I am a rising high school senior who has an interest in becoming a SPL and special ed teacher.
I want to work and live in New York State, do I have to complete my undergrad in NYS?
If you are aware, could you please recommend a few colleges that has a strong CSD major in NYS?
Is it possible to be a SPL and a special ed teacher at the same time? Do I have to double major? (Is it even possible or maybe it depends on the university?)
Thank you greatly for sharing your valuable experiences and advice.
Have a great day:)
You do not have to complete your degrees in NYS, but it is probably the easiest route, and possibly the most cost effective (depending on your other offers).
Honestly, you could attend any of the SUNY/CUNY schools and receive a very good education in this field.
You will need a masters degree to become an SLP. You cannot get a masters in speech pathology and a masters degree in special education at the same time.
You need to ask the schools about majoring in education while taking prerequisites for speech path. I do not have that information. You can always major in education and then take time after graduation to take necessary classes and apply to grad school for SLP.
SUNY Plattsburgh (as an example) has a combined BS/MS in gen ed/special ed. They also have both a major and minor in communication disorders and sciences.
You can do some research into majoring in education and minoring in CDS. If you do the 5 year program it will be helpful to you if you end up going for a masters in SLP, but of course there is additional time and money and you might not be interested in this path.
I did this AMA a while ago. Perhaps some of the information in it will be helpful to you. As noted, you WILL need a masters degree, and entrance to these programs is competitive.
You can major in special education as an undergrad and take the required courses for speech language pathology grad school applicants as electives. I know a number of people who did this. Their background in special education was very valuableā¦and would be even more valuable if you chose to work in special education for a couple of years before applying to a speech language pathology masters program.
Iām happy to answer any questions you might have.
I love this track! If you are interested in working within a public school with kids with special needs as an SLP, a sped background is very valuable. As a sped teacher it is VERY frustrating when we canāt scrape up candidates for SLP positions that have a sped background. If you donāt go with an undergrad in SPED, another option would be to major in CSD, but take as many electives as you can in special ed and ABA and try to do an internship where you will gain experience with AAC devices.
Going to school in the state you plan on teaching/working in should guarantee that you have everything you need for certification. But, itās really more about local internship opportunities as most licensure is reciprocal.
Licensure is not hard to get from state to state once a speech language pathologist has their CCC from Asha. BUT some states require state department of education certification also, and the requirements for courses varies from state to state sometimes. In addition, in some places, if you move newly into the state, you need to take the praxis test there.
@yibs12 are you interested in Cornell? If not, perhaps the thread title should be changed. If you tell me what you want it to be, Iāll change itā¦unless you do it yourself.
Thank you so much for such valuable information! I appreciate you and other contributors. I was interested in Cornell, but I learned that they donāt really have a great program (Iām really new to this so Iām afraid I donāt know how to change the thread title if you could please change it :). Now I am looking into Teacherās College, Columbia University. They have Bilingual Speech-Language Pathology and Bilingual/Bicultural Childhood Special Education (though I see thatās only available for MA, but they also have Bilingual/Bicultural Education) which fits closely with my interest of study. And oh man, I spelt SLP wrong haha!
Iāve got some other questions if youāre willing to help me out, thank you so much guys!
What exactly is an Advanced Certificate? I saw on TCās website that thatās the only option they have instead of like āUndergradā or āBachelorā.
If you are familiar with TCās programs, is it worth it?
Whatās the difference (in work life and education) of a SLP clinician and one that works with school districts?
(Some thoughts:
Iām participating in a research program this summer, researching about the feasibility, benefits, challenges, and educational tools for students with ASC (Autism Spectrum Condition) to achieve bilingualism. Itās such an urgent issue! According to the articles I found, almost all SPED programs are only taught in English. Also, SLPs and professionals do not have an unanimous stance on whether bilingualism is feasible or beneficial or not, and their advice go right to parents who want to preserve their cultural heritage but are concerned about their childrenās English. Moreover, thereās an extreme need for bilingual SLPs and SPED teachers, and educational resources are almost impossible for immigrants/second generation immigrants who have ASC to get. I really resonate with āitās not about the lack of ācapacityā of the students, but about the lack āopportunitiesā.ā As one who is fluent in Chinese and takes Spanish classes in school, I really feel the call to make a difference, and I really want to thank you SLPs/former SLPs for everything you did and are doing!!)
Regardless of where you go to undergrad, if you want to be a speech language pathologist, you will be required to have a masters degree. No exceptions.
Conserve your funds if you want to work in public education. First, you will need to pay for your masters degree, and funding isnāt all that easy to get.
Right now, you need to find a suitable undergrad program where you can get the certification you want in special education. Teachers College at Columbia only for masters courses of study in education. Iām really not sure why you would want to attend undergrad there to prepare for a teaching credential, or to prepare to apply for a masters in Speech Language Pathology.
When the time comes, which isnāt nowā¦your masters program needs to be accredited by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), and really for the accredited programs there is no such thing as a ānot great programā.
Since you live in NY state and want to stay and work in NY stateā¦.why arenāt you looking at one of the fine SUNY schools? Some have both undergrad and grad programs in communication disorders.
Maybe it could be Special Education + Speech Language Pathology?
The reason for looking at TC and Cornell is because I am a Chinese international student. Even though I have communicated with my parents that I think attending SUNY Cortland is a good option, they think that I need to attend a better ranked university
Thank you so much!
Can your parents pay the full cost of attendance at Columbia? Itās very pricey! I believe the school is need aware for international students.
While Columbia is need-aware for international students, we admit a large number of international students who apply for and receive a substantial amount of financial aid. Columbia meets 100% of the demonstrated financial need for international students who are accepted.
This means your level of financial need will be considered when you apply for admission.
If you donāt qualify for need based aid, itās about $90,000 a year to attend Columbia.
Itās an excellent school for undergrad studies in many fields.
They told me that they will pay for whatever and well, I can only obey since Iām not paying lol. Yes, I do live in NY but as an international student with a host family.
