Best Doctorate in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Programs

A doctorate in audiology and speech-language pathology is a gateway to a career as a speech-language pathologist or teaching at the postsecondary level. Students develop clinical expertise in speech-language pathology while gaining a graduate-level understanding of areas such as education and public health.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average cost of tuition and fees for graduate programs in 2019-20 was $19,792 per year. Additional college costs like technology fees can add to the overall cost.

On average, a doctoral program takes 4-6 years to complete, but some online programs shorten this timeline. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job outlook for speech-language pathologists is strong, with jobs projected to grow 29% between 2020 and 2030. Salaries are also strong, with a median pay of $79,060 as of 2021.

With strong salaries, moderate tuition, and the opportunity to take classes part time, it’s worth investigating whether a doctoral program makes financial sense for you.

Learn more about our picks for the best doctorate in audiology and speech-language pathology programs below.

Rankings compiled by the BestColleges Ranking Team

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

Each year, the BestColleges Ranking Team evaluates hundreds of programs to produce our annual Best Doctorate in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology ranking. In 2022, the team sourced the most recent data available from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and College Navigator, both of which are hosted by the National Center for Education Statistics. We identified 56 schools that qualify for our ranking, listed in alphabetical order. The programs in our list are based on the following criteria.

The BestColleges Ranking Team is made up of contributors from our data science and product management teams. These contributors operate independently from the editorial team. All BestColleges school rankings are produced by the ranking team and are free of editorial influence. Read our Editorial Policy and Standards to learn more.

Whether a doctorate in audiology and speech-language pathology is worth it depends on your situation. For those who hold only a bachelor’s or master’s degree and hope to pursue a career in teaching or research, a Ph.D. is absolutely worth it. A Ph.D. is the primary path to enter into academia.

For those currently working as a speech-language pathologist, the question is more ambiguous. Potential applicants should investigate what the potential costs will be, how much their salary would increase, and what time commitment they can afford to dedicate to their studies.

A Ph.D. in audiology and speech-language pathology prepares you for a career as a teacher and researcher. Most graduates go into academia, conducting and publishing independent research while training the next generation of audiologists and speech-language pathologists. A handful, but not many, also practice as speech-language clinicians.

With a non-Ph.D. doctorate in speech-language pathology, you can pursue an advanced career as a clinician in the field. Doctorate coursework prepares you for more complex cases, managing a therapy office, and applying your knowledge to broader fields, like public health and education.

A Ph.D. in audiology and speech-language pathology takes about 4-6 years of full-time work, depending on prior experience. The first part of the program is devoted to classroom study. During this phase, you may earn a master’s degree if you don’t already have one. During the next segment, you work on conducting an independent experiment and presenting and defending your findings in a dissertation.

If you already have a master’s degree in the field, it may only take you 1-2 years to earn your doctorate in audiology and speech-language pathology. Completion times vary based on enrollment status.

Most professionals with a Ph.D. in speech-language pathology pursue careers as a tenure-track professor. According to Payscale, as of July 2022, the average salary for a tenure-track professor was $74,620. However, alternate revenue streams also exist, such as with publishing, fellowships, and private-sector research.

Those with a non-Ph.D. doctorate typically work as a speech-language pathologist. According to the BLS, the median salary for a speech-language pathologist was $79,060 as of 2021. However, speech-language pathologists with a doctorate often command a higher salary.

Tenure-track professors and speech-language pathologists make some of the highest salaries with a doctorate in audiology and speech-language pathology. Additional potential well-paying jobs include audiologist. According to Payscale data, as of July 2022, these workers made an average annual salary of $70,600.

A speech-language pathologist with a doctoral degree can earn a much higher salary than the average for all U.S. jobs of $45,760. According to BLS, the highest paid speech-language pathologists can earn over $125,560 annually as of 2021.

Job growth in the speech-language pathology field is also strong, with the BLS projecting 29% job growth between 2020 and 2030. This is much faster than the average job growth rate of 8% for all occupations.

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