Twenty-eight students are graduating this summer with an M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders. The college wishes them the best of luck as they begin their careers as speech-language pathologists in a variety of settings!
These graduates enter a continually growing job market. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 14,000 speech-language pathologist jobs will open each year for the next decade, with a median annual wage around $79,060.
For those seeking faculty positions, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association notes that there’s a growing need for graduates to go into teaching positions at the university level. This need is “driven by the growing need for certified audiologists and speech-language pathologists to serve children and adults with hearing, balance, speech, language and swallowing disorders,” according to ASHA.
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has also added an Audiology Assistant certificate. Audiology assistants improve access to patient care by increasing the availability of audiology services. They also reduce costs by performing tasks that do not require the professional skills of a certified or licensed audiologist.
“Job growth for both audiologists and speech-language pathologists is expected to increase at a much faster rate than average for all occupations,” ASHA reports.