Cal State East Bay Blog

Cal State East Bay Launches Online MS in Speech-Language Pathology to Address Nationwide Shortage

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BY ELIAS BARBOZA

Today, nearly one in twelve U.S. children have a disorder related to voice, speech, language, or swallowing, as revealed through recent studies by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. More than three million Americans stutter and approximately 9.4 million adults report having a problem using their voice that lasted one week or longer.

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identify, assess, and treat those speech and language problems across all ages. But according to Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences Associate Professor Eve Higby, a significant shortage of SLPs is affecting those in need, largely in rural areas.

“Schools are having a difficult time finding SLPs to fill positions, especially K-12,” said Higby. “But luckily, Cal State East Bay’s Online Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology will train future SLPs to meet the demand of the work force.”

Launched in fall, the Online MS in Speech-Language Pathology Program is a three-year program that prepares adults for state licensure, national certification in Speech-Language Pathology by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), and the Speech-Language-Hearing Services credential to work in public school settings. The program is fully-online with a two-week, in-person summer residency that gives students the opportunity to connect and build a support network with peers and instructors.

“The program offers students all the resources they need, and all the instructors are licensed SLPs,” said Higby. “The instructors are experts who have years of experience in the field and can offer guidance, mentorship and career advice. Students can have personal face-to-face relationships with each instructor instead of being anonymous online.”

Additionally, the program’s director, Dr. Michelle Gravier, emphasized how the MS SLP is specifically accommodating to students who may find it challenging to pursue this type of degree.

“We wanted to create a program that opens doors for students who aspire to become speech-language pathologists but need more flexibility than a full-time, in-person program allows,” said Gravier. “By offering a hybrid online model, we can reach students who live in areas without nearby universities, which are often the very communities most in need of SLP services. This way, students can balance work, family, and other commitments while training to serve the regions they already call home.”

Another major reason for the SLP shortage is the lack of awareness towards the profession, even though it’s lucrative and can apply to different job sites, said Higby.

“Most people are not aware that speech-language pathology is an excellent career choice with a great salary,” said Higby, who also emphasized there are a variety of ways speech-language pathology overlaps with other occupations. “For example, people get into speech-language pathology because they want to be in a helping profession, so people who are interested in nursing but don’t want to deal with the messy part of the job may also be interested in this career.”

Higby continued to highlight more connections between speech language pathology and other similar career paths.

“A lot of psychology majors would probably like speech pathology because it's cognitive and linguistic,” said Higby. “A lot of [elementary school teachers] who may also have been teaching for a couple of years and would prefer to work one-on-one with students, or have a smaller group, can feel like they’re having a bigger impact by becoming a SLP.”

The future of speech-language pathology is bright, added Higby. Growing awareness will ensure that everyone’s voice and speech is valued and speech-language pathologists will be better equipped to empower individuals to communicate with confidence.

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