Go to Courses and units

Master of Speech Pathology (M7G)

Overview Career outcomes Course structure Entry requirements Fees & scholarships
Apply now

Overview (2027)

Key Information

Duration

Minimum 2 years, up to a maximum of 5 years.

This course is available to study as both part-time or full-time
Duration
Duration refers to the minimum and maximum amounts of time in which this course can be completed. It will be affected by whether you choose to study full or part time, noting that some programs are only available part time.

Location

Launceston
Semester 2

As a graduate of the Master of Speech Pathology, you will develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to work as an autonomous speech pathologist, responding to the needs of individuals and communities who experience difficulties with communication and swallowing.

In this course you will develop the tools you need to provide safe, ethical and quality person, family and community-centred practice in complex and changing environments. Working across a range of health, education and private settings, you will provide evidence-based services to people and communities in local, national and global contexts.

Effective communication skills will enable you to work in partnership with others and collaboratively in interprofessional teams, reflective of the industry.

You will also develop the skills to lead, advocate, and innovate to develop socially responsible and sustainable actions that support every individual’s right to optimal communication and swallowing.

This 2-year full time course is offered via blended learning methods including independent, online learning with weekly interactive webinars and peer learning. You must be available for two week-long Residential Schools in Launceston each semester and engage in work integrated learning (WIL) opportunities throughout the course. While the learning hub for Speech Pathology is in Launceston, our delivery is designed to be place-based, so that you can complete elements of study from wherever you reside in Tasmania. Placements each semester are organised close to where you are living (in Tasmania only) wherever possible, noting that the final block placement may be outside of your residential area.

Throughout the four stages of the course, you will engage in online and independent learning, including weekly interactive webinars with staff for all units. You will need to be available to attend two week-long Residential Schools in Launceston each semester, and engage in work integrated learning (WIL) opportunities throughout the course as part of the units.

The WIL opportunities will include a supervised professional placement experience (PEP) in each semester of the program. WIL and part-time PEP will involve placements collocated to your place of residence, where possible, while block placements may occur across Tasmania. Please note this means you are currently unable to undertake the course from interstate.

Guaranteed entry pathway for Tasmanian high school graduates

If you are a high school student and want to become a speech pathologist, we have a guaranteed entry pathway available via one of three undergraduate degree to the Master in Speech Pathology. Up to 10 places are reserved for Tasmanian students who have finished their Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) or International Baccalaureate (IB) in the last 12 months.

The pathway is available for students who complete the Bachelor of Biomedicine, Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science, or Bachelor of Psychological Science with certain conditions.

Visit the Allied Health Pathway page to find out more.

Master of Speech Pathology webinar

Wednesday 26th of August,  5:00pm - 6:00pm (AEDT)

The Master of Speech Pathology will prepare you to study, diagnose and treat communication and swallowing disorders, working with people across a range of different contexts in which speech pathologists work. This course focuses on socially, ethically, and culturally sensitive solutions to communication and swallowing problems experienced across the lifespan.

Join Professor Anne Whitworth, our Academic Lead for Speech Pathology, to learn more about the Master of Speech Pathology at the University of Tasmania and answer any questions. Learn more about the Master of Speech Pathology, our entry pathways and requirements, and where the course can lead you.

Register here

  • 1 Apply core values and principles of speech pathology using a professional approach to inquiry to inform legal, ethical and socially responsible decision making.
  • 2 Identify and apply key theoretical, conceptual and interprofessional practice approaches to ensure services provided with people with communication and swallowing difficulties are person-centred, safe, effective, equitable, timely, and efficient.
  • 3 Communicate and collaborate with individuals, communities, and other stakeholders to provide culturally responsive, coordinated services to achieve optimal outcomes for individuals and communities in local, national and global contexts.
  • 4 Apply evidence-based approaches in the assessment, diagnosis, intervention planning and ongoing decision-making of individuals and communities to optimise communication and swallowing function, health, education, participation, societal inclusion, and wellbeing.
  • 5 Demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional development and life-long, self-directed learning, and critical reflective practice and agility for working in complex and changing environments.
  • 6 Use critical inquiry, innovation, research literacy and translational research practice to promote use and creation of research to develop socially responsive leaders and creative change agents in working with and advocating for people with communication and swallowing abilities.
Professional Experience Placement

Your studies will include compulsory Professional Experience Placements. These supervised professional placements occur in semester of the course, and are collocated to your place of residence where possible to help you build networks and connections for your future career. Block placements may occur across Tasmania, and please note this means you are currently unable undertake the course from interstate.

The Commonwealth Prac Payment offers speech pathology students support while they’re undertaking mandatory placements. From July 2027, eligible students will be able to access $338.60 per week (benchmarked to the single Austudy rate) while they’re undertaking a placement.

Safety in Practice Compliance

This course includes compulsory Professional Experience Placements. You must meet the College of Health and Medicine's Safety in Practice Requirements before census date of the first semester of your course. The safety in practice requirements are completed separately to the course admission application.

Graduates of the Master of Speech Pathology at the University of Tasmania are eligible for certified practicing membership of Speech Pathology Australia.  The course currently holds Provisional Accreditation.

For further membership requirements, please visit the SPA website. 

If you have any queries about the accreditation process, please contact us for further information. 

Career outcomes

Speech Pathologists are in high demand across the health sector with employment for speech pathologists projected to increase in Australia by 16.6% by May 2028, and 29.0% by 2033*. There is a huge unmet demand for this profession which has seen 100% of our graduating cohort securing jobs before they have graduated.

Our Speech Pathology will provide you with qualifications that can lead to various job opportunities in Tasmania, Australia and overseas.

*Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment, 2023 Occupational Projections.

Course structure

To graduate from the Master of Speech Pathology, a student must satisfactorily complete 200 credit points of study sixteen (16) core units.

 

 

Entry requirements

APPLICATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE:

Please note the closing time and date for receipt of first round applications is 11.59 PM (AEST) on 30 September 2026. Second round applications 11.59 PM (AEST) 31 October 2026, with the final round closing 11:59 PM (AEDT) 30 November 2026.


Admission to the Master of Speech Pathology is highly competitive and achieving the entry requirements does not guarantee an offer for this course.

Applicants who meet the entry requirements are ranked on academic performance and the number of offers are made based on the number of places available. 

This course uses a minimum credit average GPA requirement (5.0) for prior tertiary education and equivalent ranks as part of the admission process.

To be eligible to apply you will need to fulfill the following criteria:

A minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an Australian University or equivalent. If you are providing multiple eligible GPA’s the highest GPA  will be used for ranking purposes.

Completed the equivalent of the following pre-requisites within the last 10 years:

-    one unit (12.5 credit points or equivalent) of human anatomy, including detailed head, neck and thorax anatomy 
-    one unit (12.5 credit points or equivalent) of linguistics and phonetics
-    one unit (12.5 credit points or equivalent) of study in research methods

Completion of the pre-requisites can occur via enrolment in UTAS units, other Australian universities, or international universities that offer the appropriate level units, and via Open University. 

 

A domestic student is required to have completed their tertiary education in English in Australia or equivalent.

Where tertiary education has been completed where the language of instruction was not in English, the offer will be conditional on the applicant providing evidence of a level of English competency with an IELTS Academic minimum score of 7.0 overall and a minimum score of 7.0 in each individual band within the previous 24 months.

The IELTS result must be no older than two years at the expected course commencement date.  

 

Tasmanian Quota

At least 60% of places will be offered to Tasmanians where sufficient eligible applications are received, which is defined as:

Applicants who meet the domestic admission requirements and can demonstrate they:

  • Are currently resident in Tasmania at the time of application, and/or;
  • Have completed TCE/IB in Tasmania

 

Applicants who have recently completed secondary education:

A subquota of up to 50% of the Tasmanian quota exists for school leaver applicants who will have completed TCE/IB in Tasmania in the year preceding entry to the University of Tasmania subject to the following conditions:

  • Applicants must have completed their Certificate of Education within the last 12 months;
  • Applicants will be ranked according to their ATAR;
  • Applicants must be enrolled in one of the following UTAS undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science (53J), Bachelor of Biomedicine (M3X),  Bachelor of Psychological Science (53F);
  • Applicants entering this guaranteed pathway will be required to:
    • study full-time within the undergraduate program,
    • complete all relevant pre-requisite units during the undergraduate program, and
    • complete the undergraduate degree with  a GPA of 5.0.
  • Applicants cannot defer commencement of study in the chosen UTAS undergraduate or subsequent postgraduate degree.

Applicants can apply for this Guaranteed Entry Pathway (after applying for one of the above mentioned bachelor degrees) by completing  this form: Tasmanian School Leaver Guaranteed Entry Pathway 

 

Quota for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

A quota of up to 15% of places will be available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People who meet all entry requirements.

 

Safety In Practice Requirements


This course includes compulsory Professional Experience Placements. You must meet the College of Health and Medicine's Safety in Practice Requirements before census date of the first semester of your course. The safety in practice requirements are completed separately to the course admission application.

Please note the closing time and date for receipt of first round applications is 11.59 PM (AEST) on 30 September 2026. Second round applications 11.59 PM (AEST) 31 October 2026, with the final round closing 11:59 PM (AEDT) 30 November 2026.

A Quota of up to 15% of places will be offered to International students.

English Language Requirements

IELTS Academic minimum score of 7.0 overall and a minimum score of 7.0 in each individual band
OR completion of a course delivered in Australia and accredited by the Professional Body with which certification is sought,
OR successfully completed a relevant tertiary qualification in English in Australia or equivalent (refer to UTAS English Language Requirements) within the previous 24 months.
*The IELTS result must be no older than two years at the expected course commencement date. This requirement will not be waived. 

All Other Requirements

Admission to the Master of Speech Pathology is highly competitive and achieving the entry requirements does not guarantee an offer for this course. Applicants who meet the entry requirements are ranked on academic performance and the number of offers are made based on the number of places available. 

In addition to the English Language requirements you will need to fulfill the following criteria to be eligible to apply:

A minimum of a bachelor’s degree and achieved a minimum GPA requirement of 5.0 from their most recent course of eligible study.

If providing multiple eligible GPAs, the highest GPA will be used for ranking purposes.

Completed the equivalent of the following pre-requisites within the last 10 years:

-    one unit (12.5 credit points or equivalent) of human anatomy, including detailed head, neck and thorax anatomy 
-    one unit (12.5 credit points or equivalent) of linguistics and phonetics
-    one unit (12.5 credit points or equivalent) of study in research methods.

Completion of the pre-requisites can occur via enrolment in UTAS units, other Australian universities that offer bridging courses, and via Open University.  

 

Safety In Practice Requirements 

This course includes compulsory Professional Experience Placements. You must meet the College of Health and Medicine's Safety in Practice Requirements before census date of the first semester of your course. The safety in practice requirements are completed separately to the course admission application.

Applications for credit can be made in your course application. Find out more information about how to apply for a credit transfer/advanced standing at Recognition of Prior Learning.

 

There is no articulation from and to other courses.

NIL


 

Fees & scholarships

Domestic students

Commonwealth supported places (CSP) are available for this course. For eligible domestic students, this means your fees will be subsidised by the Australian Government. You’ll only need to pay the student contribution amount for each unit you study within the course.

Commonwealth Supported Place indicative annual fee: $9,703.10

How is this calculated?

This is an estimate. The calculation is based on the average full-time enrolment for this course in 2026. All figures are indicative only for 2027. Actual tuition fees will depend on specific unit enrolment, and are subject to annual increases each year. You can find the complete fee details for each unit of study on the individual unit pages. The units for this course are found in the course structure section of this page.

These figures do not include other costs such as the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). For further information, please visit Scholarships, fees and costs.

HECS-HELP loans

You may be able to defer payment of the student contribution amount by accessing a HECS-HELP loan from the Government. If eligible, you’ll only have to pay your tuition fees once you start earning above a specific amount.

Further information on student loans and a CSP eligibility checker can be found at Australian Government Study Assist.

An important note on Youth Allowance and Austudy

The Department of Social Services has approved some accredited and professionally-oriented master’s courses for student payments through Youth Allowance or Austudy. This means if you enrol in one of these courses, you may be eligible for student payments. However, this is not the case for all master’s courses. Please visit Scholarships, fees and costs for further information.

International students

2027 annual international student tuition fee: $54,548 AUD

The standard year of study for this course is 100 credit points.

Indicative total tuition fee for international students: $ 111,822 AUD.

This total tuition fee is indicative only. Please visit fees and costs for further information on how this is calculated.

International students are charged the Student Services and Amenities Fee but this fee is incorporated in the annual rate. International students do not have to make any additional SSAF payments.

Domestic scholarships

For information on general scholarships available at the University of Tasmania, please visit the scholarships website.

Course year 2027

View 2026 course information

View 2025 course information

View previous years course information

Useful links

Share this page

How can we help?

Do you have any questions about choosing a course or applying? Get in touch.

Domestic

13 8827 (13 UTAS)

International

+61 3 6226 6200

Email

Course.Info@utas.edu.au

Online

Online enquiries

Next steps

Enquire How to apply Scholarships