Best degree programs for Speech-Language Pathologists, ranked by enrollment
4 college programs and 376 schools train Speech-Language Pathologists. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $97,870 median wage, 183,390 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
4 college programs at 376 schools train speech-language pathologists, graduating 21,837 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist. The job pays a median of $97,870 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About 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.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
4 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologistmain feeder CIP 51.0203 | 7,257 | 33.2% | 189 | $24,665 | $22,500 |
| 2 | CIP 51.0204 | 7,257 | 33.2% | 144 | $24,665 | $22,500 |
| 3 | CIP 51.0201 | 7,036 | 32.2% | 160 | $24,665 | $22,500 |
| 4 | CIP 51.0299 | 287 | 1.3% | 19 | $24,665 | $22,500 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What speech-language pathologists earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $118,970 | 16,930 | 0.79× | 29 | 2,251 |
| Texas | $99,910 | 19,120 | 1.15× | 25 | 1,856 |
| New York | $100,610 | 15,310 | 1.34× | 29 | 1,755 |
| Pennsylvania | $92,960 | 6,570 | 0.92× | 26 | 1,235 |
| Florida | $99,990 | 10,080 | 0.86× | 11 | 1,075 |
| Illinois | $95,080 | 9,040 | 1.26× | 18 | 922 |
| Massachusetts | $101,310 | 5,290 | 1.23× | 13 | 844 |
| Arizona | $97,800 | 3,390 | 0.89× | 11 | 707 |
| Ohio | $93,300 | 7,270 | 1.11× | 14 | 674 |
| Missouri | $89,280 | 3,230 | 0.93× | 10 | 611 |
| Michigan | $89,120 | 4,730 | 0.91× | 9 | 602 |
| Wisconsin | $83,000 | 2,940 | 0.85× | 9 | 563 |
| Utahmoderate | $91,560 | 1,460 | 0.71× | 4 | 510 |
| Indiana | $87,360 | 3,310 | 0.88× | 8 | 477 |
| Louisiana | $69,610 | 3,000 | 1.31× | 9 | 444 |
| North Carolina | $86,460 | 5,600 | 0.96× | 7 | 415 |
| Georgia | $96,760 | 4,030 | 0.70× | 6 | 414 |
| Tennessee | $84,630 | 3,320 | 0.86× | 10 | 403 |
| Alabama | $73,660 | 2,060 | 0.83× | 8 | 372 |
| Kentucky | $83,550 | 2,610 | 1.11× | 6 | 369 |
| New Jersey | $101,560 | 6,840 | 1.35× | 8 | 358 |
| Arkansas | $83,580 | 2,430 | 1.58× | 7 | 328 |
| Virginia | $96,250 | 4,460 | 0.92× | 6 | 315 |
| Connecticutmoderate | $100,110 | 2,390 | 1.19× | 4 | 312 |
| Minnesota | $89,380 | 3,890 | 1.12× | 5 | 306 |
| Oklahoma | $84,470 | 1,870 | 0.93× | 6 | 305 |
| Mississippi | $78,130 | 1,790 | 1.31× | 8 | 280 |
| Kansasmoderate | $80,120 | 1,690 | 1.00× | 4 | 261 |
| Iowamoderate | $81,050 | 1,540 | 0.84× | 3 | 256 |
| Washington | $105,550 | 3,570 | 0.85× | 5 | 243 |
| Marylandmoderate | $99,190 | 3,510 | 1.08× | 4 | 242 |
| South Carolina | $90,530 | 2,190 | 0.81× | 6 | 205 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $98,690 | 1,250 | 1.22× | 3 | 195 |
| Coloradomoderate | $110,750 | 4,420 | 1.30× | 3 | 191 |
| Oregonmoderate | $102,660 | 1,600 | 0.69× | 3 | 163 |
| West Virginiamoderate | $80,970 | 880 | 1.07× | 3 | 141 |
| Nebraskalimited | $84,350 | 1,310 | 1.08× | 2 | 135 |
| North Dakotamoderate | $75,240 | 630 | 1.24× | 4 | 121 |
| Nevadalimited | $104,510 | 1,270 | 0.69× | 2 | 107 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $104,000 | 720 | 1.22× | 2 | 97 |
| District of Columbiamoderate | $109,380 | 390 | 0.47× | 4 | 96 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $83,040 | 720 | 0.89× | 2 | 93 |
| Montanalimited | $78,740 | 490 | 0.81× | 1 | 69 |
| Idaholimited | $84,380 | 1,210 | 1.20× | 1 | 67 |
| South Dakotalimited | $65,680 | 410 | 0.77× | 2 | 64 |
| Wyominglimited | $82,040 | 240 | 0.72× | 1 | 48 |
| Vermontlimited | $82,090 | 430 | 1.20× | 1 | 44 |
| Mainelimited | $82,660 | 640 | 0.85× | 1 | 30 |
| Delawarelimited | $102,760 | 690 | 1.21× | 1 | 25 |
| Hawaiilimited | $97,560 | 270 | 0.37× | 1 | 13 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Evaluate hearing or speech and language test results, barium swallow results, or medical or background information to diagnose and plan treatment for speech, language, fluency, voice, or swallowing disorders.
- Write reports and maintain proper documentation of information, such as client Medicaid or billing records or caseload activities, including the initial evaluation, treatment, progress, and discharge of clients.
- Monitor patients' progress and adjust treatments accordingly.
- 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.
- 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.
- Educate patients and family members about various topics, such as communication techniques or strategies to cope with or to avoid personal misunderstandings.
- Supervise or collaborate with therapy team.
- Participate in and write reports for meetings regarding patients' progress, such as individualized educational planning (IEP) meetings, in-service meetings, or intervention assistance team meetings.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Active Listening4.1
- Speaking4.0
- Learning Strategies4.0
- Writing4.0
- Monitoring3.9
- Active Learning3.9
Knowledge areas
- English Language4.9
- Education and Training4.2
- Psychology4.0
- Customer and Personal Service4.0
- Therapy and Counseling4.0
- Administrative3.6
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.5
- Oral Expression4.3
- Written Expression4.3
- Speech Recognition4.3
- Written Comprehension4.1
- Speech Clarity4.1
Core activities
- Documenting/Recording Information4.9
- Getting Information4.8
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.7
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.6
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.6
- Developing Objectives and Strategies4.5
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Speech-Language Pathologist
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 4 majors mapped to Speech-Language Pathologists4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 51.0201Communication Sciences and Disorders, General
- 51.0203Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
- 51.0204Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
- 51.0299Communication Disorders Sciences and Services, Other
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Speech-Language Pathologist?+
Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist, which awarded 7,257 degrees in 2024-25, 33.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. Together they graduate about 21,837 people a year.
How much do speech-language pathologists earn?+
The median is $97,870 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $62,900 at the 10th percentile to $134,160 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for speech-language pathologists growing?+
BLS projects a +15.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 13,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
376 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do speech-language pathologists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Speech Pathologist, Speech and Language Specialist, Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist (Bilingual SLP) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 29-1127.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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