What do they do?

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.

Also known as:

Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist (Bilingual SLP), Language Pathologist, Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (Pediatric SLP), Public School Speech Clinician, Public School Speech Therapist, Speech and Language Clinician, Speech and Language Specialist, Speech and Language Teacher, Speech and Language Therapist, Speech Clinician, Speech Pathologist, Speech Therapist, Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), Speech-Language Specialist

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Speech-Language Pathologists is projected to grow 23 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment in OH

No Data Available
  • 23.7%

    Change

    Ranks #35 in job growth rate
    580

    Job Openings

    Ranks #7 in net job growth

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (3%)
  • Master's degree  (83%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (11%)
  • Associate's degree  (1%)
  • Some college, no degree  (1%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (<1%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Speech-Language Pathologists

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People in this career often have these skills:

  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
  • Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Hearing Sensitivity - The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
  • Prepare reports summarizing patient diagnostic or care activities.
  • Maintain medical facility records.
  • Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
  • Develop treatment plans that use non-medical therapies.
  • Test patient hearing.
  • Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
  • Train patients, family members, or caregivers in techniques for managing disabilities or illnesses.
  • Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
  • Supervise patient care personnel.
  • Advise medical personnel regarding healthcare issues.
  • Schedule patient procedures or appointments.
  • Prepare healthcare training materials.
  • Process healthcare paperwork.
  • Refer patients to other healthcare practitioners or health resources.
  • Develop health assessment methods or programs.
  • Train caregivers or other non-medical personnel.
  • Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
  • Present medical research reports.
  • Supervise technical medical personnel.
  • Supervise student research or internship work.
  • Evaluate patient functioning, capabilities, or health.
  • Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

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