Speech Pathology & Audiology

Types of Degrees Speech Pathology & Audiology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many speech pathology and audiology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	4,616
Master’s Degree	2,785
Doctor’s Degree	240
Associate Degree	115
Graduate Certificate	47
Basic Certificate	29
Undergraduate Certificate	9

What Speech Pathology & Audiology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to audiology 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 Audiology 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Skills for Audiology Majors

A major in audiology prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Audiology Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a audiology student include the following:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Speech Pathology & Audiology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with audiology:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Audiologists	20.3%	$75,920
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Speech-Language Pathologists	17.8%	$77,510

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Pathology & Audiology?

This major is dominated by women with about 95% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of audiology majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	179
Black or African American	291
Hispanic or Latino	607
White	3,288
International Students	44
Other Races/Ethnicities	207

Geographic Diversity

Audiology appeals to people across the globe. About 1.0% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Speech Pathology & Audiology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $80,700 to $122,320 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to audiology. This range includes 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 Pathology & Audiology

Some degrees associated with audiology may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for audiology careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
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)	0.7%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	3.0%
Master’s Degree	47.4%
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.	7.8%
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.	1.2%
Doctoral Degree	33.4%
Post-Doctoral Training	5.8%

Online Speech Pathology & Audiology Programs

In 2020-2021, 164 schools offered a audiology 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)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	12	0
Bachelor’s Degree	8	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	93	4
Post-Master’s	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	37	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	17	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Speech Pathology & Audiology Worth It?

The median salary for a audiology grad is $82,210 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 106% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $846,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Speech Pathology & Audiology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to audiology.

Major	Number of Grads
General Communication Sciences & Disorders	7,269
Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist	5,907
Audiology/Audiologist	1,032
Other Communication Disorders Sciences & Services	249

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.