How to Become a Speech Therapist in Illinois

With big universities and major research and therapy efforts like UChicago Medicine’s Center for Speech and Swallowing Disorders, Illinois is home to some of the most skilled and innovative speech-language pathology clinics and practitioners in the country. Researchers and practitioners here are leading research efforts in communicative disorders while serving local families.

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The number of speech-language pathology licenses being issued in Illinois is steadily increasing, but it is still hardly enough to keep pace with the growing demand. Over the 10 years leading up to 2030 the number of SLP jobs is forecast to increase by 20%. Even that may not be enough to meet the increasing need for early intervention, school and hospital-based SLP services.

Licensing for SLPs is here administered through the Illinois Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, a branch of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Their requirements will lead you on a multi-year, multi-step path to getting the education and training you need. But on the other side of that process, you’ll be among some of the best SLP practitioners in the country, in a state that badly needs you.

 

Complete a Qualifying Master’s Degree Program in Speech-Language Pathology
Register for and Pass the Praxis Speech-Language Pathology Examination
Gain Required Professional Experience (RPE) Through a Clinical Fellowship Program
Apply for Your Illinois SLP License and Begin Your Career as a Speech-Language Pathologist
Maintain SLP Licensure and Complete Continuing Education Requirements

 

 

Step 1. Complete a Qualifying Master’s Degree Program in Speech-Language Pathology

The first major requirement for an Illinois SLP license is to complete an SLP master’s degree program through a school approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. That program will have to include 60 credits of focused study in the field of communicative disorders and a 375-hour clinical practicum.

Online graduate programs through schools accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) will meet that requirement. Remote studies give working professionals with the unique opportunity to earn a respected degree on their own timeline. These schools have agreements in place with clinics, schools and hospitals throughout the nation, allowing students to satisfy practicum requirements at a location close to home.

Illinois is also home to nearly a dozen graduate degrees in communicative sciences and disorders, with many offering specializations in Speech-Language Pathology.

Making Sure You Qualify For SLP Graduate Studies

If you hold a bachelor’s degree in the field, you have an immediate advantage going into a graduate program. If you have a different undergraduate major, however, you may be required to complete prerequisites on the foundations of communicative disorders and sciences as part of your program before beginning graduate-level coursework.

Once you have the preliminaries out of the way, you’ll get into the heart of your studies. The 60 credits of field-specific course content must include the following to meet Illinois Board requirements:

  • Basic Communication Processes
  • Anatomic and physiological bases
  • Physical bases and processes of the production and perception of speech, language and hearing
  • Linguistic and psycholinguistic variables related to normal development and use of speech, language and hearing
  • Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology
  • Speech and language disorders
  • Audiology
  • Auditory and vestibular pathology
  • Auditory and vestibular habilitation/rehabilitation

The Illinois Board requires that you also complete a clinical practicum. That supervised field experience in real-world settings has to meet the following requirements:

  • 375 hours in duration
  • Involve practicing in two separate settings
  • Supervised by a licensed speech-language pathologist

The practicum will complement your master’s studies and set you up for your post-graduate clinical fellowship. It’s worth noting that requirements for the ASHA CCC-SLP (Credential of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology) include 25 extra hours, so you’ll need to plan ahead if that credential is also on your roadmap.

 

 

Step 2. Register for and Pass the Praxis Speech-Language Pathology Examination

Unlike most states, Illinois requires that you pass the national SLP exam before you can begin your Required Professional Experience.

You’ll be taking the SLP exam administered by Praxis. Your first step will be to register for the exam by phone, mail, or online. See the registration page for instructions. Test centers can be found around the state, typically on college campuses, or you can opt for an online test in the comfort of your own home, supervised by a remote proctor.

You’ll probably want to start studying for the exam using the test materials provided by Praxis as soon as possible. Without your RPE behind you, many of the lessons you’ll be tested on won’t have been reinforced yet. On the other hand, your classroom knowledge from your master’s program should still be fresh!

The exam has a time limit of 150 minutes in which to answer all 132 questions. The exam is broken up into three categories:

  • Foundations and Professional Practice – 1/3 of the exam
    • Research methodology
    • Counseling and teaming
    • Wellness and prevention
    • Characteristics of common swallowing and communication disorders
  • Screening, Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis – 1/3 of the exam
    • Genetic and developmental causes
    • Auditory problems
    • Communication, feeding, and swallowing disorders
    • Speech sound production
    • Cognitive aspects of communication
  • Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation of Treatment – 1/3 of the exam
    • Generating a prognosis
    • Communicating recommendations
    • Following up on post treatment referrals and recommendations

To pass the exam, you need to score a 162 on a scale of 100-200.

Electing to Pursue the CCC-SLP Credential

That score will also qualify you for the CCC-SLP (Credential of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology) through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). You’ll still need to complete your clinical fellowship first, however.

To apply for your CCC-SLP, you’ll complete your application on the ASHA website and submit it with your Praxis exam score and the Clinical Fellowship Reporting form documenting your nine months of RPE. After ASHA reviews your application, you’ll be registered as holding the CCC-SLP credential.

The CCC-SLP is NOT a requirement for licensure in Illinois but is accepted as verification of meeting Praxis and clinical fellowship requirements if you are applying for licensure by endorsement.

ASHA also offers different specialty certifications for SLPs that work in highly specific areas:

  • Child language disorders
  • Intraoperative monitoring
  • Fluency and fluency disorders
  • Swallowing and swallowing disorders

These certifications are excellent for SLPs that want to assure patients and employers of their skill in a particular area. You can find out more about these certifications on the Clinical Specialty Certification page.

 

 

Step 3. Gain Required Professional Experience (RPE) Through a Clinical Fellowship Program

The State of Illinois requires 9 months of professional experience as the last major requirement of earning an Illinois SLP license. Your clinical fellowship has to be supervised by a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist.

You will need to apply for a temporary speech-language pathologist license before you begin your RPE by filling out the application form and additional supporting documents first. You must submit the application with proof of having completed a master’s program and passing test scores on the Praxis exam. The temporary license costs $165, lasts for 12 months, and can be renewed once.

During your RPE, you’ll be practicing the essential skills of a speech-language pathologist. Every patient you encounter will have different needs, demanding a different approach in each situation. ASHA has written a detailed Scope of Practice for SLPs that serves as a guideline for professional practice.

Your supervisor will assess and guide you through the process. At the end, they’ll have to submit documentation verifying your abilities and your completion of the fellowship in order for you to get licensed or certified.

 

 

Step 4. Apply for Your Illinois SLP License and Begin Your Career as a Speech-Language Pathologist

We’re not going to whitewash it: the Illinois SLP licensing process is a bit of a juggernaut compared to most states. It’s still completed on a paper application form, for one thing, and requires submission alongside a bunch of cryptically named supporting documents like PHQ, ED, CT, and VE.

You can find those forms on the IDFPR website, and understanding what they are intended to verify is simple enough:

There’s a complex reference sheet you’ll use to calculate your total costs depending on the licensure method as well.

In additional to licensure by acceptance of examination, there’s the potential to be licensed by endorsement in Illinois as well. This requires that you already hold a valid license in good standing with substantially similar requirements from another state.

After the Board reviews your application, your SLP license will be issued. But if you are applying by endorsement, you’ll receive a 90 day interim practice authorization while the Board evaluates your application, so you can begin practicing immediately.

Launching Your SLP Career in Illinois

Now that you are locally licensed, you can continue your career. There are many paths you can take as a speech-language pathologist, but there are two alternatives that most recent graduates will follow.

Working For Existing SLP Clinics or Healthcare Organizations

Many newly licensed SLPs secure work with the clinics or hospitals where they completed their RPE, continuing their careers where they started. You will already know the team and the patients, and vice versa. By the end of your fellowship, you’ll already know if it’s a good fit.

You can also look through local job postings to see what you can find. There are a large number of locally owned and operated SLP clinics in Illinois, as well as major healthcare providers like hospitals and rehabilitation facilities. Other SLPs will find work in elder care facilities or in public schools.

Start Your Own Practice

You also always have the option of starting your own practice. There are already many small, local speech therapy clinics in Illinois, so you can see that demand is high. But there’s always room for one more.

This option gives you the freedom and flexibility to pick out your own client population to work with. You set your hours, your find your own clients. It’s a world where you are your own boss—but where you also bear all the responsibilities of being the boss.

 

 

Step 5. Maintain SLP Licensure and Complete Continuing Education Requirements

The Illinois Board requires that licensed SLPs renew their license every two years. The Board also requires that you complete 20 hours of continuing education during each two-year cycle. That number is also on track for the 10 CE per year requirement that ASHA holds for the CCC-SLP, so it’s relatively easy to maintain both credentials.

Many continuing education opportunities are available through the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ISHA). They offer a yearly conference that meets over a three day period that meets the continuing education requirements, as well as local classes.

Other than offering continuing education, ISHA provides excellent member resources through a statewide network, public education opportunities, and participation in speech-language-hearing related legislation.

 

 

Speech-Language Pathology Salary in Illinois

Illinois easily beats the northern Midwest region when it comes to top SLP salary rates. Draw a circle around the state and you won’t find a single one of Illinois’ neighbors offering a higher average SLP salary than the Land of Lincoln: $87,910 annually, or $42.27 hourly.

SLPs towards the high end of the salary spectrum earn $118,410 and up, which translates to at least $56.93 an hour.

The top-five Illinois cities with the highest average SLP salaries are:

  • Metro Chicago – $90,740 annually, $43.62 hourly
  • Kankakee – $86,970 annually, $41.81 hourly
  • Bloomington – $83,720 annually, $40.25 hourly
  • Rockford – $82,950 annually, $39.88 hourly
  • Springfield – $82,950 annually, 39.88 hourly

As an SLP in Illinois you’ll also find you’re in good, or at least plentiful, company. Illinois is home to the fourth-largest number of SLPs in the nation: 8,260 professionals. Chicago continues the trend on the major urban area level: it’s home to the second-highest amount of SLPs of all cities in the nation – 6,490 professionals.

When it comes to job growth, the outlook is more than rosy. Over the decade leading up to 2030 Illinois is projected to add 640 SLP jobs to the market every year!

Salaries for Speech-Language Pathologists in Illinois Cities

Of course, not all of Illinois is Chicago. Regional variations in employment and salary will be a factor as you hunt for jobs. So check out the range of salaries among Illinois cities, listed here from the 10th to 90th percentiles:

Bloomington:

  • Annual: $61,600 – $102,080
  • Hourly: $29.62 – $49.08

Metro Cape Girardeau:

  • Annual: $47,270 – $108,320
  • Hourly: $22.73 – $52.08

Carbondale:

  • Annual: $48,470 – $108,430
  • Hourly: $23.30 – $52.13

Champaign-Urbana:

  • Annual: $55,280 – $102,910
  • Hourly: $26.58 – $49.48

Metro Chicago:

  • Annual: $59,160 – $122,740
  • Hourly: $28.44 – $59.01

Danville:

  • Annual: $47,370 – $107,660
  • Hourly: $22.78 – $51.76

Davenport:

  • Annual: $54,650 – $113,420
  • Hourly: $26.28 – $54.53

Decatur:

  • Annual: $55,070 – $105,420
  • Hourly: $26.48 – $50.68

Kankakee:

  • Annual: $49,410 – $117,840
  • Hourly: $23.75 – $56.66

Peoria:

  • Annual: $47,430 – $114,260
  • Hourly: $22.81 – $54.93

Rockford:

  • Annual: $55,460 – $104,880
  • Hourly: $26.66 – $50.43

Springfield:

  • Annual: $53,910 – $109,920
  • Hourly: $25.92 – $52.85

Metro St. Louis:

  • Annual: $54,750 – $105,330
  • Hourly: $26.32 – $50.64

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 March 2025.

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