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Piper Reiser (SLP ’25) is a prime example of how helpful Midwestern University’s Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) Program Leveling Track can be for someone who did not receive a bachelor’s degree in the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Piper discovered SLP as a senior in college majoring in a different degree field and immediately knew this was the career she wanted to pursue. “I was very nervous about entering a field in which I had little background knowledge or experience. I also was worried that I would feel super-behind my peers, as they were coming in with undergraduate degrees in this area.”

The Leveling Track was the perfect preparation. While most master’s-level degree programs require a bachelor’s degree in an associated field, Midwestern’s SLP Leveling Track offers students with baccalaureate degrees in an area other than Communication Sciences and Disorders, or those who lack the SLP-specific prerequisite coursework required for admittance, the opportunity to earn up to 12 additional credit hours of leveling courses.

Students in the Leveling Track begin online studies one quarter early in the summer to complete their leveling courses, and then they resume coursework in the fall quarter on campus, continuing with the first-year traditional track curriculum. 

These summer online courses are included with the cost of first semester tuition. Courses offered in the Leveling Track include:

• Anatomy and Physiology of Communication Mechanisms
• Phonetics
• Speech and Language Development
• Speech and Hearing Science

Jonathan Wilson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Downers Grove Program Director, Speech-Language Pathology, describes the benefits of the Leveling Track. “It’s a soft introduction to the faculty and program itself, especially if the student has been out of school for a while,” he says. “It’s flexible and asynchronous, so students can learn at their own pace, and there are opportunities to interact with students from both campuses from a variety of different backgrounds.” 

By taking advantage of the Leveling Track, Piper felt more prepared during her first year. “The leveling track not only caught me up on the knowledge I would need before entering the program, but in some aspects, I felt ahead. I had a quarter to learn how graduate school worked and to manage the workload before actually starting the program. Additionally, I was able to work with some of the professors I would have during the program, which allowed me to develop relationships with them and understand their teaching styles before classes even began.”

Stephanie Christensen, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Glendale Program Director, Speech-Language Pathology, concludes, “The students who choose the Leveling Track really enhance our cohort and classrooms; they bring unique and different backgrounds that are assets to the SLP field. Many of them have been in different industries, such as teaching or marketing, and they are very passionate about SLP. They have made sacrifices to change the direction of their careers and come back to school.”

More About the Program and Profession

Midwestern University’s Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology Program teaches students how to assist patients with communication and swallowing disorders through patient-centered, ethical, and evidence-based care, while learning from clinically focused, expert faculty. 

Available at both campus locations, the SLP curriculum offers training in areas such as:

• Neurological Bases of Communication Disorders
• Pediatric Speech Sound Disorders
• Hearing and Aural Rehabilitation
• Dysphagia
• Aphasia
• Language, Literacy, and Learning

SLP graduates are prepared to improve the lives of clients in a variety of settings, including outpatient clinics, schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and other healthcare facilities. This can be done by evaluating and treating speech, language, voice, communication, and swallowing disorders for clients of all ages. Often speech, language, and swallowing disorders result after a stroke, brain injury, or hearing loss, or can be related to a developmental delay, Parkinson’s disease, cleft palate, autism, or other health conditions.

For more information about the SLP program, visit: /academics/degrees-programs/college-health-sciences/master-science-speech-language-pathology-program