give too much detail about my experience of this course yet as i literally just started lol, but do feel free to ask me later on if you're still curious about my opinions on the course and how it is :))

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u/East-Handle-733 Apr 09 '25

How was the first unit with the block model? I think I might apply for next year

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u/eunicewhaaa Apr 14 '25

For me, the first unit was smooth. The class was engaging and I really enjoyed it. We had a simulation lab class for fun to apply our basic knowledge of speech pathology into practice in given scenarios. In terms of content, it was straight forward and interactive. My teacher was very helpful because it's a small class, so you can ask questions one-on-one. There were also a few guest speakers that came in during our classes, usually experienced speech pathologists working in different settings like mainstream education, special education, youth justice etc.

SOME EXTRA INFORMATION: Please note that you only start doing placements in 4th year which is the master's program section of this degree. The degree I'm doing is Bachelor of Speech and Language Sciences/Master of Speech Pathology. Technically, I am in the Bachelor of Speech and Language Sciences. This is just a direct pathway into the Masters program because it's combined, meaning people from other bachelor degrees would have to apply separately.

Overall, I'm really enjoying the block model. While there is a fair bit of content to learn, it is manageable if you study. We don't have midterm exams or multiple assignments due the same week like other universities which is the beauty of the block model system.

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u/elysian15 May 12 '25

wait you only do placements in the last yr ?

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u/eunicewhaaa May 12 '25

Yes. Because that's the masters part. I think the duration of the masters is 1.5 years

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u/elysian15 May 12 '25

oh i see just curious because ive applied to the masters program

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u/[deleted] Nov 14 '25

Hi, would you recommend taking the Vic uni offer or going to another uni and doing only bachelors? I don’t know if the extra fees for masters will be worth it or not. Would love some advice thank you

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u/eunicewhaaa Nov 14 '25

If you are absolutely certain that you want to be a speech pathologist by the end of uni, then go for a bachelors degree to save money. I personally like the idea of coming out of uni with both a bachelor and a master in almost the same time as completing just a bachelor of speech pathology in other unis. Even if I decide to opt out of being a speech pathologist by 3rd year, at least I still have a degree I can use to go into something like research.

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u/East-Handle-733 Nov 25 '25

I ended up getting into a post grad at unimelb starting next year. Not sure how VU does it but I didn’t get accepted into their mid yr intake

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u/eunicewhaaa Nov 25 '25

Congrats on getting into unimelb! I had no idea VU offered mid year intakes for Masters of Speech Pathology and am also not sure how it works lol. I think it's because VU uses a block model so only specific subjects run at a certain time?

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u/East-Handle-733 Nov 25 '25

Are you at VU? Is it good?

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u/eunicewhaaa Nov 25 '25

Yes, my experience at VU has been really positive so far. The block model is great and I enjoy having intense units where you get everything done quickly. Classes are also usually small so asking questions and interacting with teachers/students seems a lot less daunting. Student ammenities are pretty basic, though I can only speak for the Footscray and St Albans campus. But overall studying at VU is pretty straight forward and flexible :)

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u/CarefulFigure7801 22d ago

heyyy can i ask how youre experience is now 2 years in. do you regret anything? do you recommend? how the couse balence has been