How to Become a Speech Therapist in Pennsylvania

In your career as a speech-language pathologist, you’ll be able to help people with communication disorders through speech therapy programs made available in schools, rehabilitation centers, and hospitals throughout Pennsylvania.

Earning a master’s degree is the biggest step you’ll take toward becoming a licensed speech-language pathologist. You’ll need to earn your degree through a program accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation, the accrediting arm of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). There are a growing number of accredited online options, and you’ll also be able to choose from 24 in-state options.

Through your graduate program, you’ll gain experience in local speech-language pathology clinics and workshops hosted by the university you attend. Some ASHA-accredited programs even offer study abroad opportunities and volunteer placements. You’ll also find networking opportunities, job leads, and continuing education options through the Pennsylvania Speech-Language Hearing Association (PSHA).

Your graduate program is where you’ll begin serious fieldwork, plying your skills under the guidance of Pennsylvania-licensed SLPs. Some notable SLPs include Lisa Hammett Price, who has published a book discussing how reading aloud and initiating conversations can help develop language skills in young children. There’s also Joann Migyanka, who has worked to improve the emergency room experience for people with autism by increasing practitioners’ awareness on how to communicate with individuals on the spectrum.

You’ll qualify to become a speech therapist by meeting SLP license requirements through the Pennsylvania State Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Start your journey towards SLP licensure by following the steps in the guide below:

	Earn a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from an ASHA-Accredited Program
	Complete a Year of Supervised Professional Experience (YSPE)
	Pass the National SLP Exam and Consider Earning the CCC-SLP Credential
	Apply for Licensing and Begin Practicing as a Speech-Language Pathologist
	Renew Your License Every Two Years and Complete Continuing Education Requirements

Step 1. Earn a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from an ASHA-Accredited Program

To be accepted into a master’s program, you’ll need to be prepared with:

• An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
• GRE scores in the 30^th percentile
• Academic references

You won’t need a background in speech-language pathology to apply—you’ll just need to complete fundamental prerequisites before beginning core coursework if you haven’t earned a bachelor’s degree in SLP.

You’ll be able to choose from a variety of programs accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. There are many accredited online programs and fifteen in-state programs to choose from.

Prerequisites usually include:

• Phonetics
• Speech Science
• Anatomy & Physiology of Speech, Hearing, and Swallowing
• Language Development
• Intro to Communication Disorders
• Intro to Audiology and Hearing Science
• Neuroanatomy of Speech, Hearing, and Swallowing

After completing prerequisites, you’ll move into core coursework. Core coursework will cover the following topics:

• Aphasia
• Language Disorders in Preschool Children
• Fluency Disorders
• Disorders of Phonology and Articulation
• Professional Issues in Speech-Language Pathology
• Voice Disorders
• Language Disorders in School-aged Children

You’ll also be required to complete a number of electives. If you wish to specialize in a certain patient population or disorder, electives will help you narrow your focus. Topics might include:

• Craniofacial Disorders
• Motor Speech Disorders
• Cognitive Based Language Disorders
• Augmentative Communication
• Clinical Instrumentation in Speech Pathology
• Swallowing: Anatomy, Physiology, and Disorders
• Research in Speech and Language Pathology

You’ll also need to complete a clinical practicum before graduating. The practicum must be at least 375 hours. You’ll also need a minimum of 50 clock hours in at least two distinctly different clinical environments.

You’ll begin by shadowing a supervisor and move into performing activities on your own. At least half of your diagnostic evaluations will be supervised, and at least 25% of treatment, instruction, and counseling will be performed under supervision.

You’ll need to gain approval for diagnostic conclusions, initiating treatment, and recommending the use of treatment methods.

To ensure that you treat a variety of patient populations and gain experience treating different disorders, you’ll be required to gain experience in the following areas:

• Working with children
• Working with adults
• Patients with disorders of articulation, voice, and fluency
• Audiology

Step 2. Complete a Year of Supervised Professional Experience (YSPE)

Next, you’ll complete a year of supervised professional experience (YSPE), which will include 1,080 hours of clinical experience.

Your university program should be able to help you find a clinic where you can complete the YSPE, but if you’d like to seek out clinical fellowships in your area, you may browse online.

You’ll work under supervision during the YSPE. 80% of each week must be spent in direct client contact, which might include assessment, diagnosis, evaluation, rehabilitation, or habilitation activities.

You will conduct screening of clients, but it must be no more than 50% of your time. You’ll also meet with your supervisor at least once a month to discuss the activities you’ve completed.

After completing your clinical fellowship hours, you’ll need to fill out the Clinical Fellowship Report and Rating Form and mail it to:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
2200 Research Boulevard #313
Rockville, Maryland 208550

Step 3. Pass the National SLP Exam and Consider Earning the CCC-SLP Credential

Once you’ve completed your clinical fellowship, you’ll need to begin preparing for the American Speech-Language-Pathology Association’s National Speech Language Pathology Examination. You’ll need to pass the exam with a score of 162 or higher in order to become licensed.

You may register for the exam online.

The test will cover the following topics:

• Foundations and professional practice
• Development and performance across the lifespan
• Factors that influence communication, feeding, and swallowing
• Wellness and prevention
• Documentation, legislation and client advocacy
• Developing case histories
• Assessing factors that influence communication and swallowing disorders
• Assessment of anatomy and physiology
• Speech sound production
• Fluency
• Voice, resonance, and motor speech
• Receptive and expressive language
• Social aspects of communication, including pragmatics
• Etiology, including genetic, developmental, and neurological factors

It’s a good idea to use Praxis test preparation materials to prepare. The study companion offers practice questions and a break-down of the test’s topics, and you may also choose to take an interactive practice exam.

You’ll be able to take the exam in one of the following cities in Pennsylvania:

• Allentown
• Bethlehem
• Bloomsburg
• Clarks Summit
• Conshohocken
• East Stroudsburg
• Erie
• Harrisburg
• Hawley
• Hazleton
• Immaculata
• Indiana
• Lancaster
• Lock Haven
• Meadville
• Media
• Millersville
• Monroeville
• Oil City
• Philadelphia
• Pittsburgh
• Slippery Rock
• West Chester
• York

After successfully completing the exam you may choose to apply for the Certification of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) credential. Offered through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the CCC-SLP is not required for licensure in Pennsylvania, but is a strong credential to show prospective employers and clients. You would apply through ASHA directly, furnishing proof that you completed a graduate program and clinical fellowship as well as passing scores on the national examination.

Step 4. Apply for Licensing and Begin Practicing as a Speech-Language Pathologist

You’ll be able to apply for licensing through the Pennsylvania State Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology once you’ve received a passing score on the national exam. You’ll be able to apply online for your license.

Through the application process, you will need to include:

• An official graduate transcript
• Proof of completion of a clinical practicum
• Passing scores on the Praxis exam
• CF Report and Rating Form

Now that you’re licensed, you may start your career. There are several ways to get started:

Join the Clinic that Provided your Year of Supervised Professional Experience (YSPE)

The clinic that provided your YSPE may be interested in hiring you to fill a full-time position. You may contact your YSPE supervisor to inquire about opportunities. Often, clinics prefer to hire SLPs who already have experience in their clinic and have developed good relationships with their staff and patients.

Start an Independent Practice

You may also practice independently if you wish to do so. Some SLPs choose to practice independently because of the benefits of setting your own schedule and taking on as many clients as you feel comfortable with.

Pursue Job Opportunities in Pennsylvania

The options for SLP employment in Pennsylvania are numerous. They span positions at hospitals, clinics, schools, home health care services, and rehabilitation centers. A few of Pennsylvania’s SLP employers include:

• Progress Therapy, LLC
• Fox Rehabilitation
• HCR ManorCare
• Evergreen Rehabilitation
• Cancer Treatment Centers of America
• Temple University Health System
• Tender Touch Rehab Services
• Accomplish Therapy
• Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals
• TALK Institute and School
• CCI Rehab Services
• Invo Healthcare Associates
• Dynamicare Therapy

Step 5. Renew Your License Every Two Years and Complete Continuing Education Requirements

Your license will expire on July 31^st of every other year. You’ll receive a notice reminding you to renew, which you can do through the board’s online system.

You’ll also need to complete twenty hours of continuing education every two years, or ten credits every year.

The continuing education credits must be completed through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association or an ASHA-approved entity, including ASHA-accredited universities in Pennsylvania.

You’ll need to be sure to keep documentation of your continuing education credits, which might include flyers, brochures, or a letter or certificate of completion signed by the program’s instructor. You won’t need to send these to the board each renewal period, but the board will periodically audit licensed SLPs to ensure completion of continuing education credits.

Speech-Language Pathology Salary in Pennsylvania

The average SLP salary in Pennsylvania is up 10% between 2019 and 2023. At $88,790 annually, that works out to $42.69 an hour.

Pennsylvania SLPs at the high end of the salary spectrum earn a wage that starts at $121,950 annually, or $58.63 an hour.

Rapid Job Growth for Speech-Language Pathologist in Pennsylvania

The number of SLP jobs in Pennsylvania is set to increase at a rate that’s nearly 50% faster than the national average. Between 2020 and 2030, Pennsylvania is expected to see an average of 580 SLP job openings every year! That works out to a projected job growth rate of over 27% during that period.

Some of the top private clinic SLP employers throughout Pennsylvania are:

• Bala Cynwyd: Kutest Kids Early Intervention
• Beaver Falls: Talktime Speech Therapy
• Carlisle: Draavery Physical Therapy Institute: Nichole J Reynolds
• Cranberry Township: Talktime Speech Therapy
• East stroudsburg: Speech & Hearing Clinic
• Philadelphia: Jill Fedlbaum, SLP
• Pittsburgh: Bethany Anke, SLP
• Pittsburgh: Crossroads Speech & Hearing
• Pittsburgh: Nathan Speech Services
• West Chester: EBS Healthcare

Speech-Language Pathology Salaries in Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is tied with Lebanon for offering the highest average SLP salary in the state, followed by Williamsport, Allentown, and Harrisburg.

The cities offering the highest top-end SLP salaries are Gettysburg, Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, Harrisburg, and Lebanon.

You can compare the following cities, sorted here by highest average salary. The range between entry-level (10^th percentile) and high-end (90^th percentile) is also provided:

Lebanon:

• Average: $94,170 annually, $45.27 hourly
• Entry-level to high-end range: $63,440 – $123,760 annually, $30.50 – $59.05 hourly

Philadelphia:

• Average: $94,170 annually, $45.27 hourly
• $63,590 – $122,700 annually, $30.57 – $58.99 hourly

Williamsport:

• Average: $91,920 annually, $44.19 hourly
• $53,100 – $125,400 annually, $25.53 – $60.29 hourly

Allentown:

• Average: $91,760 annually, $44.11 hourly
• $65,950 – $122,900 annually, $31.71 – $59.09 hourly

Harrisburg:

• Average: $91,430 annually, $43.96 hourly
• $60,220 – $125,240 annually, $28.95 – $60.21 hourly

Bloomsburg:

• Average: $90,110 annually, $43.32 hourly
• $70,060 – $114,840 annually, $33.68 – $55.21 hourly

Scranton–Wilkes-Barre:

• Average: $87,780 annually, $42.20 hourly
• $57,960 – $127,140 annually, $27.87 – $61.13 hourly

Gettysburg:

• Average: $87,310 annually, $41.98 hourly
• $58,320 – $134,520 annually, $28.04 – $64.67 hourly

Erie:

• Average: $86,950 annually, $41.80 hourly
• $65,940 – $106,230 annually, $31.70 – $51.07 hourly

State College:

• Average: $86,230 annually, $41.46 hourly
• $54,150 – $122,030 annually, $26.03 – $58.67 hourly

Chambersburg:

• Average: $85,550 annually, $41.13 hourly
• $58,300 – $118,980 annually, $28.03 – $57.20 hourly

Lancaster:

• Average: $84,800 annually, $40.77 hourly
• $59,050 – $119,640 annually, $28.39 – $57.52 hourly

Reading:

• Average: $83,840 annually, $40.31 hourly
• $55,350 – $105,130 annually, $26.61 – $50.54 hourly

Altoona:

• Average: $83,640 annually, $40.21 hourly
• $57,560 – $108,330 annually, $27.67 – $52.08 hourly

York:

• Average: $82,690 annually, $39.76 hourly
• $46,710 – $118,230 annually, $22.46 – $56.84 hourly

East Stroudsburg:

• Average: $82,280 annually, $39.56 hourly
• $47,320 – $123,570 annually, $22.75 – $59.41 hourly

Pittsburgh:

• Average: $80,130 annually, $38.52 hourly
• $50,480 – $105,030 annually, $24.27 – $50.50 hourly

Johnstown:

• Average: $73,880 annually, $35.52 hourly
• $43,500 – $99,510 annually, $20.91 – $47.84 hourly

2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures shown here for Speech-Language Pathologists. Job growth projections are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, CareerOneStop. Figures are based on state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed September 2024.

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