Explore Speech Pathology Careers
Launch your professional journey in Speech-Language Pathology:
Whether you are looking to start a career in a communication sciences field or advance your speech pathology education to take on more responsibility, there is a lot of opportunity in this field for you to impact your career with a speech-language pathology degree. Speech pathology is constantly evolving, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this field is growing at a rate of 21 percent a year, much faster than the average of most careers. Whether you are interested in working with children, working in rehabilitation, on communication disorders, swallowing difficulties, or many of the other areas that a speech pathology career can touch, there is room for you on a speech pathology team.
Professional Growth Opportunities
Someone interested in a social work career must be committed to being a lifelong learner. For licensure, continuing education is a requirement, but there are also so many things that can change and improve that you will need to stay up on these changes through education.
Career Diversity in Speech Pathology
The wonderful thing about a career in speech pathology is that there is something for everyone. If you are introverted or extroverted, want to work directly with patients or in a large healthcare system, be hands-on or work more on research, you can do this in the field of speech pathology.
Collaborative Healthcare Environment
There are usually multiple people involved in managing cases that come through a speech pathology practice. If you are a Clinical Speech-Language Pathologist, then you may work with doctors and nurses. If you work in Educational Settings, then you may work with teachers, parents, students and even administrators. In larger metropolitan areas you may have multiple teams and specialists within the same facility, while in rural areas you may handle more on your own. A job in the speech pathology field is varied, challenging, and important to communities and families.
Making a Meaningful Impact
A career in speech pathology can bring you in a wide cross-section of any community. As a speech-language pathologist, you are a key part of many essential functions of healthcare systems, schools, rehabilitation centers, homes, and communities. You’ll provide essential support to people who need it the most. This guide will explore many specific speech pathology careers and help you decide on which is the best fit for you.
Discover your Speech Pathology specialization
Working with children to improve their communication skills, assisting adults to recover speech after injury, working in hospitals or with private practice – these are all areas you can enter as a licensed speech-language pathologist to make an impact. Your course of study will vary based on how you want to work in speech pathology – this includes clinical practice, educational settings, and research-focused positions.
Speech Language Pathologist
A speech language pathologist helps people overcome communication and swallowing challenges. They may help individuals or families understand and manage these conditions across various settings including schools, hospitals, and private practices.
Speech Therapist
A speech therapist assesses and treats individuals with speech, language, voice, and swallowing disorders. They work with clients of all ages to improve communication skills and overall quality of life.
School Speech Therapist
A school speech therapist works within educational systems to help students overcome communication barriers that may impact their academic success and social development.
Pediatric Speech Therapist
A pediatric speech therapist specializes in diagnosing and treating communication and swallowing disorders in children from birth through adolescence, helping them develop essential communication skills.
Speech Language Pathologist Assistant
A speech language pathologist assistant works under the supervision of a licensed speech-language pathologist to provide therapy services, conduct screenings, and assist with treatment plans for clients with communication disorders.
Early Intervention Speech Therapist
An early intervention speech therapist works with infants and toddlers who have developmental delays or disabilities, providing crucial therapy services during the most critical years of language development.
Medical Speech Pathologist
A medical speech pathologist works in medical settings with patients who have communication or swallowing disorders due to illness, injury, surgery, or other medical conditions requiring acute care.
AAC Specialist
An AAC specialist is a speech-language pathologist who specializes in augmentative and alternative communication, helping individuals with complex communication needs select, learn, and effectively use communication devices and systems.
Educational Requirements
The beginning of a speech pathology career starts with higher education. In fact, you cannot become a speech-language pathologist in the United States without licensure, training, and education. If you are just starting out, there are some benefits to starting with a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences, but many already have a bachelor’s in a different area and go right to the Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology.
Certification and Licensing
Most states require you obtain and maintain a license to practice as a speech-language pathologist. This will require the appropriate level of education for the license you want to get, a certification test and continuing education to stay up on best practices to allow you keep your license. You can check out the requirements for each state in our guide.
Starting Your Professional Journey
After you complete your education and obtain your license, you’ll still have to get hired and formally start your career. Networking, joining organizations and finding a mentor can help you gain the vital knowledge you need to get a job early on.