Careers

Careers in Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology

Do you enjoy helping others? Do you want a career with job stability and flexibility? Are you motivated by a challenge? If you answered “yes” to these questions, a career in speech-language pathology or audiology could be the right move for you.

Certified speech-language pathologists and audiologists help children and adults prevent or overcome a variety of communication disabilities, including:

speech, language, hearing, reading, and/or learning disorders
hearing loss and balance disorders
stuttering, voice, and intelligibility problems
autism and brain injuries
Parkinson’s disease, swallowing disorders, and dementia
social disorders and more

For more information about university training programs in speech-language pathology and audiology visit the student section of our website.

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Frequently Asked Questions About a Career in Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology

What Does it Mean?

Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) (spee-ch path-ol-uh-jee) –noun. The scientific study, evaluation, and treatment of delays, disorders, and malfunctions of speech, such as stuttering or lisping; language, such as aphasia or delayed development; and of voice and swallowing problems

Audiology (AuD) (aw-dee-ol-uh-jee) –noun. The study of hearing disorders, including evaluation of hearing and balance function, and assistive technologies including hearing aids and cochlear implants

Where Would I Work?

Speech-language pathologists and audiologists work in a variety of fields and environments.

Hospitals
Public and Private Schools
Universities
Private Practices
Early Childhood Intervention Centers
Home Health Agencies

Why This Career Path?

Do you enjoy helping others?
Do you want a career with job stability and flexibility?
Are you motivated by a challenge?

If you answered “yes” to these questions, a career in speech-language pathology or audiology could be the right move for you. As a speech-language pathologist or audiologist, you will help people on a daily basis. Your clients may include a toddler who has difficulty hearing, a school-aged student with a language disorder, a teenager who sustains brain damage and has difficulty communicating, or an elderly person recovering from a stroke who is learning to eat solid foods again.

Challenges that can be the ultimate reward in these professions include teaching the man to chew and swallow after a stroke, helping the teenager learn to speak again, helping the elementary-school child overcome the language disability so he can become successful in the classroom, or fitting the hearing aid to the toddler who will hear her dog bark for the first time or hear her mother say “I love you.”

Job stability and flexibility in the state of Texas as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist is amazing. Due to shortages in these fields, schools, hospitals, and private practices are hiring all over Texas. With a master’s degree in speech-language pathology or a clinical doctorate in audiology, you will be equipped to work in various settings with people of all ages who have diverse disorders.

Ok, I’m Interested!

What are a few specializations within the two careers?

Speech-Language Pathology

Speech and/or language disorders
Memory loss from brain injury (Cognitive-communication disorders)
Voice disorders
Swallowing disorders
Fluency disorders

Audiology

Prevention of hearing loss
Identification of hearing loss
Rehabilitation of hearing and balance disorders
Balance (inner ear) problems
Assistive listening devices
Habilitation with cochlear implants

What’s My Next Step?

Attend a Texas university that offers an accredited degree in speech-language pathology and/or audiology! There are over 20 universities in Texas that offer graduate and undergraduate degrees! Be sure to also check out the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS) page where you can apply to multiple programs with just one application and one set of transcripts.

Who We Are…

The Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA) is the professional association that represents the interests of the more than 11,000 speech-language pathologists and audiologists across Texas.

Established in 1956, TSHA is committed to advancing the professions and helping to solve the shortage of speech-language pathologists and audiologists who work in public schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities, private practices, physician offices, and early childhood centers. Our mission is to empower speech-language pathologists and audiologists in the spirit of partnership with consumers and families. TSHA is committed to achieving excellence in education, professional development, and leadership through the application of the human and financial resources of the Association.