Online Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Programs in Nevada

Nevada’s speech-language pathologists (SLPs) work with adults and children, providing life-changing therapies that improve social interactions, enhance academic and professional performance, and improve quality of life.

They’re found in private clinic, hospitals, residential and nonresidential healthcare facilities, providing evidence-based treatments, advocacy, and support services.

Featured Programs:

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.

They’re found in private clinic, hospitals, residential and nonresidential healthcare facilities, providing evidence-based treatments, advocacy, and support services:

	Earn a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology
	Pass the National SLP Exam
	Apply for a Provisional License and Complete a Clinical Fellowship
	Earn the CCC-SLP Credential Through ASHA
	Convert Your Provisional License to a Standard License
	Keep your License Current and Complete Continuing Education Requirements

Step 1. Earn a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology

The State of Nevada Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology & Hearing Aid Dispensing Board requires all applicants for SLP licensure to earn an SLP 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). Currently, Nevada is home to two of these programs. However, you may also choose to complete your degree through a CAA-accredited program that’s offered online for maximum convenience and flexibility.

By partnering with speech-pathology service providers throughout the nation, accredited online programs make it easy to complete a practicum that would allow you to gain face to face experience working with patients in local clinics and hospitals close to home.

Graduate Program Admissions and Foundational Undergraduate Coursework

Whether online or traditional, SLP graduate programs set selective admissions requirements. You’ll need to be prepared with:

A bachelor’s degree (usually in communicative sciences and disorders)
An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
GRE scores (verbal score of 144 or above is usually preferred)
Letters of academic reference

If you have a bachelor’s degree in communicative sciences and disorders, you’ll be able to start directly with core coursework. However, if your bachelor’s degree is unrelated, you’ll first complete prerequisites online through the university before beginning master’s-level coursework.

Foundational coursework usually requires about 14-18 credits in such topics as:

Aspects of Speech Pathology & Audiology
Assessment of Language
Language Science
Common Disorders of Speech
Audiology Fundamentals

Core Courses and Clinical Practicum Requirements

Core courses include:

Advanced Speech Pathology
Language Intervention
Research Design
Language Theory
Fluency Disorders
Dysphasia
Motor Speech & Swallowing
Laryngeal Speech
Medical Speech in Language Pathology

Electives include:

Craniofacial Disorders
Special Topics in SLP
Seminar in Clinical Procedures
Disorders of Voice

Your practicum, which is completed in a clinic or hospital approved by your university, must be at least 300 clock hours in order to meet licensing requirements.

Step 2. Pass the National SLP Exam

In Nevada, you may register for the national SLP Praxis exam directly after completing your master’s degree and before beginning your post-graduate clinical fellowship.

You’ll register for the national examination online (Praxis exam 5331). The Praxis website also has a host of materials and content to help you prepare for the exam.

You’ll need to score at least a 162 on a 100-200 scale.

You can take the exam at a Praxis testing center near you. In Nevada, Praxis testing centers are located in Elko, Las Vegas, and Reno.

The test covers foundations of professional practice, screening, assessment, evaluation and diagnosis, and the planning, implementation and evaluation of treatment.

Exam content includes:

Generating a prognosis
Communicating recommendations
General treatment principles and procedures
Speech sound production
Fluency
Voice, resonance, and motor speech
Receptive and expressive language
Social aspects of communication

Step 3. Apply for a Provisional License and Complete a Clinical Fellowship

After passing the exam, you’ll begin the nine-month long clinical fellowship required for licensure. A clinical fellowship is your first foray into the world of professional practice outside of your graduate program. It’s a paid experience that will provide you with the opportunity to gain exposure to the kind of patients and practice environment that align with your career goals.

Before you begin your clinical fellowship year, you’ll need to apply for a Provisional License. You’ll need your Praxis score, official academic transcripts, and a $250 license fee. The application process is completed online.

Your Provisional License expires one year from the date of initial licensure. You may renew your license annually for up to two additional one-year periods upon the completion of 10 hours of continuing education, with at least one of those hours related to ethics, cultural competence, cultural humility, culturally responsive practices or diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Step 4. Earn the CCC-SLP Credential Through ASHA

Once you’ve received passing scores on the national exam and completed your clinical fellowship, you’ll apply for the CCC-SLP credential through ASHA. CCC-SLP certification is a requirement to earn a Standard License in Nevada.

Step 5. Convert Your Provisional License to a Standard License

After earning the CCC-SLP credential, you’ll convert your Provisional License to a Standard License. This does NOT require a new application. To request your conversion, you must:

Email a copy of your CCC-SLP certificate to [email protected].
Pay the $50 conversion fee.

You must maintain your license by renewing it annually. The renewal period begins 60 days before the expiration date of your license. You must complete at least 10 hours of continuing education annually to qualify for renewal. At least one of the 10 hours must be related to ethics, cultural competence, cultural humility, culturally responsive practices or diversity, equity, and inclusion. Read more about continuing education requirements here.

You may start your career in one of several ways:

Consider Joining the Clinic That Provided Your Clinical Fellowship

In many cases, SLPs start their career at the clinic that provided required professional experience. Clinics often prefer to hire SLPs who have completed hours at their clinic, and you may already be comfortable with the clinic’s staff and have built relationships with patients.

Start an Independent Practice

With your CCC-SLP credential and your Nevada SLP license, you’ll may also choose to start an independent practice or partnership.

Pursue Job Opportunities

From the school system to clinics to hospitals, you may pursue opportunities throughout the state of Nevada. A few SLP employers in Nevada include:

Affirma Rehabilitation
Cumberland Therapy
Speech Rehab Services
Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center
Beyond Boundaries: Neurorehabilitation Specialists
Nevada Early Intervention Services
Imagine Schools at Mountain View
Therapy Management Group
Life Care Centers
Home Health Care of Northern Nevada

Step 6. Keep your License Current and Complete Continuing Education Requirements

You’ll need to renew your license annually with proof of 15 credit hours of continuing education.

The Nevada board approves continuing education provided through the ASHA, the American Academy of Audiology (AAA), and the International Hearing Society (IHS).

You can browse continuing education credits from ASHA, the IHS, or the AAA.

You’ll need to record the names of the courses you’ve completed, the date of the courses, and the time that you spent in the course.

Speech-Language Pathology Salary in Nevada

Nevada is one of only a handful of states whose average annual SLP salary breaks six digits. At $100,620 per year ($48.37 an hour), Nevada’s average SLP salary ranks sixth in the nation. Top earners (90^th percentile) earn about $135,180, or $64.99 hourly.

Salaries for Speech-Language Pathologists in Urban and Rural Nevada

Las Vegas surpasses Reno and rural Nevada for highest average and high-end (90^th percentile) SLP salaries. But SLP salary growth in these latter two areas eclipses that of Las Vegas (from 2019 to 2023):

Rural Nevada salary growth rate: 44%
Reno salary growth rate: 42%
Las Vegas salary growth rate: 25%

You can compare the following average, low-end (10^th percentile), and high-end (90^th percentile) salaries throughout Nevada:

Las Vegas:

Average: $100,800 annual, $48.46 hourly
Entry-level: $53,490 annual, $25.72 hourly
High-end: $135,200 annual, $65.00 hourly

Reno:

Average: $98,640 annual, $47.42 hourly
Entry-level: $64,090 annual, $31.20 hourly
High-end: $125,530 annual, $60.35 hourly

Rural Nevada

Average: $96,170 annual, $46.24 hourly
Entry-level: $65,190 annual, $31.34 hourly
High-end: $127,300 annual, $61.20 hourly

Expanding Job Opportunities for Nevada’s SLPs

SLP jobs in Nevada are forecasted to increase by 38% in the decade leading up to 2030 – that’s double the national average. During this time, Nevada should see an average of 110 SLP job openings each year due to a blend of new job growth, retirements, and natural job turnover..

A total of 1,340 SLPs work throughout the state. Of those:

75% (1,010 professionals) work in Las Vegas
19% (250 professionals) work in Reno
4% (60 professionals) work in rural Nevada

Between 2019 and 2023, rural Nevada has seen an SLP job growth rate of 50%, followed by Las Vegas at 36%. The number of SLP jobs in Reno declined slightly by 4% over that period.

You can connect with other SLPs through the Nevada Speech Language Hearing Association (NSLHA), Nevada’s Collation to Address Personnel Shortages in Special Education and Related Services (NV Collation), or the Nevada Health Care Association (NVHCA). Both the NSLHA and the NVHCA work to advocate for progressive legislation that would help ensure speech therapy services are covered by insurance. The NV Collation provides an important networking opportunity for SLPs who wish to work with special needs populations in schools.

Through conferences and seminars held by the NSLHA, you can learn more about articulation, assessing children with autism, language intervention in the school environment, a multi-sensory approach to childhood apraxia of speech, and the evaluation and treatment of swallowing disorders.

A Profession that Combines High Pay with Job Satisfaction

While many speech-language pathologists find employment in public and private schools, outpatient clinics are a significant source of jobs in this field. Nevada boasts a number of clinics that feature SLPs: