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What Can You Do With a Communication Disorders Degree? Jobs
Key takeaway: Communication disorders is a pre-professional field. The two licensed careers it leads to are speech-language pathologist, at a median annual wage of $97,870, and audiologist, at $95,780 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians). Both require a graduate degree and a state license. A bachelor's alone qualifies you for support roles such as speech-language pathology assistant, counted under healthcare support workers at a median of $48,430.
Communication sciences and disorders is one of the clearest examples of a major where the bachelor’s degree is a prerequisite rather than a destination. Undergraduate coursework in phonetics, anatomy of the speech and hearing mechanism, language development, and audiology is designed to prepare you for graduate admission. Understanding that structure before you enroll is the single most useful thing to know about careers in this field.
Jobs you can get with a communication disorders degree
| Occupation | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Speech-language pathologist | $97,870 |
| Audiologist | $95,780 |
| Healthcare support worker, all other (includes SLP assistants) | $48,430 |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. Median means half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less; pay varies by setting, geography, and experience.
Speech-language pathologist. SLPs evaluate and treat disorders of speech, language, voice, fluency, cognition, and swallowing. The caseload depends entirely on setting: a school SLP works with articulation, language, and literacy across a large student roster, while a hospital SLP may spend the day on swallowing assessments and communication recovery after stroke or brain injury. The work combines standardized assessment, individualized treatment planning, documentation, and close collaboration with teachers, physicians, and families.
Audiologist. Audiologists diagnose and manage hearing and balance disorders. That includes administering and interpreting diagnostic testing, fitting and programming hearing aids, managing cochlear implant patients, evaluating vestibular complaints, and running hearing conservation programs in occupational settings. It is a more instrument-driven practice than speech-language pathology, with a strong clinical-science component.
Speech-language pathology assistant. SLPAs carry out treatment plans written and supervised by a licensed SLP: running scheduled therapy activities, documenting progress, preparing materials, and assisting with screenings. Assistants cannot evaluate, diagnose, or write the treatment plan themselves. The federal occupational data groups these positions under healthcare support workers, all other, which is why the wage figure covers a broader mix of jobs than SLP assistants alone.
What the degree level changes
This is a field where the credential line is legal, not merely preferential, so it is worth stating plainly. A bachelor’s degree in communication disorders does not qualify you to practice as a speech-language pathologist or an audiologist in any state. What the online bachelor’s in communication disorders does is satisfy the prerequisite coursework for graduate admission, and in most states it can support employment as a speech-language pathology assistant under supervision, subject to that state’s registration or licensure rules for assistants.
Speech-language pathology requires a master’s degree from a program accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation, a supervised clinical fellowship, a national examination, and a state license. The online master’s in communication disorders is the step that makes practice possible. Note that graduate clinical hours must be completed in person regardless of how the coursework is delivered.
Audiology requires a clinical doctorate, the AuD, plus state licensure. That is a four-year graduate program after the bachelor’s, so an audiology path is a longer commitment than the speech-language pathology path.
Bachelor’s holders who decide not to continue to graduate school most often move into adjacent work in schools, early intervention programs, and healthcare support settings, where the coursework is relevant but the SLP and audiologist titles are not available.
Common questions
What jobs can you get with a communication disorders degree?
With a graduate degree and a license, the field leads to speech-language pathologist and audiologist roles in schools, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing settings, early intervention programs, and private practice. With a bachelor’s alone, the common destination is a speech-language pathology assistant or similar healthcare support position working under a licensed clinician.
How much do communication disorders majors make?
Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 OEWS national medians are $97,870 for speech-language pathologists, $95,780 for audiologists, and $48,430 for healthcare support workers, all other, the category that includes speech-language pathology assistants.
Do you need a master’s degree to be a speech-language pathologist?
Yes. Every state requires a master’s degree from an accredited program, supervised clinical experience, a national examination, and a license to practice as an SLP. Audiology requires a clinical doctorate (AuD) and a license.
Can you work with a bachelor’s in communication disorders?
Yes, but not as a licensed clinician. Bachelor’s holders typically work as speech-language pathology assistants under supervision, or in school, early intervention, and healthcare support roles. Assistant requirements differ by state, so check your state licensing board before you plan around that route.
Is a communication disorders degree worth it?
It is worth it if you intend to complete the graduate degree and licensure, because that is what unlocks the two well-paid clinical occupations. If you stop at the bachelor’s, the earnings picture looks very different, which is the trade-off examined on the is a communication disorders degree worth it page.
Keep exploring
- Start at the communication disorders program hub, then compare levels: online bachelor’s and online master’s.
- Weigh the trade-offs on is a communication disorders degree worth it, or find programs near you at the state index.
- Compare related fields: speech pathology, special education, and early childhood education.
Data verified: August 12, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
Back to Online Communication Disorders Degrees: Programs & Careers (2026)