Speech-Language Pathologists
Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. May select alternative communication systems and teach their use. May perform research related to speech and language problems.
- Median pay
- $97,870
- Doing it now
- 193,400
- By 2035
- Up 16.6%
- Usually needs
- Master's degree
a year
across the country
12,500 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Monitor patients' progress and adjust treatments accordingly.
- Administer hearing or speech and language evaluations, tests, or examinations to patients to collect information on type and degree of impairments, using written or oral tests or special instruments.
- Develop or implement treatment plans for problems such as stuttering, delayed language, swallowing disorders, or inappropriate pitch or harsh voice problems, based on own assessments and recommendations of physicians, psychologists, or social workers.
- Instruct clients in techniques for more effective communication, such as sign language, lip reading, or voice improvement.
- Teach clients to control or strengthen tongue, jaw, face muscles, or breathing mechanisms.
- Develop speech exercise programs to reduce disabilities.
- Consult with and advise educators or medical staff on speech or hearing topics, such as communication strategies or speech and language stimulation.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesSee 308 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Helping and teaching
Analytical and curious
Organised and precise
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $97,870 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.