Speech pathologist assistant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a speech pathologist assistant. Speech pathologist assistants usually study communication disorders sciences, speech-language pathology, or special education. 81% of speech pathologist assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,987 real speech pathologist assistant resumes to see exactly what speech pathologist assistant education sections show.

The most common colleges for speech pathologist assistants are the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at Austin.

There are also many online speech pathologist assistant courses to help get the education required to be a speech pathologist assistant.

There are certain speech pathologist assistant certifications that you should consider. These speech pathologist assistant certifications include Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) and Pathologist Assistant.

What education do you need to become a speech pathologist assistant?

What degree do you need to be a speech pathologist assistant?

The most common degree for speech pathologist assistants is bachelor's degree, with 81% of speech pathologist assistants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 10% and associate degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 81%

Associate, 10%

Master's, 7%

High School Diploma, 1%

Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a speech pathologist assistant?

You should major in communication disorders sciences to become a speech pathologist assistant. 49% of speech pathologist assistants major in communication disorders sciences. Other common majors for a speech pathologist assistant include speech-language pathology and special education.

Communication Disorders Sciences, 49%

Speech-Language Pathology, 18%

Special Education, 8%

Psychology, 3%

Other Majors, 22%

Most common colleges for speech pathologist assistants

Speech pathologist assistants often get their degrees at University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M; University, and Arizona State University. Here are the most common colleges for speech pathologist assistants in the US based on their resumes.

Speech pathologist assistant common college	Percentages
University of Texas at Austin	8.45%
Texas A&M University	6.81%
Arizona State University	6.54%
Texas A&M University - Kingsville	6.54%
University of North Texas	6.54%

Show more common speech pathologist assistant colleges

Best majors for speech pathologist assistants

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Communication Disorders Sciences	49.1%
2	Speech-Language Pathology	17.7%
3	Special Education	8.5%
4	Psychology	3.2%
5	Communication	2.4%

Show more common speech pathologist assistant majors

Best colleges for speech pathologist assistants

The best colleges for speech pathologist assistants are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Boston University.

A speech pathologist assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for speech pathologist assistants. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become speech pathologist assistants.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

3. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for speech pathologist assistants

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Top 10 most affordable universities for speech pathologist assistants

The most affordable schools for speech pathologist assistants are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for speech pathologist assistants are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for speech pathologist assistants.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for speech pathologist assistants

The hardest universities for speech pathologist assistants to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Boston University.

Some great schools for speech pathologist assistants are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for speech pathologist assistants based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

6. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

10. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for speech pathologist assistants

The easiest schools for speech pathologist assistants to get into are AdventHealth University, notre dame de namur university, and our lady of the lake university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a speech pathologist assistant without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for speech pathologist assistants.

1. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

4. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

5. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

8. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

9. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

10. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

Average speech pathologist assistant salary by education level

According to our data, speech pathologist assistants with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $78,979 annually. Speech pathologist assistants with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $68,469.

Speech pathologist assistant education level	Speech pathologist assistant salary
Master's Degree	$78,979
High School Diploma or Less	$58,572
Bachelor's Degree	$68,469
Some College/ Associate Degree	$62,595

Speech pathologist assistant education FAQs

What is the best college for Speech Pathologist Assistants?

Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare support questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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