Communication Disorders Sciences

Types of Degrees Communication Disorders Sciences Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many other communication disorders sciences and services graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	98
Bachelor’s Degree	65
Graduate Certificate	41
Doctor’s Degree	18
Basic Certificate	14
Associate Degree	13

What Communication Disorders Sciences Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to other communication disorders sciences and services and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Other Communication Disorders Sciences & Services Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.

Skills for Other Communication Disorders Sciences & Services Majors

When studying other communication disorders sciences and services, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

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

Abilities for Other Communication Disorders Sciences & Services Majors

Other Communication Disorders Sciences and Services majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• 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).
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Communication Disorders Sciences Major?

People with a other communication disorders sciences and services degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Audiologists	20.3%	$75,920
Speech-Language Pathologists	17.8%	$77,510

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Disorders Sciences?

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of other communication disorders sciences and services majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	4
White	58
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	2

How Much Do Communication Disorders Sciences Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $80,700 to $82,210 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to other communication disorders sciences and services. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

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 Communication Disorders Sciences

Some careers associated with other communication disorders sciences and services require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to other communication disorders sciences and services have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Master’s Degree	51.0%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	10.2%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.6%
Doctoral Degree	36.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.6%

Online Communication Disorders Sciences Programs

In 2020-2021, 20 schools offered a other communication disorders sciences and services program of some type. 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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	3	1
Bachelor’s Degree	3	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	6	0
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	5	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Communication Disorders Sciences Worth It?

The median salary for a other communication disorders sciences and services grad is $80,700 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 102% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $816,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Communication Disorders Sciences

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to other communication disorders sciences and services.

Major	Number of Grads
Speech Pathology & Audiology	7,841
General Communication Sciences & Disorders	7,269
Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist	5,907
Audiology/Audiologist	1,032

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
• Image Credit: By Ghozt Tramp under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.