Overview
In this career, your responsibilities may include:
- Evaluating patients’ difficulties with speech, language, or swallowing.
- Designing and implementing treatment programs to support patients’ needs and goals.
- Educating patients’ families on how best to help their loved ones deal with their communication and swallowing disorders.
- Specializing in treating a certain age group, or in treating people with a specific condition, such as those recovering from a stroke.
Job Titles
In your job search, you may find listings for this career under different titles. You can find some examples of these, as well as more information about this career, at Career One Stop.
Academic Requirements
Typically requires a master’s degree. Obtaining a doctorate can make you eligible for careers with greater responsibility and higher salaries in this career pathway, if you do not already have the U.S. equivalent of a doctorate.
-
Certification
Certification is not required except in states where it is a mandatory part of obtaining licensure, although in many states, certification from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is accepted as one possible pathway to licensure.
Even in states where it is not required, certification could make employers more likely to hire you or offer you a higher salary.
You may be eligible for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) from ASHA.
-
Licensure
Every state regulates the practice of Speech Language Pathologists, either through licensure or registration.
Contact us with any questions you might have.