Speech pathologists diagnose and treat disorders involving speech and language. They may work in a variety of settings, including schools, hospitals and private homes to help those who are afflicted with language and speech disabilities. These disabilities can stem from many causes, including strokes, learning disabilities and hearing loss.
Students pursuing an undergraduate degree with the aim of pursuing a career in speech-language pathology should study communication sciences and disorders program. While this course of study is advised by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA,) it is not mandatory. A master's degree, however, is required to become a certified speech pathologist and this course of study prepares students for an advanced degree in the field.
Master's programs in speech pathology accept students from various majors but some programs may not meet the prerequisites for advanced degree programs and additional prerequisite classes may be required before graduate school classes. Some of the prerequisite classes might include basic neuroscience for speech and hearing, introduction to hearing science and language development.
ASHA's website contains a list of institutions that are certified by the Council on Academic Accreditation for graduate school programs in speech pathology. Upon graduation, a prospective speech pathologist can anticipate 300 to 375 hours of supervised clinical experience and about nine months of postgraduate professional clinical experience. Specific hours and qualifications vary from state to state. Once certified, a speech pathologist faces optimistic career opportunities. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the field will see faster than average job growth through 2018.