Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Health Sciences

.: ORIGINAL RESEARCH
An Overview of Speech and Language Therapy Undergraduate Programs and Students in Türkiye: A Descriptive Research
Türkiye'deki Dil ve Konuşma Terapisi Lisans Programlarının ve Öğrencilerinin Genel Görünümü: Tanımlayıcı Araştırma
Namık Yücel BİROLa , Esra YAŞAR GÜNDÜZb , Zübeyir TUTUŞc
aTarsus University Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Mersin, Türkiye
bCappadocia University School of Health Sciences, Department Speech and Language Therapy, Nevşehir, Türkiye
cİstinye University Institute of Graduate Education, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, İstanbul, Türkiye
Turkiye Klinikleri J Health Sci. 2025;10(3):621-31
doi: 10.5336/healthsci.2025-108832
Article Language: EN
Full Text
ABSTRACT
 Objective: Since undergraduate programs in speechlanguage therapy (SLT) in Türkiye started to admit students in 2012, these programs and student profiles have not been investigated in detail. This study aims to examine the undergraduate programs in SLT and SLT undergraduate student profiles in Türkiye. Material and Methods: Using publicly available data from government websites, 27 active and 34 inactive SLT undergraduate degree programs were examined through document analysis. The number and gender distribution of students and graduates who were placed in SLT undergraduate programs, the students' vocational preference tendencies, characteristics of the undergraduate programs, the number of SLT undergraduate programs and students between 2012-2024, and the distribution of academic staff in the SLT programs depending on titles were determined. Results: The proportion of females among SLT students and graduates ranges from 78% to 85%. Between 2012-2024, the number of active SLT programs increased from 1 to 27, and the number of students admitted per year increased from 31 to 1661. The proportion of professors and associate professors in active SLT degree programs is 14.73%. Conclusion: SLT undergraduate programs in Türkiye have proliferated since their inception in 2012. However, sustainable growth requires careful planning. The study findings highlight the female students' significant predominance in the field, the insufficient academic staff, and the concentration of programs in specific cities. The number of academic staff should be considered to provide growth for SLT undergraduate programs in Türkiye.

Keywords: Speech-language pathology; education; Türkiye
ÖZET
 Amaç: Türkiye'de dil ve konuşma terapisi (DKT) lisans programları 2012 yılında öğrenci alımına başlamıştır. Bu programlar ve öğrenci profilleri ise henüz ayrıntılı olarak araştırılmamıştır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Türkiye'deki DKT lisans programlarını ve lisans öğrenci profillerini incelemektir. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Kurumların resmi web sitelerinden elde edilen kamuya açık veriler kullanılarak, 27 aktif ve 34 aktif olmayan DKT lisans programı doküman analizi yoluyla incelenmiştir. Bu veriler aracılığıyla DKT lisans programlarına yerleşen öğrenci ve mezunların sayısı, cinsiyet dağılımı, öğrencilerin mesleki tercih eğilimleri, lisans programlarının özellikleri, 2012-2024 yılları arasında DKT lisans programlarının sayısı ve öğrenci sayıları, DKT programlarındaki akademik personelin ünvanlara göre dağılımı belirlenmiştir. Bulgular: DKT öğrencileri ve mezunlarına dair veriler incelendiğinde, kadınların oranının %78-85 arasında değiştiği görülmektedir. 2012-2024 yılları arasında aktif DKT programlarının sayısı 1'den 27'e, bu programlara kayıt yaptıran öğrenci sayısı ise 31'den 1661'ye yükselmiştir. Aktif DKT lisans programlarında profesör ve doçent kadrosundaki akademisyenlerin oranı ise %14,73 olarak raporlanmıştır. Sonuç: DKT lisans programları, 2012 yılından itibaren hızlı bir büyüme göstermiştir. Ancak, bu büyümenin sürdürülebilir olması için dikkatli bir planlama gerekmektedir. Çalışma bulguları, kadın öğrencilerin alandaki belirgin üstünlüğünü, akademik personel sayısının yetersizliğini ve programların büyük ölçüde belirli şehirlerde yoğunlaştığını ortaya koymaktadır. Türkiye'deki DKT lisans programlarındaki büyüme, akademik personel sayısına dikkat edilerek gerçekleştirilmelidir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Dil-konuşma patolojisi; eğitim; Türkiye
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