Career
Speech-language pathologists
Help people speak, communicate and swallow.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on people & care, then ideas & analysis?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“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.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
6 years of education after high school (master's degree), for a median of $97,870 a year and 12,500 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Speech and Hearing SciencesSee the degree →
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, GeneralCIP 51.0201
- Speech-Language Pathology/PathologistCIP 51.0203
- Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/PathologistCIP 51.0204
- Communication Disorders Sciences and Services, OtherCIP 51.0299
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
- Occupational Therapists$100,330 · +14.8%
- Occupational Therapy Assistants$72,300 · +21.5%
- Audiologists$95,780 · +11.0%
- Occupational Therapy Aides$39,160 · +3.6%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.