Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Reviews of Master's in Speech Pathology

"My graduate school has a reputation for graduating competent speech-language pathology students. We receive extensive experience in the school setting. We have two swallowing courses and an instrumentation course - which prepares us well for a medical setting academically. However, some of our resources are dated (e.g., AAC technology and testing materials). In addition, inconsistencies in ideologies between individuals at our various placements (i.e., schools, in house clinic, classes) can make the learning process arduous and frustrating. I personally have received excellent support financially and academically from specific professors and appreciate these opportunities. Overall, I feel that the positives far outweigh any minor negatives. I am satisfied with my experience and grateful for the opportunity to have been accepted into this program."

"It is a really good program. I feel like I am learning a lot and receiving good experience. A con is that there is a large work load, going from clinic all day to class all night 4 das a week."

"Bloomsburg University's Speech- Language Pathology graduate program has been a wonderful experience for me. We are provided with many opportunities to gain different experiences in multiple settings, such as in schools and a clinical setting on campus. These settings provide us with greater knowledge of what we can expect when we are out in the field, working on our own. Days can be long, being that we are usually in our school placements/clinic all day and attend class every evening, but everyone works together and makes it more enjoyable, since we all have similar experiences to share! All of the faculty are very knowledgable and are more than willing to help."

"Bloomsburg University provided me with an amazing undergraduate and graduate education. Professors require their students to utilize critical thinking clinically and prepare you for your externships and future. I was always provided amazing supervision at the on campus clinic and within both school settings. Having the experience of two schools districts and caseloads prepared me for a real world experience. Bloomsburg has provided me with experiences to make a well rounded resume with two school placements, an on campus clinic, IU experience, and volunteering at an Aphasia center and Headstart. A major pro to the program is that Bloomsburg assists you with finding an externship and that you are not taking classes during your final semester while completing your externship. My externship supervisors have provided me with feedback that I appear competent and ready to "jump into" experiences, and I owe it all to my professors, supervisors, and experiences I gained at Bloomsburg. All of the professors and supervisors truly care about their students and round every student into SLP rockstars."

"Bloomsburg has an exceptional speech language pathology graduate program. The professors and clinical staff provide comprehensive training to prepare students for both medical and educational settings. The program provides the opportunity for students to gain experience in an IU, clinic outpatient setting & two different school districts. Students gain hands on experience with instrumentation in the voice lab & provide volunteer services to a local head start & aphasia center. Students are also assisted with obtaining a placement for externships during the final semester of graduate school. This program requires students to learn to manage grades, assistantships, research & clinic work at once, requiring them to learn to think on their feet & prepare for real world situations."

"Pros: Excellent program in many regards. Very knowledgeable faculty/staff members. No difficulty accumulating ASHA hours. Excellent practice in school setting with two different school placements. Fully supported when looking for externship placement in final semester. Challenging coursework that covers all information necessary for successfully starting in the field. Cons: Small faculty leads to some difficulty receiving regular feedback regarding performance. School/clinic placement during the day and classes at night make for long days."

"Pros: knowledgeable faculty members with a wide array of specialties who are willing to help and support students peer-mentoring program challenging academics many clients and opportunities to develop skills as a professional (within the clinic and surrounding schools, as well as the aphasia center and headstart) Cons: not an equal emphasis between medical-based settings and school-based settings (however, may get medical experience during externship)"

"This graduate program provides their students with very valuable experiences in a range of clinical placements. We get a hands on experience very early on in our graduate careers. However, the con I have is that we have a lot of clients to provide therapy for, especially at our contracted school district. I find it difficult to effectively plan and provide therapy for all the clients on my caseload."

"The Speech Language Pathology program is a comprehensive program that gives plenty academic knowledge as well as field experience for an up-and-coming clinician. The professors are supportive and very knowledgeable."

"One of the biggest pros is the quality (experience and diversity) of faculty, especially this year. One of the most prominent cons, in my opinion, is the amount of time you spend in the school setting. The experience is good, but it is the majority of both my work load and my case load and I do not intend in working with this population in the future."

"Bloomsburg is one of the only grad programs that I applied to that offers graduate assistantship positions to Master's students (as opposed to reserving aid for doctoral students only like some schools do). Your first semester is mainly academics; however in the second semester you're both in the medical clinic on campus and a local school district. Your caseload ranges from 10 to 14 clients at one time, so you are getting plenty of clinical hours and hands on experience. time management is essential for success in this program. It is not unusual to be on campus at least 10 hours a day and then going home to plan for your caseload the next day as well as catch up on assigned readings. Your peers become your best friends because you see them every day; you honestly do not have extra time for people outside of your peers. You are your own biggest support group, so the competition of getting into grad school should stop once you're here. Overall, you are getting a great experience for the tuition price. You have a large caseload, but it should prepare you for your first job (since you will have multiple clients and obligations outside of your career). You have multiple supervisors, so you get to see multiple ways of doing things."

"Not much experience in the medical setting, but a lot of time in the school setting."

"Combined quality education and clinical experiences."

"Very balanced learning experience with extremely knowledgeable faculty and supervisors."

"Bloomsburg has an excellent graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology. You will have many opportunities to touch upon various components within this field."

"Bloomsburg has an amazing speech pathology program. The small class sizes allow us to develop and maintain great relationships with all of the professors and clinical staff. Faculty help prepare us for the real work force and the clinical experiences offered allows us the opportunity to feel comfortable and confident in our field."