Get information about speech pathology licensing and continuing education requirements from your state's licensing board. You will have maximum career flexibility if you know in advance if the school that you attend meets the standard requirements for your home state and others that you might consider later.
Use the "Graduate Programs" link on the Peterson's website to search for schools in your targeted geographical area that have a curriculum accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.
Check Peterson's for colleges that offer the American Speech Language Hearing Association Clinical Competence Certificate curriculum. Some states accept this program as an alternate route to licensing for speech pathologists.
Select five to 10 schools initially. Compare the size of the student body and the number of students enrolled in the speech pathology department. Eliminate those whose population is too large or too small for your personality.
Look at admission requirements, including undergraduate grade point average, standardized test scores and any prerequisite undergraduate courses. Be sure that you meet all the admission requirements before you spend money on the application process.
Find out the annual number of admissions, the percent of accepted applicants and the percent of graduations for each college. Inquire about the average Praxis Exam score attained by each school's graduates.
Read the history of the school and the faculty's educational and professional credentials. Check closely to see how independent sources have ranked the school and its faculty.
Compare each school's fiscal stability. Look on the institution's website to find out about state and private financing sources. Get data about alumni, private donor, foundation and corporate grant support. Check for information about research activities and participation in relevant programs sponsored by U.S. government health agencies.
Look at gender distribution for the faculty and students. Review data on the average age of students, along with alumni career paths.
Compare tuition, housing, transportation and housing costs. Unless you have a trust fund for your education, request financial aid information. Clarify whether the available financial aid packages require you to work or teach classes. Many graduate fellowships do.
Examine each school's practices for providing its students with opportunities to complete the clinical experience required for licensing. Inquire about the school's placement services for the required postgraduate professional clinical experience. Take note of whether the school has fellowships to fund these practicums or you must find funding for your personal expenses yourself.
Set up a notebook or spreadsheet to rate each school's curriculum, specializations, costs, support, reputation, faculty and any other factors that are important to you. Request applications and submit them to three to five schools that you rank highly.