How to Become a Speech Therapist in Louisiana

Among all the rich musical flavors of American speech, the accents from Bayou country may be the most beloved in the country. But it doesn’t come easy to everyone living here. Everything from spasmodic dysphonia to aphasia can create real challenges in communication. Worse, some conditions can result in problems with swallowing and eating, creating genuinely life-threatening conditions.

Featured Programs:

Fortunately, these are all issues that can be corrected or mitigated by the intervention of expert SLP (speech-language pathologists) working all across the Pelican State.

Not just anyone can practice speech therapy here, though. To become licensed as a speech-language pathologist in Louisiana, you need to meet qualifications set by the Louisiana Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.

To become a speech therapist, the Board requires a master’s degree in speech-language pathology or communication sciences and disorders, a 9-month clinical fellowship, and a passing score on the SLP Praxis exam. You’ll follow these steps to get the necessary experience to qualify.

 

Complete a Qualifying Graduate Degree Program in Speech-Language Pathology
Gain Required Professional Experience (RPE) Through a Clinical Fellowship Program
Pass the National Examination and Consider Pursuing the CCC-SLP Credential
Become Licensed and Begin Your Career as a Speech-Language Pathologist in Louisiana
Maintain SLP Licensure and Complete Continuing Education Requirements

 

 

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

To qualify for licensure as a speech-language pathologist in Louisiana you must hold a graduate degree from an accredited university in speech-language pathology. Your total educational preparation must consist of at least 75 semester hours specific to SLP courses, 36 of which must be at the graduate level.

There are nine different master’s programs that have been fully accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) Council on Academic Accreditation in Louisiana. Each covers all the necessary coursework and practicum hours.

There are also increasing numbers of online programs available from schools around the country that meet the same standards, though. Online programs offer a greater degree of flexibility in terms of course scheduling and program pacing, allowing you to complete the requirements for graduation at your own pace.

Foundational Course Requirements

Many master’s programs in the field of communication sciences and disorders do not require that you have a bachelor’s degree in the same field. If you do have such a degree, many of your undergraduate classes will count towards the state semester-hour requirement for SLP courses.

If you hold an undergraduate degree in an unrelated area, you will find most institutions give you an opportunity to satisfy prerequisite foundational courses online at the beginning of your program. Those classes can include:

  • Introduction to Developmental Communication Disorders
  • Phonetics and Phonological Systems
  • Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism
  • Neurological Bases of Communication

These give you the fundamentals you’ll need to hit the ground running with your graduate courses.

Graduate Courses and Clinical Practicum

The actual master’s-level courses you’ll need are a step up in terms of the information delivered and skills taught. In any fully-accredited graduate communicative disorders and sciences program, the classes offered will share similarities. Here’s a sample of classes offered at University of Louisiana, Monroe:

  • Research in Speech-Language Pathology
  • Seminar in Articulation
  • Language Disorders in Children
  • Augmentative/Alternative Communication
  • Audiology for the Speech-Language Pathologist

As a part of your graduate program, you’ll also be completing a clinical practicum. The State of Louisiana requires a 400-hour practicum as a part of the licensing requirements, completed under the supervision of a licensed speech-language pathologist. This is the same number you’ll need for national certification, as well.

You’ll also have a chance to take electives to help round-out your skillset for specific specializations or areas of interest in speech therapy. You may decide to zoom in on apraxia treatment, or on technologies for augmentative and alternative communication. It’s an opportunity to get a jump on your future career path in SLP as well as build your foundational skills.

 

 

Step 2. Gain Required Professional Experience (RPE) Through a Clinical Fellowship Program

The Louisiana Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology requires 9 months or 36 weeks of full time postgraduate professional experience, supervised by a licensed speech-language pathologist.

To complete your RPE, also called a clinical fellowship, you need to apply for a Provisional SLP License on the LBESPA website. This gives you the authority to perform practice under supervision for the duration of your fellowship. You’ll need to send in a transcript from your graduate program indicating you’ve graduated and completed a 400-hour clinical practicum.

Your provisional license can be renewed each year, for up to three years. You have to complete your RPE in those three years.

After you find a fellowship position, you need to submit the Supervision Agreement Form to verify that you are beginning your RPE with a provisional license.

During your RPE, you’ll be gaining firsthand experience as a speech-language pathologist. To help with the learning process, ASHA has developed the Scope of Practice for SLPs to outline many of the basic concepts you will be expected to master, including:

  • Assessment and treatment
  • Counseling
  • Leadership
  • Client advocacy
  • Application of new technologies

 

 

Step 3. Pass the National Examination and Consider Pursuing the CCC-SLP Credential

You absorb a lot of knowledge and skill between your fellowship and classroom work. You’ll have to prove it on the national standard examination.

You need to pass the national SLP exam within a year of receiving your provisional license, whether or not you complete your RPE in that period of time.

You can sign up to take the Speech-Language Pathology Praxis Exam using the instructions on the registration page. You’ll able to choose from test centers around the state, or in a neighboring state if that proves more convenient. There’s even an online option available with remote proctoring. The exam is national, so it doesn’t matter where you take it.

The exam has a 150-minute limit, and there are 132 questions. The test is divided into three equal categories.

The exam focuses on material that you will have learned during your graduate studies or in actual practice during your clinical fellowship. It falls into three categories:

  • Foundations and Professional Practice – 1/3 of the exam
    • Wellness and prevention
    • Development of disorders
    • Characteristics of common disorders
    • Research methodology
  • Screening, Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis – 1/3 of the exam
    • Communication disorders
    • Feeding and swallowing disorders
    • Assessing factors that influence disorders
    • Social aspects of communication
    • Causes of genetic and developmental disorders
  • Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation of Treatment – 1/3 of the exam
    • Evaluating factors that can affect treatment
    • Establishing methods for monitoring treatment
    • Treatment of speech sound production issues
    • Communication impairments related to cognition

You can study for the exam using the Praxis Preparation Materials. To pass, you need to score at least 162 on a scale of 100-200.

Certification of Clinical Competency in Speech-Language Pathology through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Another option many Louisiana SLPs choose is to earn the CCC-SLP (Certification of Clinical Competency in Speech-Language Pathology) credential through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

Earning the CCC-SLP is not a requirement for becoming licensed in Louisiana. On the other hand, it is worth considering for the respect it garners and the increased level of mobility it offers since the credential is recognized nationally.

You’ll have to meet the same basic standards as for Louisiana licensure in terms of education, practicum, and fellowship experience. However, that information will all need to be submitted to ASHA as well as the state to qualify. With numerous specialty certifications that can also be stacked onto the credential, it’s a real game-changer later in your career.

 

 

Step 4. Become Licensed and Begin Your Career as a Speech-Language Pathologist in Louisiana

After taking the exam, you’ve completed the three major licensure requirements:

  • Earned a master’s degree in speech-language pathology that included a 400-hour clinical practicum
  • Worked 9 months with a licensed speech-language pathologists to complete your Required Professional Experience
  • Passed the national SLP exam

You can now apply for your Louisiana SLP license. Applications are made online through the LBESPA website. You’ll have to submit your transcripts, the required RPE evaluations from your mentor, and the Praxis test scores directly from the company. You will also need to undergo a criminal background check.

Louisiana may accept a current CCC-SLP as proof enough of passing your exam and clinical practicum requirements.

It’s also possible to receive a license via reciprocity if you hold a current license in good standing in a state where it was received under similar terms to those required by Louisiana.

Once your submission packet is complete and has been accepted, you’ll start in immediately on a 60-day grace period in which you can begin work before the Board has made a decision. The assumption is that you will qualify and be awarded a license during those two months.

Once you’ve received your full license, you will find that the career options for licensed SLPs in Louisiana are vast.

Considering Your Options When Pursuing SLP Job Openings

Many SLPs have a job waiting for them at the clinic or hospital where they completed their RPE, making for an easy transition into a permanent career.

If you’re interested in pursuing different jobs in Louisiana, start by searching through the Louisiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association Career Center page. Here you will find local employers that have posted new job openings for SLPs and Audiologists, as well as search results from the web beyond what was posted here directly.

As a licensed SLP, you’ll be qualified to work in public schools, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and nursing homes. One of the largest clinics in Baton Rouge is the Emerge Center. Emerge is an excellent clinic founded in the 1960’s to help children who had gone deaf from rubella. Today, they offer speech, hearing, and autism services, among many other specialized services.

Starting A Private Practice

Perhaps you have a different goal in mind for your career, though. Starting your own practice as an independent practitioner can be a great option for reaching that goal your own way. You can hire your own specialized team of SLPs, audiologists, and autism experts, as well as create an inviting and supportive atmosphere for your patients and their caregivers.

It’s a path that requires you take on leadership and management roles as well as providing therapy, so it’s not for everyone. But it comes with a freedom and flexibility that many SLPs cherish.

Earning Specialty Certifications

Your shot at getting some jobs shoots up enormously if you can show you have particular expertise working with some specific issues or populations. You can demonstrate this by earning specialty certifications through ASHA on top of your CCC-SLP.

These certifications demonstrate to employers and clients alike that you have exceptional skill in a particular area of communicative science.

ASHA offers four specialty certification options:

You can read more about these on the ASHA Clinical Specialty Certification page.

 

 

Step 5. Maintain SLP Licensure and Complete Continuing Education Requirements

After you earn your license, you need to renew it every year. You’ll have to complete 10 hours of continuing education each year to be in compliance with license maintenance requirements through the Louisiana Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. That also happens to fulfill ASHA standards for maintaining your CCC-SLP.

You can renew your license by logging onto the Board website.

The Louisiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association (LSHA) offers continuing education classes each year through their annual conference. If you become a member of the Association, various fees for attending the conference are waived. Additionally, there are benefits in the form of a belonging to a national network to provide professional advocacy and client support.

 

 

Speech-Language Pathology Salary in Louisiana

Louisiana is a national leader when it comes to the field of speech language pathology. Even though it’s the 25th most-populous state, it ranks fourth in the nation for having the highest concentration of SLP jobs. That’s an illustration of the high value the state places on its SLPs.

Rural central Louisiana mirrors this trend. Of all rural areas in the nation, Louisiana’s backroads and swamps have the third-highest concentration of SLPs.

SLP salaries in Louisiana are also stand-outs on the national scale. The statewide average is $74,390 annually, or $35.77 hourly. SLPs at the high end of the spectrum earn a salary that starts at $111,030 or $53.38.

Between 2020 and 2030 the number of SLP jobs in Louisiana are forecast to increase by 22%, a rate that’s above the national average for this field. That means an average of 110 SLP job openings per year over this time frame.

In addition to enjoying a rapid rate of job growth, New Orleans and Baton Rouge are home to nearly 42% (1,150) of Louisiana’s 2,760 SLPs.

Speech-Language Pathologist Salaries in Louisiana by Region

Like any state, though, salaries can vary depending on where exactly you are located. Differences in demand, cost-of-living, and other factors drives splits in pay rates. You’ll want to explore some of the different areas of the state if you are uncertain where to start your practice.

The range of SLP salaries are listed below from average to high (90th percentile), starting with rural Central Louisiana, the area with the highest average salary:

Rural Central Louisiana:

  • Annual: $92,530 – $130,250
  • Hourly: $44.49 – $62.62

Rural Northeast Louisiana:

  • Annual: $85,280 – $156,000
  • Hourly: $41.00 – $75.00

Alexandria:

  • Annual: $79,280 – $142,590
  • Hourly: $38.12 – $68.56

Baton Rouge:

  • Annual: $78,680 – 122,090
  • Hourly: $37.83 – $58.70

New Orleans:

  • Annual: $76,800 – $108,760
  • Hourly: $36.92 – $52.29

Shreveport:

  • Annual: $73,840 – $105,390
  • Hourly: $35.50 – $50.67

Monroe:

  • Annual: $69,900 – $101,320
  • Hourly: $33.61 – $48.71

Houma-Thibodaux:

  • Annual: $69,520 – $101,120
  • Hourly: $33.43 – $48.61

Lake Charles:

  • Annual: $66,620 – $111,160
  • Hourly: $32.03 – $53.44

Rural Southwest Louisiana:

  • Annual: $66,560 – $98,710
  • Hourly: $32.00 – $47.46

Hammond:

  • Annual: $64,170 – $78,900
  • Hourly: $30.85 – $37.93

Lafayette:

  • Annual: $62,230 – $82,430
  • Hourly: $29.92 – $39.63

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.

Back to Top