Priorities of Future Speech-Language Pathologists in an Increasingly Diverse America

In recent years, cultural diversity in the United States has grown. This increase in diversity has resulted in a greater need for culturally competent Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs). In order to meet the demand for culturally competent SLPs, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has set forth standards for accredited programs to ensure that program content is focused on providing services to culturally diverse populations. In addition, some graduate programs have begun offering multicultural and bilingual emphasis for their degrees. Currently, 66 of the 293 accredited graduate programs offer a multicultural emphasis and 55 offer a bilingual focus (ASHA, 2019). Priorities when selecting a graduate program that need to be investigated in addition to focus on cultural competence include tuition rates, geographical location, culturally diverse populations, faculty members, program rankings, program emphasises, cost of living, and resources provided by the university. The purpose of this study is to investigate the priorities of senior communication disorder undergraduate students currently enrolled in a regional university in Kentucky when selecting their top choice Speech-Language Pathology graduate school programs. Specifically, the study aims to determine if cultural competency is a top priority for undergraduate students. Comprehensive data investigating top priorities when selecting graduate programs will be collected through a survey of undergraduate seniors enrolled in communication disorders courses at Murray State University. Keywords: Speech-Language Pathology, Cultural Competence, Diversity, Graduate Programs, and Communication Sciences and Disorder