A bachelor's degree in speech therapy or speech language pathology is not a requirement for speech therapy positions. Nevertheless, for those who are fairly certain about their future career as a speech therapist, a bachelor's degree will provide an excellent educational foundation for future work and study. According to Education Portal, some examples of courses at the undergraduate level may include speech perception, speech and language disorders and human language development.
A master's degree is required for most speech therapy jobs. Master's degree programs for speech pathology often include hands-on learning opportunities, such as working in schools with children or participating in an internship. Once students have completed a master's degree, they are eligible for the certification exam offered by the Praxis Series of the Educational Testing Service, which is required in order to begin a professional practice. Students must complete a bachelor's degree program before entering a master's degree program.
Although a speech-language pathology doctoral degree is not required in order to begin a speech therapy practice, it may be desirable for those who wish to research a specific disorder and specialize. Doctoral degrees will allow for additional education and practice in the field, and may also increase credibility and clientele in the future.