---

Speech Pathology & Audiology

Types of Degrees Speech Pathology & Audiology Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Speech Pathology & Audiology have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	10
Associate’s Degree	168
Bachelor’s Degree	4,285
Master’s Degree	3,045
Doctor’s Degree	216

What Speech Pathology & Audiology Majors Need to Know

Programs in Speech Pathology & Audiology develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Speech Pathology & Audiology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Speech Pathology & Audiology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Speech Pathology & Audiology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Speech Pathology & Audiology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Speech Pathology & Audiology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Speech Pathology & Audiology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
eClinicalWorks EHR software	Medical software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Electronic health record EHR software	Medical software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Speech Pathology & Audiology graduates include:

• Recreation Therapy Teacher
• Physical Medicine Teacher
• Radiologic Technology Teacher
• Urology Teacher
• Radiology Teacher
• Medicine Teacher
• Lecturer
• Clinical Full Professor
• Hygiene Teacher
• Professor
• Physiology Teacher
• Public Health Professor
• Health Education Teacher
• Pediatrics Teacher
• Infant Care Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Speech Pathology & Audiology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	44.3%
Master’s degree	32.8%
Post-doctoral training	11.0%
Bachelor’s degree	6.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.3%
Post-master’s certificate	1.9%
Postsecondary certificate	1.4%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Speech Pathology & Audiology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 95.7% of Speech Pathology & Audiology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	7,392	95.7%
Men	332	4.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Speech Pathology & Audiology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5,395	69.8%
Asian	297	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino	1,111	14.4%
Black or African American	433	5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	25	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	8	0.1%
Two or More Races	208	2.7%
Race Unknown	160	2.1%
International Students	87	1.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Speech Pathology & Audiology Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Speech Pathology & Audiology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$53,106
4 years	$57,878
5 years	$63,177

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $63,177 — roughly 19% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Speech Pathology & Audiology Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Speech Pathology & Audiology. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	3	5
Master’s	6	8

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Speech Pathology & Audiology Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Speech Pathology & Audiology graduates earn a median of $57,878 four years after completion — roughly 52% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	51.02
Audiology/Audiologist	51.0202
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services, Other	51.0299
Communication Sciences and Disorders, General	51.0201
Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist	51.0203
Advanced General Dentistry	51.0502
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	51.0599
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	51.0999

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.