Expert: Harriet B Jacobster, Au.D. - 6/26/2009

Question
I have my bacehlors in English but want to go back to school and am intersted in a career in speech pathology or audiology.  Math is definitely not my strong point.  Does a career in these involve using a lot or a specialized kind of math/ math courses?

Answer
Hi Maureen,
First, I am sure you realize that Audiology and Speech Pathology, although related and have some overlap, are two totally different fields and not interchangeable. If your interest is in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing and balance disorders, neurology, cognitive development, genetic and disease states, then you would not go into speech pathology; if your interest is in language, speech, swallowing disorders, cognitive function, then you should not go into audiology.

Okay, now...having said that, let's discuss your question.  Of the two, Audiology is definitely more "math-oriented."  A firm grasp of math and physics would make the study of Audiology a lot easier. And basic math skills are necessary in the everyday clinical aspects of audiologic testing and hearing aid fitting.  However, there really are no "special" math courses, other than possibly statistics (which still may be required for SLP).

However, this is NOT to say that you should rule out Audiology just because of your math skills, or lack thereof.  Both my undergraduate and graduate studies were in music, yet I transitioned into audiology.  I did have to take all the undergraduate courses as pre-requisites, but you would have to do that no matter which one you choose.  

You also have to understand that now, to pursue a career in Audiology, you have to do five years past the Baccalaureate in order to obtain your Doctor of Audiology degree, whereas you can practice SLP with just your Masters degree.  So, if time is an issue, you may want to consider that as well.

My suggestion is to check out the American Speech Language Hearing website as well as the American Academy of Audiology website: http://asha.org/default.htm  and  http://www.audiology.org/Pages/default.aspx and check out the curricula for both.  Also, try to arrange to sit in an undergraduate class in each, even if for a few sessions, and see which one really interests you more.  

And if you do choose Audiology, you can very easily hone both your math and physic skills by self-study;  you should not let this stand in your way of your chosen field.

Hope this helps.
Dr. Harriet B. Jacobster, AuD
Board Certified in Audiology