When you become a speech-language pathologist, you help people connect to the world around them, improving and even resolving issues that prevent them from eating, swallowing, and communicating. But in Mississippi, SLPs play an additional but equally important role: advocate.
According to the Mississippi Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA), Mississippi law doesn’t require insurance companies to cover hearing aids for children. For families with just one hearing-impaired child, the cost of buying, maintaining, and replacing hearing aids can be $42,000 or more by the time the child turns 21. In a state with an almost 20% poverty rate, many children have little hope of ever being able to connect with the world in a way most people take for granted.
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But MSHA is leading a coordinated advocacy campaign to change that harsh reality. And they’re doing it by partnering with organizations that work tirelessly to ensure Mississippi school children get the life-enriching SLP services they deserve. Whether that entails advocating for early childhood intervention programs or delivering in-school services themselves, speech-language pathologists are at the forefront of these efforts.
If you’d like to be a part of this compassionate community yourself, your journey starts with earning a speech-language pathologist license through the Mississippi State Department of Health. To do that, you can:
Step 1. Earn a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology
In order to become a licensed SLP through the Mississippi State Department of Health, you’ll need to enroll in a qualifying master’s degree. That means one with a focus in speech-language pathology, communicative sciences and disorders, or speech and hearing science accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the nation’s leading SLP organization.
Currently, there are four ASHA-accredited SLP graduate programs in the state. You might also consider an online program if none of the in-state programs meet your needs. In order to be accepted to a graduate program, you’ll need a GPA of around 3.0 and a couple of recommendations, but GRE and GMAT scores aren’t typically required.
While you don’t need a bachelor’s degree in an SLP-related field to enroll in one of these programs, ASHA does require students to complete prerequisites in certain areas before beginning their studies:
- Physics or chemistry
- Biology
- Behavioral or social science
- Statistics
If you didn’t take a class in all these areas during undergrad, you’ll find it’s fairly easy to fill the gaps. Most SLP master’s programs allow new students to take prerequisite courses online.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll get right into the fundamentals of speech-language pathology. ASHA-accredited programs build curriculum around one of the organization’s most important documents: Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology. They cover content in the way they feel best suites the student experience they’re trying to provide, but will always cover the same core topics, in alignment with ASHA’s Scope of Practice:
- Advanced Articulation and Phonological Disorders
- Dysphagia Management & Treatment
- Child Language Disorders
- Acquired Disorders of Language
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology
- Fluency Disorders & Aural Rehabilitation
- Organic Speech Disorders
- Public Health Disciplines
After learning the basics of the field, you’ll be able to take more advanced classes on topics like working in medical settings or providing voice therapy. Specializations vary by school.
Step 2. Apply for a Temporary License and Complete Nine Months of Supervised Professional Employment
After graduating from your SLP program, you’ll enter into a transitional period often referred to as a clinical fellowship. During this time, you’ll work closely with a fully-licensed SLP as you hone your skills at serving a wide variety of patients and clients.
In Mississippi, future speech-language pathologists need to complete the equivalent of nine months of supervised full-time (30 hours per week or more) work. You can also complete your clinical fellowship on a part-time basis, as well.
However, whether you work full- or part-time will affect what your clinical fellowship entails. If you work full-time, 80% of your hours need to be in direct clinical contact with clients. The rest can be spent on administrative duties or guided observation with your supervisor. If you work part-time, 100% of your hours need to be spent in direct clinical contact with clients.
Whichever option you choose, you’ll need to apply for a temporary license through the State Department of Health before beginning. Temporary licenses are valid for two years and open to applicants who have earned their degrees.
Step 3. Pass the National SLP Exam and Earn the CCC-SLP Credential
Once you’ve finished your clinical fellowship, you’re eligible for the last step in earning your license: taking ASHA’s National Exam in Speech-Language Pathology. You can register online through Praxis. You’ll be asked to provide proof of your education and clinical fellowship
The test is made up of 132 questions split into three categories. You’ll need to answer questions over the topics of professional practice, approaches to assessment and evaluation, assessment procedures, speech sound production, fluency, voice, resonance, and motor speech, social aspects of language, and feeding and swallowing. ASHA has preparation materials on their website.
While you can take the exam online with a virtual proctor, Mississippi is home to several Praxis test centers located in:
- Cleveland
- Ellisville
- Flowood
- Hattiesburg
- Itta Bena
- Jackson
- Meridian
- Mississippi State
- Oxford
- Raymond
- Utica
To be eligible for national certification through ASHA, you’ll need to score a 162. The Mississippi State Department of Health typically follows ASHA regulations, but they review the state’s needs every year and can adjust minimum scores as they see fit.
Getting Nationally Certified Through ASHA
At this point in your journey, you’re not just eligible for licensure in Mississippi. You’re also eligible to earn ASHA’s Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech Language Pathology (CCC-SLP). This nationally-respected credential can help you find more career opportunities in Mississippi and even help you get licensed in other states.
For the most part, the process for becoming a licensed SLP in Mississippi and earning your CCC-SLP is identical. However, to earn your CCC-SLP you need exactly 1,260 clinical fellowship hours and your fellowship must be at least 36 weeks. This roughly equates to Mississippi’s requirements, but it’s important to double-check your total hours if you want both state licensure and ASHA certification.
Step 4. Apply for Licensing and Begin Practicing as a Speech-Language Pathologist
Once you receive your passing score on the national exam, you’re ready to apply for licensure.
You can apply through the Mississippi State Department of Health website, but be prepared to provide:
- $100.00 application fee and $100.00 licensing fee
- Official transcripts from your SLP graduate program
- Proof of completion of your clinical fellowship
- Verification of your exam score
It usually takes a few weeks to be issued your license after mailing the application. Once you’ve received it, you may consider beginning your career:
Contact Your Clinical Fellowship Provider
In most cases, your clinical fellowship provider will be happy to hire you into a full-time position, since they are familiar with your work.
Start an Independent Practice
You might choose to start an independent practice or a partnership with another SLP. You’ll be able to set your own hours and take on as many clients as you feel comfortable with.
Pursue Job Opportunities
You might also pursue job opportunities through the school system, clinics, or hospitals in Mississippi. A few employers that hire SLPs include:
- Tara Therapy
- EDU Healthcare
- ProCare
- In Search Medical
- Therapeutic Outreach
- Therapy Management Corporation
- Desoto Family Counseling Center
- Reliant Rehabilitation
- Regency Hospital
- The University of Mississippi Medical Center
- Camellia Healthcare
- Select Specialty Hospital
- Memorial Hospital at Gulfport
Step 5. Keep your License Current and Complete Continuing Education Requirements
You’ll need to renew your license online every two years with twenty contact hours. At least 10 of the contact hours must be directly related to clinical practice.
One of the most popular ways of earning continuing education hours is by taking classes related to speech-language pathology. According to the State Department of Health, courses can be offered by:
- ASHA
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Accredited universities
- Academy of Dispensing Audiologists
- American Academy of Audiology
- American Auditory Society
- The speech-language pathology boards of other states
- Organizations approved for continuing education by ASHA, the AMA, and any of their sub-organizations.
If you want to take classes from any other organizations, you can ask the State Department of Health to review them for approval. On top of that, you can earn contact hours by making presentations, attending conferences, and getting your work published in a professional journal.
Speech-Language Pathology Salary in Mississippi
$36.86 an hour or $76,680 a year is worth a double-take. That’s the average salary for speech-language pathologists in Mississippi.
As you get more towards the high end, SLP salaries in Mississippi start at $51.76 an hour or $107,660 annually.
The job market for SLPs in Mississippi is equally optimistic. By 2030, the number of SLP jobs in Mississippi is projected to increase by 28%, far above the national average of 19%. That growth rate amounts to an average of 130 job openings every year in Mississippi alone.
Salaries for Speech-Language Pathologists in Mississippi’s Major Cities
In general Mississippi’s larger cities offer a higher SLP salary than its rural areas. This rule holds true for both average salaries and high-end salaries. The exception is Hattiesburg, which ranks at the bottom from rural and urban areas in both these salary categories.
You can compare the following regional salary data listed below, ranked according to which offers the highest average salary. The range listed is from the average to the high-end (90th percentile) salary:
Metro Memphis:
- Annual: $84,560 – $113,500
- Hourly: $40.66 – $54.57
Jackson:
- Annual: $83,770 – $113,540
- Hourly: $40.27 – $54.59
Metro Gulfport:
- Annual: $79,720 – $112,650
- Hourly: $38.33 – $54.16
Rural Southwest Mississippi:
- Annual: $75,750 – $110,150
- Hourly: $36.42 – $52.96
Rural Northeast Mississippi:
- Annual: $75,630 – $104,790
- Hourly: $36.36 – $50.38
Rural Northwest Mississippi:
- Annual: $70,870 – $106,780
- Hourly: $34.07 – $51.34
Rural Southeast Mississippi:
- Annual: $69,570 – $106,510
- Hourly: $33.45 – $51.21
Hattiesburg:
- Annual: $69,500 – $97,070
- Hourly: $33.41 – $46.67
High Rates of Job Growth in a Satisfying Profession
Recent articles in major news magazines highlighted the high salaries and job satisfaction that speech-language pathologists enjoy. Forbes reported on the results of a survey published by PayScale.com. After querying more than 2 million workers, this firm ranked SLPs among the 15 most meaningful jobs with great salaries.
US News & World Report conducted another analysis that ranked speech-language pathology as the 3rd-best health care job.
While speech-language pathologists find employment in a number of industries ranging from schools to hospitals, private clinics are another source of jobs for these professionals. Mississippi is home to a number of specialized clinics that offer SLP services:
- Columbus: MUW Speech & Hearing Center
- Gulfport: Elisha’s Speech & Language Services
- Hattiesburg: Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic
- Jackson: Beyond Therapy Pediatric Group
- Jackson: Mississippi Speech Therapy
- Livingston: Helping Hands Therapy
- Starkville: Kids Therapy Spot
- Sumrall: Aultman Speech Therapy
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.