Evaluate a client's communication
Gather their history, listen and watch closely, give fitting tests, then pull findings into a diagnosis and advice.
Career profile
Speech-Language Pathologist
Speech-language pathologists find and treat trouble with speech, language, voice, fluency, communication and swallowing.
One day might mean assessing a child's language, helping an adult communicate after a stroke, or studying someone's swallowing trouble. The mix isn't fixed.
A day in the life
Watch how a client responds
Model a sound, word, sentence or conversation skill, then swap the prompt or exercise if progress stalls.
Judge a swallowing problem
Some roles have you read medical records and swallow tests, then plan care with medical staff.
Pick a new way to communicate
Teach the client and caregivers, reworking the setup if reaching or using it fails or messages get lost.
Update the plan and share it
Write evaluation and progress notes, revise the treatment plan, and share next steps with families, clinicians or teachers.
Quick facts
Master's degree
United States
$97,870
United States · May 2025
17% growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Master's degreeTypical entry preparation includes a master's degree, supervised clinical work, and a state license; exact requirements vary by state and setting.
Pay
$97,870National median annual wage for speech-language pathologists in May 2025.
Outlook
17% growthProjected employment growth from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,500 openings per year on average nationwide.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like listening closely for patterns in sounds, words, sentences, or conversation.
- You can explain or demonstrate the same skill in several ways when the first cue does not work.
- You are comfortable combining personal interaction with testing, progress data, and detailed records.
Things to weigh
- Progress can be slow or uneven, and clients or families may be frustrated by communication difficulties.
- School work can include IEP meetings and mandated paperwork in addition to therapy; healthcare work may involve complex swallowing, cognition, and medical cases.
Where AI may help
Communication apps, digital records, and video platforms can support alternative communication, documentation, remote sessions, and the sharing of practice activities.
What people still lead
The SLP still decides which assessment or treatment fits the person, interprets performance, changes the plan, and coordinates with families and other professionals.
What we can’t predict yet
Remote tools do not fit every client or task. Technology access can be a barrier, and some goals need in-person or hands-on support.
Pay in context
Earnings
Pay varies with setting, location, schedule, experience, and responsibility. National figures are useful reference points, not promised offers.
National median
The median annual wage was $97,870: half of workers earned more and half earned less. This is not an entry-level figure. The median hourly wage was $47.05.
The national spread
In May 2025, the 10th-percentile annual wage was $62,900 and the 90th-percentile wage was $134,160. These are wage percentiles, not starting and senior salaries.
Setting changes the comparison
Among industries BLS listed, median annual wages were $83,120 in educational services and $109,660 in nursing and residential care facilities. These industry medians do not adjust for different calendars, hours, benefits, or experience.
Getting started
Graduate education and practicum
A master's program commonly takes about 2 years after a bachelor's degree; admission prerequisites vary.
- What the route involves
- Complete graduate coursework and supervised clinical experience in a CAA-accredited or candidate speech-language pathology program. Current CCC-SLP standards require 400 supervised hours, including guided observation and direct client contact.
- What it can lead to
- Completing the required degree, coursework, and practicum makes you eligible to begin the Clinical Fellowship and pursue CCC-SLP certification.
- What to check
- A specific undergraduate major is not always required, but programs frequently require science, statistics, social science, or communication-disorders prerequisites.
Clinical Fellowship and exam
The ASHA fellowship requires at least 36 weeks and 1,260 hours; part-time completion takes longer.
- What the route involves
- Work in a clinical role with a qualified CCC-SLP mentor, receive observation and feedback, document the required hours, and pass the national Praxis examination.
- What it can lead to
- After ASHA approves the degree, exam, fellowship, and other required documentation, you can earn the CCC-SLP professional certification.
- What to check
- CCC-SLP does not replace state authorization to practice. Check the licensing board and, for school work, the education requirements where you plan to work.
The usual path combines graduate education and supervised clinical practice. Professional certification and state permission to practice are related but separate.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization. This path also has a credential or licensing boundary; see the requirements and limits.
Get established
During the Clinical Fellowship, use your mentor's observations and record reviews to strengthen evaluations, treatment decisions, documentation, and case management.
Build independent judgment
Once authorized for your role, take fuller responsibility for choosing assessments, interpreting results, managing a caseload, and knowing when to consult or refer.
Specialize or lead
Develop deeper experience with an age group or area such as child language, fluency, voice, alternative communication, or swallowing; experienced SLPs may also supervise students or assistants.
Where you can work
Schools
Serve students individually, in groups, or in classrooms while coordinating with teachers and families. The schedule also includes evaluations, IEP work, progress records, and sometimes travel between schools.
- Indoors
- Travel
Hospitals and rehabilitation
Work with medical teams on communication, cognition, and swallowing problems connected with stroke, injury, surgery, developmental conditions, or other diagnoses.
- Indoors
- Safety-sensitive
Clinics and private practice
See scheduled clients in an office or through suitable telepractice services. Practice owners also handle records, billing, regulations, and other business work.
- Indoors
- Office
- Remote may be possible
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Make a six-picture communication board for one simple request, such as choosing a snack or activity. Ask a willing partner to communicate only with the board, note where the choices or meanings fail, and revise it. Notice whether close observation and redesign hold your attention.
Stay safe: Treat this only as a design exercise, not as an assessment or therapy activity.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Speech-Language Pathologists. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- O*NET OnLine. 29-1127.00 — Speech-Language Pathologists. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2020 Standards and Implementation Procedures for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Speech-Language Pathology Pathway to Certification. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. What Current Graduate Students Need To Know: ASHA Membership and Certification. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. ASHA State-by-State. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Telepractice. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Caseload and Workload. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Getting Started as an SLP in Health Care. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Private Practice in Speech-Language Pathology. Accessed 2026-09-28.