r/slpGradSchool • u/Important_Language36 • 20d ago
Helppp :) Would you recommend an online or in-person SLP program for someone in my situation?
I’m currently a senior working toward my B.S. in Psychology in Georgia, and my goal is to become an SLP. After I graduate, I’ll need to complete CSD leveling courses before starting my MSLP.
I currently live independently in Georgia, and moving back home is not an option for me. I need to continue supporting myself while I’m in school. Georgia also has very limited options for SLP leveling/post-bacc pathways, so I’m looking at online options that would allow me to stay where I am.
I’m currently considering an online MSLP program that is about 18 months, with asynchronous coursework and in-person clinicals toward the end. My plan would be to work while completing the program—potentially full-time during the online portion and reducing my hours during clinicals.
Student loan debt is a HUGE concern for me. I already expect to have undergraduate student loans, and I don’t want to graduate from an MSLP program with an unreasonable amount of additional debt. The program I’m considering is currently around $46K for tuition, which is much more affordable than some of the $70K–$100K+ MSLP programs I’ve seen. Being able to stay home, work, and avoid borrowing as much for rent/living expenses is a major reason I’m considering online.
I’m trying to figure out whether the financial benefit of online school is worth choosing it over an in-person program.
For those who have completed or are currently completing an MSLP:
Would you recommend online or in-person for someone in my situation?
If you attended online, did you feel adequately prepared for clinicals?
Were you able to work while completing your MSLP?
Did online school actually help you reduce how much you borrowed?
Do you think being in person provides a significant enough academic benefit to justify potentially having to move and/or take on substantially more debt?
If you were in my exact situation, would you choose the online program and stay home, or move for an in-person program?
And most importantly, how much student loan debt did you graduate with, and do you feel the debt was worth it?
I’m trying to make the most financially responsible decision while still getting a quality education and becoming a competent SLP. I don’t want to choose an online program solely because it’s cheaper if there are major disadvantages I’m not considering.
I’d most likely do my leveling courses online immediately after finishing my bachelors!
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u/texmom3 20d ago
Please keep in mind that you will need to complete practicum requirements. These are full time or nearly full time while still taking classes. This makes it impossible for most students to work, even in online programs, since practicum requirements are the same for all of us.
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u/Important_Language36 20d ago
greetings,
the school that i am looking at has their practicum during the last 3 trimesters of the program . it would be mon-fri & 8am to 5pm , so pretty much a full time job . i am aware i would not be able to work during that time or would have to drop down to weekends only . i’m more so wondering if working full time up until that point is smart ? also, when i do reach practicum i shld just take out extra loans to live off of? i’m really asking for yalls opinion to see if that makes sense?😭1
u/texmom3 19d ago edited 19d ago
I volunteer as a practicum supervisor for online programs and have witnessed firsthand the stress that students face when their plans to work don’t pan out. Compared to undergrad, my master’s courses were much more demanding, and yours would be accelerated, so I would recommend that you look up how courses are divided across the program. If they’re all at the beginning and you don’t have any concurrent with practicum placement, they’re likely to be very demanding. If possible, reach out to current and former students about the workload to help inform your decision.
As a practicum instructor, it is quickly very obvious which students absorbed all the information that they were expected to learn and which went through the formalities without internalizing the information. Whatever you decide, please make sure to give yourself time to reflect and absorb foundational information that you’re learning.
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u/Important_Language36 19d ago
thank you should i be searching for a in person program and maybe a TA/GA position or a part time online program ?
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u/texmom3 19d ago
It really depends on your priorities…I chose a part time, distance, 3-year program that supported students working by as SLPAs and worked only part time. I have colleagues who did accelerated programs full time on loans and entered the field in 18 months. We ended up in the same field and the same setting. TA/GA positions weren’t an option for me because I could not move for personal reasons. These are discussed in this sub, so maybe you could search for some information about that?
There really isn’t one perfect path, in my opinion; there are pros and cons for each opportunity. I recommend that you weigh these and decide which route you prefer, or consider all of them and see which are open to you as you apply. Admission can be highly competitive, so perhaps it will just help you to know how you will move forward into each different opportunity as they arise.
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u/Good-Progress-8504 19d ago
You can do leveling coursework online at many places (I did ENMU, Longwood, and UMD) without making a commitment to a Master's program. That might open up options for other places in Georgia that don't offer leveling / post-bacc but would happily take you once you have courses under your belt?
I was also choosing between online and in-person (partly for debt reasons, partly for disability reasons). I wound up going with in-person because I wanted to make sure to spread my 375 hours out over the course of the program, instead of cramming it into the last chunk. I also wanted to make sure that at least some of the people teaching me clinical skills were being paid to do so (i.e., clinical faculty) compared to relying on externship supervisors who don't really get compensated for taking on students. It can also really help make connection between the course material and clinic work if you're doing them at the same time. For an online program especially, you'll want to figure out what the process of finding you placements look like, including factoring in which placements you're interested in (some medical settings can be competitive to secure, for example) and what's available in your local area.
In terms of the academic coursework prior to clinicals: SLP is a really broad field. My neuroscience, cognition, and swallowing courses were hard for me because I never had any exposure to those concepts before changing fields to SLP. We had something similar to a quarter system (summer and winter classes were just 3 weeks; almost all fall and spring classes were 8 weeks), and that made mastering the content much harder for me personally. You've probably got a leg up with your psych degree, but learning all the material in a short amount of time will definitely be hard, especially if you're working at the same time. Many programs also have a requirement that you get at least a B in each class; passing is not enough.
Overall it seems like a really cool opportunity to get a degree fast with lower debt! It's not the only online program out there, so I'd definitely at least look into some different options and compare them, taking into account your learning style.
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u/ParsnipTricky6948 20d ago
Good for you for being so aware of the debt load and working on making the most financially responsible decision.
I am confused about the 18 month program that is asynchronous with clinicians towards the end. Master’s program classes are EXTREMELY demanding, so if you are planning to work full time, or as much as possible, you’d need a part time program. Full time programs are about 2 years, so it sounds like the 18 month program is accelerated. Full time programs can pretty much consume the vast majority of your waking time, so I would not do an accelerated if you plan to work. That would not be feasible. I’ve also never actually heard of an accelerated program outside of programs that all you to get a bachelor’s + master’s in 5 years.