Missouri’s speech-language pathologists and the populations and people they treat have more options and opportunities than ever before, thanks to the state’s adoption of the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC), an occupational licensure compact designed to facilitate the interstate practice of audiology and speech-language pathology. As of 2025, Missouri is among 34 states to have joined the compact, thereby allowing Missouri’s SLP professionals to seamlessly continue to provide SLP services when they relocate or travel.
- Emerson College - Master's in Speech-Language Pathology online - Prepare to become an SLP in as few as 20 months. No GRE required. Scholarships available.
- Arizona State University - Online - Online Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science - Designed to prepare graduates to work in behavioral health settings or transition to graduate programs in speech-language pathology and audiology.
- NYU Steinhardt - NYU Steinhardt's Master of Science in Communicative Sciences and Disorders online - ASHA-accredited. Bachelor's degree required. Graduate prepared to pursue licensure.
- Pepperdine University - Embark on a transformative professional and personal journey in the online Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program from Pepperdine University. Our program brings together rigorous academics, research-driven faculty teaching, and robust clinical experiences, all wrapped within our Christian mission to serve our communities and improve the lives of others.
Wherever your SLP career takes you —treating adults with conditions such as strokes, brain injuries or Parkinson’s disease, treating people with voice disorders or swallowing disorders, or treating children with their speech fluency and articulation—it’s an exciting time to become a speech-language therapist in Missouri.
To practice SLP in Missouri, you’ll need licensure through the Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts. Here are the steps to become a speech-language therapist in Missouri:
Step 1. Complete an Accredited Graduate Program in Speech-Language Pathology
A master’s degree is the first step to becoming an SLP in Missouri. To meet licensure requirements, you’ll need to earn a master’s degree that’s accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA), part of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). In order to be accepted into a graduate program, you’ll usually need:
- A bachelor’s degree
- An undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0
- GRE scores
- A resume of your experience in the field
- At least two academic references
Missouri is home to 11 CAA-accredited master’s degree. You might also choose to pursue an online master’s degree from an accredited institution. Online programs offer the same level of instruction as a traditional program. Your program director will help you locate a clinic near you where you’ll complete the required practicum hours.
You won’t need a background in speech-language pathology to be accepted into a graduate program, but you will need to complete prerequisites if you haven’t covered the material in your undergraduate work. These include:
- Fundamentals of Speech-Language Pathology
- Basics of Linguistics
- Intro to Augmentative/Alternative Communication
- Treating Dysphagia
- SLP Services in the Medical Setting
- Anatomy and Physiology of Speech
After completing prerequisites, you’ll move into core classes, which will discuss more advanced topics in speech-language pathology, such as:
- Phonetics
- How Hearing Impairments Relate to Development
- Early Intervention
- Normal Language Acquisition
- Common Language Disorders in Children
- Language and Speech Development
- Cognitive-Linguistic Disorders
- Phonological Disorders
Electives might include:
- Sign Language
- Auditory Development
- Instructional Strategies
- Reading for the Hard of Hearing
- Counseling in SLP
- Amplification Systems
- Acoustic Phonetics
- Physiological Phonetics
- Development and Diversity
- Intervention of Voice, Speech and Swallowing Disorders
You’ll also need to gain hands-on experience with speech patients through a clinical practicum. This usually takes place during the last year of the program. You’ll shadow a licensed SLP, learning all of the clinical and diagnostic procedures that are critical to the field.
Step 2. Pass the National Exam on Speech-Language Pathology
You’ll need to pass the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) National Examination in Speech Language Pathology, hosted through Praxis, in order to become licensed.
This exam is hosted through Praxis. You may register online.
The test is designed to judge your level of competency in the disciplines of speech-language pathology. It covers many of the topics that you studied during your graduate work.
It includes 132 questions, is split into three sections, and is graded on a 100-200 scale. You’ll need a 162 to pass.
Some of the areas covered in the exam include:
- Factors that influence communication, feeding and swallowing
- Epidemiology and characteristics of common communication disorders
- Typical language development across the lifespan
- Wellness and prevention
- Culturally and linguistically appropriate service delivery
- Counseling, collaboration, and teaming
- Documentation of patient reports
- Developing case histories
- Assessing speech sound production
- Assessing voice, resonance, and motor speech
If you’d like to prepare with practice questions, the Praxis study companion is a helpful guide.
You can take the exam at one of 13 Praxis test centers located through Missouri:
- West Plains
- Warrensburg
- Louis
- Springfield
- Rolla
- Maryville
- Lees Summit
- Kirksville
- Kansas City
- Joplin
- Jefferson City
- Columbia
- Cape Girardeau
Step 3. Apply for a Provisional License and Complete a Clinical Fellowship
After you’ve completed your graduate program, you’ll apply for a Speech-Language Pathologist Provisional License. You can apply using a paper application; however, you can streamline the process by registering with the Missouri Division of Professional Registration and creating a MOPRO account. Once you’ve created an account, you’ll choose “apply for license.” The cost of this application is $25.
Allow for six weeks for the processing of your application once the Board has received your application.
Your application must include a completed Clinical Fellowship Plan that is signed by both you (the applicant) and a clinical fellowship supervisor. A clinical fellowship supervisor must hold a current, unrestricted Missouri license.
Once you’ve received your provisional application, you’ll complete a clinical fellowship that meets ONE of the following guidelines:
- 36 weeks of full-time employment of at least 35 hours per week
- 48 weeks of part-time employment of at least 29 hours per week
- 60 weeks of part-time employment of at least 22 hours per week
- 72 weeks of part-time employment of at least 17.5 hours per week
Your provisional license is valid for one year and can be renewed once.
Step 4. Apply for Licensing and Begin Practicing as a Speech-Language Pathologist
Once you’ve completed your clinical fellowship, you’ll need to apply for licensure by completing the Application for a Speech Language Pathologist or Audiologist License. If you’ve created a MOPRO Account, you can easily apply online. The cost of this license is $25.
At this point, you might consider earning your Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology through ASHA.
As a licensed speech-language pathologist, you may consider:
Opening an Independent Practice
As a fully licensed SLP, you may choose to open an independent practice or partnership. Running an independent practice lets you focus on therapeutic methods that you find most beneficial for your patients.
Pursuing Job Openings in Missouri
You might also consider a career with one of Missouri’s many SLP employers. Just a few of these include:
- Powderly and Associates
- Oxford Health Care
- Therapeutic Playtime
- Therapy Relief, Inc.
- Dot Com Therapy
- Cox Health
- Oxford Healthcare
- Mercy Healthcare
- BJC Healthcare
- Liberty Hospital
- Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics
- Saint Luke’s Health System
- Heartland Health
- CenterPoint Medical Center
Step 5. Maintain Licensure and Complete Continuing Education Requirements
The Missouri SLP board requires that you renew your license every two years with proof of 30 credits of continuing education.
You can renew your license online.
Continuing education may be completed through the ASHA, the MSHA, or any other national or state-sponsored organization.
You can review ASHA’s continuing education offerings or MSHA’s continuing education opportunities.
Speech-Language Pathology Salary in Missouri
The average salary for SLPs in Missouri is about $61,700, or about $30 hourly. Those at the top of the pay scale (90th percentile) earn about $108,500, or $52.16 hourly.
About 3,100 SLPs work in Missouri, with most of these professionals found in the major metro areas of St. Louis and Kansas City:
- St. Louis: 1,760 professionals
- Kansas City: 1,230 professionals
- Metro Fayetteville: 460 professionals
- Springfield: 190 professionals
SLP jobs in Missouri are expected to increase by an impressive 25% over the decade leading up to 2030, a figure that’s well above the national average growth rate of 19%. On average, the state should see about 260 SLP job openings each year during this time due to a blend of new job growth, retirements, and natural job turnover.
In addition to schools, hospitals, nursing homes and other residential care facilities, outpatient clinics provide some of the best opportunities available to speech-language pathologists interested in working with diverse patient populations. Just some of the independent practices and clinics in Missouri include:
- Blue Springs: Billings Speech Pathology Services
- Creve Couer: Sensory Solutions
- Kansas City: Keenan Stump, SLP
- Kansas City: Sally J. Shubat, MA
- St. Joseph: Weber Speech Clinic
- St. Louis: Speech Language Learning Systems
- St. Louis: The Speech Spot
- St. Louis: Walker Scottish Rite Clinic
SLP Salary Ranges in Missouri’s Most Populated Cities
Columbia, metro Fayetteville, St. Joseph, and St. Louis report the highest average salaries among SLPs in Missouri, while metro Fayetteville, Columbia, rural North Missouri, and Kansas City boast some of the highest earning SLPs (90th percentile).
Take a look through the following figures to compare salaries across the state. They’re listed as a range between the average and high-end (90th percentile) SLP salaries:
Columbia:
- Annual: $90,810 – $122,510
- Hourly: $43.66 – $58.09
Metro Fayetteville:
- Annual: $84,950 – $122,700
- Hourly: $40.84 – $58.99
St. Joseph:
- Annual: $83,200 – $113,800
- Hourly: $40.00 – $54.71
St. Louis:
- Annual: $82,250 – $105,330
- Hourly: $39.54 – $50.64
Kansas City:
- Annual: $81,340 – $118,040
- Hourly: $39.11 – $56.75
Rural Southeast Missouri:
- Annual: $79,210 – $110,080
- Hourly: $38.08 – $52.92
Cape Girardeau:
- Annual: $78,950 – $108,320
- Hourly: $37.96 – $52.08
Rural Southwest Missouri:
- Annual: $78,550 – $109,340
- Hourly: $37.76 – $52.57
Rural North Missouri:
- Annual: $77,770 – $121,040
- Hourly: $37.39 – $58.19
Joplin:
- Annual: $77,600 – $110,560
- Hourly: $37.31 – $53.16
Jefferson City:
- Annual: $75,190 – $110,020
- Hourly: $36.15 – $52.90
Springfield:
- Annual: $74,420 – $99,590
- Hourly: $35.78 – $47.88
Rural Central Missouri:
- Annual: $72,280 – $102,150
- Hourly: $34.75 – $49.11
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.