Speech-Language Pathology Assistant

 

Types of Degrees Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many speech-language pathology assistant graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	95
Bachelor’s Degree	73
Basic Certificate	49
Undergraduate Certificate	26

What Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to speech-language pathology assistant were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in speech-language pathology assistant should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Majors

speech-language pathology assistant majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Abilities for Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a speech-language pathology assistant student include the following:

• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• 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 Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with speech-language pathology assistant:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Speech-Language Pathology Assistants	11.7%	$37,830

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology Assistant?

The major attracts more women than men. About 96% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of speech-language pathology assistant majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	1
Hispanic or Latino	19
White	64
International Students	1
Other Races/Ethnicities	9

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Speech-Language Pathology Assistant. About 1.1% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to speech-language pathology assistant is $39,110. This median refers to all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Speech-Language Pathology Assistant

Some degrees associated with speech-language pathology assistant may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to speech-language pathology assistant have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	22.7%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	18.2%
Some College Courses	4.7%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	32.5%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.9%
Master’s Degree	26.8%

Online Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	8	5
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	1	0
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Worth It?

The median salary for a speech-language pathology assistant grad is $39,110 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

Trades Related to Speech-Language Pathology Assistant

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to speech-language pathology assistant.

Major	Number of Grads
Medical/Clinical Assistant	54,553
Pharmacy Technician/Assistant	7,327
Physical Therapy Assistant	6,499
Occupational Therapist Assistant	4,508
Other Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	4,145
Emergency Care Attendant (EMT Ambulance)	3,373
Radiologist Assistant	1,360
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Assistant	571
Respiratory Therapy Technician/Assistant	375
Anesthesiologist Assistant	371
Pathology/Pathologist Assistant	157
Lactation Consultant	49

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.