Do you want a career helping patients of every age find their voice and improve their communication skills? If you’re a patient, empathetic person interested in helping others through a rewarding career in healthcare, a future in speech-language pathology may be the ideal path for you.

In this article, we’ll begin by answering a common question: “What does a speech-language pathologist do?” Then we will look at the educational requirements for various speech-language pathology jobs. By the end of this article, you’ll understand the different steps and pathways involved in becoming a speech-language pathologist.

What Does a Speech-Language Pathologist Do?

Speech-language pathologists assess, diagnose, prevent, and treat speech, language, communication, and swallowing disorders in individuals of all ages. Because the process of communication involves more than just the vocal folds and mouth, speech-language pathologists must be experts in the intricate connections between communication and cognitive function.

Throughout your career in speech-language pathology, you could work with patients of all ages and backgrounds — including infants, veterans, the elderly, and adults. Whether you’re working with a premature infant learning to swallow or a stroke victim recovering their communication abilities, you can have a life-changing impact on your patients that could increase their self-confidence and quality of life.

One of the best features of becoming a speech-language pathologist is the broad range of career options you could pursue throughout your career — always learning and growing as a person and a professional.

Speech-Language Pathology Career Outlook

Choosing a career field is a major decision and investment in your future, so you want to make sure that the career path you follow is the ideal one for you. Fortunately, speech-language pathology careers are great options for individuals with a passion for learning and serving others to live better lives.

U.S. News & World Report ranks speech-language pathology as among the best healthcare jobs and best jobs overall. Not only will you enjoy one of the best jobs in the country, but you’ll also have an exceptional number of career opportunities. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) , job growth for speech-language pathologists is expected to grow by 21 percent by 2031 — that’s more than triple the national average for all other occupations.

As individuals continue to live longer and stay active later in life, there’s a growing need for skilled speech-language pathology professionals who can assist them to live independently and socially active.

Speech-Language Pathology Education Requirements

High school students aspiring to become speech-language pathologists should consider colleges and universities that offer undergraduate programs in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) or speech-language pathology. For those who have already earned an undergraduate degree and are interested in this field, many institutions offer prerequisite courses to be fulfilled prior to pursuing graduate-level studies — often through programs like the SLP Bridge Program at Saint Mary's College.

Students with a bachelor’s degree need to pursue a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from an accredited program in order to practice as a speech-language pathologist. The curriculum of your graduate program will cover topics such as adult language disorders, augmentative and alternative communication strategies, autism spectrum disorder, and neurology-focused speech-language pathology.

Additionally, you would need to accrue at least 400 hours of supervised clinical experience to prepare for a career as a speech-language pathology professional.

Speech-Language Pathology Careers

The field of speech-language pathology offers a broad range of careers in diverse professional settings. From schools and rehabilitation clinics to healthcare facilities and home care, you can choose the setting that most interests you professionally. Let’s turn to some of the many rewarding speech-language pathology jobs and settings available.

Education and early intervention speech-language pathology careers

More than half of speech-language pathologists work in educational settings. What makes education and early intervention one of the most popular speech-language pathology jobs is perhaps the personal and professional fulfillment of serving and supporting infants and toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary school children develop language skills.

Speech-language pathologists working in early intervention might address issues related to:

  • Feeding disorders in infants
  • Delays in language acquisition in children
  • Autism and raising or teaching children with autism
  • Parent and caregiver coaching

Speech-language pathologists educate parents and teachers to promote language development and lessons that will help children learn to communicate effectively.

As a speech-language pathologist in the education field, you could work in daycare centers, preschools, and elementary or secondary schools. This would be an ideal speech-language pathology career for you if you enjoy working with children and their parents and teachers.

Healthcare speech-language pathology careers

Another popular professional setting for speech-language pathologists is healthcare — which could include hospitals, residential care facilities, nonresidential care facilities, rehabilitative centers, and home care. Speech-language pathologists who work in general hospitals may provide care to patients of all ages. If you prefer to work with specific age groups or demographics, you could find speech-language pathology jobs in children’s hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, or VA clinics.

Some of the common tasks you would be responsible for in healthcare settings include:

  • Diagnosing and treating cognitive-communication and language disorders
  • Assisting patients with issues and disorders related to feeding and swallowing
  • Helping patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and working with their family members to create plans to assist in memory and retention
  • Working alongside audiologists to help adult or young patients who are struggling with deafness or hearing loss

Corporate speech-language pathology careers

If you would prefer to work in a corporate environment, you could work with professionals who need assistance with a wide range of issues. These may include:

  • Treating fluency disorders such as stuttering or cluttering
  • Improving presentation and public speaking skills
  • Modifying accents or pronunciation of speech
  • Mastering efficient social communication in leadership or executive roles

Working in speech-language pathology within the corporate sphere is a great option for professionals who would like to take on a consulting role.

Speech-language pathology teaching and research

If you want a more active role in shaping the future of speech-language pathology, a career in a college or university as an educator and researcher would be a perfect path. Your responsibilities as a speech-language pathologist in a university setting would include:

  • Teaching courses and mentoring students to become exceptional speech-language pathologists
  • Run research studies and analyze results to make new discoveries in speech and language
  • Act as a clinical supervisor for graduate students earning credits

Many speech-language pathology positions within colleges and universities require a PhD, meaning you will have to invest more of your time in preparing and qualifying for positions.

Start Your Speech-Language Pathology Journey at Saint Mary’s College

Now that you know the kinds of careers and settings available in speech-language pathology, it’s time to start planning the next step on your journey: Choosing the right speech-language pathology program. Saint Mary’s College offers a rigorous Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology  that’s accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.

Whether you’ve already earned your bachelor’s degree or not, our graduate program makes it easy to become a skilled speech-language pathologist. We’ve created a 4+1 program that lets you graduate with both a BS and an MS in speech-language pathology in just five years. We also offer a Speech-Language Pathology Bridge Program that allows students with a bachelor’s degree in another field to prepare for graduate study in speech-language pathology.

Our MS in speech-language pathology program includes small class sizes that let you work closely with our outstanding faculty , who bring their decades of clinical and educational experience into their classes to prepare you to become an accomplished speech-language pathologist.

We emphasize hands-on training working with patients under the guidance of a professional in the Judd Leighton Speech and Language Clinic (JLSLC), the free speech-language pathology clinic on Saint Mary’s campus. There are also clinical opportunities at our on-campus Early Childhood Development Center and the retirement facility for Sisters of the Holy Cross.

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