Speech-Language Pathology

Types of Degrees Speech-Language Pathology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many speech-language pathology/pathologist graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	5,059
Bachelor’s Degree	1,445
Graduate Certificate	107
Basic Certificate	70
Doctor’s Degree	54
Associate Degree	35
Undergraduate Certificate	5

What Speech-Language Pathology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to speech-language pathology and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Speech-Language Pathology Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

Skills for Speech-Language Pathology Majors

A major in speech-language pathology prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Abilities for Speech-Language Pathology Majors

A major in speech-language pathology will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Speech-Language Pathology Major?

People with a speech-language pathology degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Speech-Language Pathologists	17.8%	$77,510

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology?

This major is dominated by women with about 96% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of speech-language pathology majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	60
Black or African American	65
Hispanic or Latino	326
White	901
International Students	7
Other Races/Ethnicities	86

Geographic Diversity

Speech-Language Pathology appeals to people across the globe. About 0.5% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Speech-Language Pathology

Some degrees associated with speech-language pathology may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to speech-language pathology have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	4.6%
Master’s Degree	64.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	12.0%
Doctoral Degree	9.2%
Post-Doctoral Training	7.1%

Online Speech-Language Pathology Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	3	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	8	3
Bachelor’s Degree	9	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	155	7
Post-Master’s	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	11	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	4	1
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Majors Related to Speech-Language Pathology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to speech-language pathology.

Major	Number of Grads
Speech Pathology & Audiology	7,968
General Communication Sciences & Disorders	7,298
Audiology/Audiologist	1,010
Other Communication Disorders Sciences & Services	237

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Ghozt Tramp under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.