How to Become a Speech-Language Pathologist: Degree & Salary

Updated August 12, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Key takeaway: Speech-language pathology is a master's-entry profession: you need a bachelor's degree plus a master's in speech-language pathology from an accredited program, a passing score on the Praxis examination, a supervised clinical fellowship, and a license from the state where you practice. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median annual wage of $97,870 for speech-language pathologists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median).

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) evaluate and treat people who have difficulty with speech, language, voice, fluency, cognition, or swallowing – from toddlers who are not yet talking to adults recovering from a stroke. It is a licensed clinical profession, which means the path is defined less by what an employer will accept and more by what your state board and your accrediting body require. Those requirements are consistent enough nationwide that you can plan around them, but the details differ from state to state, and it is worth confirming yours early.

This guide walks the path in the order you will complete it, names the exams and supervised hours honestly, and links to the program pages that match each stage. For the wider view of the field, start with the Online Speech Pathology Degrees guide.

Step-by-step: how to become a speech-language pathologist

Step 1: Earn a bachelor’s degree

Start with a four-year bachelor’s degree. The most direct option is an undergraduate degree in speech pathology or communication sciences and disorders (CSD), which covers phonetics, anatomy of the speech and hearing mechanism, language development, and audiology – the prerequisite coursework graduate programs expect.

A CSD bachelor’s is not strictly required. Applicants with degrees in psychology, linguistics, education, or an unrelated field are regularly admitted to master’s programs, but they usually have to complete a set of leveling or prerequisite courses first, either as a post-baccalaureate sequence or during the first year of graduate study. That adds time, so if you already know this is your goal, the CSD undergraduate route is the shorter one.

Important: a bachelor’s degree alone does not qualify you to practice as an SLP anywhere in the United States. At the bachelor’s level you may be eligible in some states to work as a speech-language pathology assistant under an SLP’s supervision, which is a separate, more limited credential with its own state rules.

Step 2: Complete a master’s degree in speech-language pathology

The master’s degree is the entry-level credential for the profession. A master’s in speech-language pathology typically takes about two years of full-time study and combines graduate coursework – articulation and phonological disorders, language disorders across the lifespan, dysphagia, voice, fluency, neurogenic communication disorders, augmentative and alternative communication – with several hundred hours of supervised clinical practicum.

Program accreditation matters more here than almost anywhere else in higher education. State licensing boards and the national certification process are built around graduation from a program accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA), the accrediting arm of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Enrolling in a non-accredited program can leave you ineligible for licensure. Verify a program’s accreditation status directly with the accreditor before you apply, and note that even “online” master’s programs in this field require in-person clinical placements you complete near where you live.

Step 3: Pass the Praxis examination

Before you can be certified and, in most states, before you can be fully licensed, you must pass the Praxis examination in speech-language pathology, the national subject-matter exam for the field. Most students take it near the end of their master’s program or shortly after finishing.

Passing scores and the point in the process at which the exam must be completed are set by each state board and by ASHA for national certification, so confirm both the score you need and the deadline that applies to you.

Step 4: Complete a supervised clinical fellowship

After the master’s degree comes the clinical fellowship (CF) – a paid, supervised postgraduate work period. The standard is the equivalent of 36 weeks of full-time practice, roughly 1,260 hours, under the mentorship of a fully certified and licensed SLP. Part-time fellowships are permitted and simply take proportionally longer.

The fellowship is not an internship you complete for free while still a student. You are hired, you carry a caseload, and you are paid, but your mentor observes and evaluates your work on a defined schedule. Most states issue a provisional, temporary, or limited license that authorizes you to practice during this period; you apply for it once you have your degree and, usually, your Praxis score.

Step 5: Obtain state licensure (and, commonly, the CCC-SLP)

Every state regulates the practice of speech-language pathology, and you must hold a license in the state where your patients are located. Licensure generally requires the accredited master’s degree, the Praxis score, the completed clinical fellowship, an application and fee, and a background check. Continuing education is required to renew.

Separately from licensure, most SLPs earn the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) from ASHA. The CCC is a voluntary national credential, not a government license – but it is requested often enough by employers, and referenced often enough in state rules and payer requirements, that treating it as optional is a mistake in practice. The requirements overlap heavily with licensure, so most candidates complete both from the same coursework, exam, and fellowship.

One more state-level wrinkle: if you plan to work in public schools, several states require an additional educational credential – a school services certificate or teaching license issued by the state department of education – on top of your SLP license. Check with both the licensing board and the education department in your state before you commit to a setting.

Step 6: Take an entry-level clinical role

New SLPs typically enter practice in schools, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, outpatient clinics, early-intervention programs, or home health. Your fellowship placement frequently becomes your first job. Settings differ substantially in caseload, patient population, and pace, and many SLPs move between them over a career. The speech pathology careers guide walks through the main practice settings and adjacent roles.

What degree do you need to be a speech-language pathologist?

You need two degrees: a bachelor’s and then a master’s.

A clinical doctorate (SLPD) and a research doctorate (PhD) exist, but neither is required to practice. They serve clinicians moving into advanced specialty practice, university teaching, or research.

How much do speech-language pathologists make?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median annual wage of $97,870 for speech-language pathologists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median). Half of SLPs earn more than that figure and half earn less; pay varies by setting, geography, and experience, and school-year contracts are often calendar-limited in ways that affect annual totals.

For comparison within the communication sciences, the BLS reports a national median annual wage of $95,780 for audiologists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median) – a closely related profession that requires a doctorate rather than a master’s.

How long does it take to become a speech-language pathologist?

Plan on roughly seven years from the start of college to full licensure:

  • Bachelor’s degree: about 4 years
  • Master’s in speech-language pathology: about 2 years full-time (longer part-time, or if you need prerequisite leveling coursework first)
  • Praxis examination: taken near the end of or just after the master’s; weeks of preparation, not years
  • Clinical fellowship: the equivalent of 36 weeks full-time, so about 9 months at full time and proportionally longer part-time
  • Licensure processing: typically weeks to a few months, depending on the board

That is a range, not a promise. Career changers who need leveling coursework, students who study part-time, and anyone completing a part-time fellowship should add a year or more. See Is a speech pathology degree worth it? for a look at that investment.

Frequently asked questions

What degree do you need to be a speech-language pathologist?

A master’s degree in speech-language pathology from a program accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) is the entry-level requirement in every state. You complete a bachelor’s degree first – commonly in communication sciences and disorders, though other majors are accepted with prerequisite coursework.

How long does it take to become a speech-language pathologist?

About seven years in total: roughly four years for a bachelor’s degree, two years for a master’s, and the equivalent of 36 weeks of full-time supervised clinical fellowship afterward, plus time to sit for the Praxis exam and process your license. Part-time study or a part-time fellowship extends the timeline.

How much do speech-language pathologists make?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median annual wage of $97,870 for speech-language pathologists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median). Half the profession earns above that figure and half below, and pay varies by practice setting and location.

Do you need a degree to be a speech-language pathologist?

Yes – and specifically a master’s degree. There is no route into independent SLP practice without one. A bachelor’s degree can qualify you in some states to work as a speech-language pathology assistant under supervision, but that is a distinct and more limited credential, not the SLP license.

Do you have to be licensed to work as an SLP?

Yes. All states license speech-language pathologists, and you must hold a license in the state where your patients are located. Requirements, application steps, and fees vary by state, and some states require an additional education-department credential to work in public schools.

Is the ASHA CCC-SLP required?

The Certificate of Clinical Competence is a voluntary national credential rather than a government license, but many employers and payers expect it, and its requirements overlap almost entirely with state licensure. Most practicing SLPs hold it.

Where to go next

Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national medians. Licensure and certification requirements vary by state; confirm current rules with your state licensing board before you enroll.

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.

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