Whether you’ve got your sights set on a speech-language pathology career working with children or adults; in a hospital, school, or clinic environment; or on articulation therapy, language intervention therapy, or voice therapy, North Dakota is where career aspirations become reality. Directly reflecting the job opportunities here, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that as of 2023, North Dakota is home to the fifth-highest concentration of SLP jobs in the nation.
- 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.
New and exciting opportunities to make your mark in speech-language pathology are commonplace in the Peace Garden State. For example, the Altru Health System provides comprehensive speech therapy services throughout the greater Grand Forks and East Grand Forks region for children and adults with a variety of disorders related to speech, language, and swallowing. The speech-language pathologists of Altru treat issues and disorders related to speaking, language, swallowing, voice, and cognition for patients of all ages and diagnoses.
Just some of the SLP services provided include aural rehabilitation, chronic cough treatment, head and neck cancer rehabilitation, cognitive therapy, motor speech rehabilitation, stroke and brain injury rehabilitation, speech generation device training, and swallowing/dysphagia therapy.
To become a speech-language pathologist in North Dakota and begin making a difference in the lives of children and adults with speech and language disorders, you’ll need to earn licensure through the North Dakota State Board of Examiners on Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.
Follow the steps in the guide below to learn how to become a speech-language pathologist in North Dakota:
Step 1. Complete a Master’s Degree Program in Speech-Language Pathology
The first stop on your path towards SLP licensure is a master’s degree in speech-language pathology that’s accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA), which is part of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
There are currently three CAA-accredited master’s degree programs in North Dakota. You may also choose to pursue an online accredited program.
If you choose a traditional, in-state program, you may have the opportunity to earn scholarships from state organizations such as the NDSLHA. On the other hand, many working students choose to earn online master’s degrees because these programs tend to be more flexible around a working schedule.
To be accepted into a master’s program, you’ll usually need:
- A 3.0 GPA or higher in your undergraduate studies
- GRE scores
- A resume detailing your experience
- Two letters of academic reference
If you don’t already have a degree in communication sciences and disorders, you’ll need to complete prerequisites. These prerequisites, designed to lay the groundwork for the field, usually include:
- Intro to Speech Language Pathology
- Early Intervention & Interdisciplinary Studies
- Intro to Audiology
- Science of Language
- Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Language
After completing prerequisites, you’ll begin core coursework:
- Advanced Topics in Speech-Language Pathology
- Fluency Disorders
- Neurogenic Communication Disorders
- Neurologically Based Speech Disorders
- Applied Phonology
- Assessment in Speech-Language Pathology
- Voice and Resonance Disorders
You’ll also complete electives, which will usually narrow in on a specialty in SLP, whether that be the treatment of children, adults, special needs patients, or areas of SLP such as fluency or the treatment of patients with brain injuries. These courses might include:
- Adolescent Communication
- Dysphagia Treatment
- Multiple Disabilities
- Language and Literacy
- Audiology for the SLP
- Supervision and Professional Issues in SLP
- Public Schools Methods in SLP
To graduate, you’ll also be required to complete a practicum. Most practicums are about 400 clock hours long. You’ll begin by shadowing a licensed SLP in a clinical setting and move to completing activities with clients under supervision. Through your practicum, you’ll learn to screen, evaluate, and diagnose patients and become familiar with SLP treatment procedures.
Step 2. Pass the National SLP Exam and Consider Earning the CCC-SLP Credential
Most states require candidates for SLP licensure to complete a clinical fellowship after graduating, but in North Dakota, there is no professional experience required for licensing.
Instead, you’ll need to register for and pass the American Speech-Hearing-Language Association’s National Examination in Speech-Language Pathology.
You’ll register for the exam (Praxis exam 5331) through Praxis. The exam consists of 132 questions. You’ll need a 162 out of 200 possible points to pass.
The registration process includes choosing a date, time, and location for the exam. You can take the exam at any of the hundreds of Praxis testing centers located through the U.S. In North Dakota, there are Praxis test centers located in:
- Bismarck
- Dickinson
- Fargo
- Grand Forks
- Minot
The SLP exam covers core topics in speech-language pathology that you studied during your graduate program: foundations of professional practice; the screening, assessment, evaluation, and diagnosis of patients; and the planning of treatment.
The test will also cover the following topics:
- Evaluating factors that can affect treatment
- Initiating and prioritizing treatment and developing goals
- Determining appropriate treatment details
- Generating a prognosis
- Communicating recommendations
- General treatment principles and procedures
- Establishing methods for monitoring treatment profess and outcomes
- Speech sound production
- Fluency
- Voice, resonance, and motor speech
- Receptive and expressive language
- Social aspects of communication
You can study the Praxis Study Companion to prepare for the test.
CCC-SLP Certification
After passing the examination, you might consider earning the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP). The CCC-SLP, offered by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, is an extremely respected credential. Many clinics will require you to hold the CCC-SLP credential if you’re interested in filling senior SLP positions or if you’d like to supervise SLP students completing practicum hours. In addition, if you’d like to open an independent practice, you may find this credential helpful. You must apply directly through ASHA.
If you choose to earn the CCC-SLP, you’ll need to complete a clinical fellowship of at least nine months. A clinical fellowship is designed to help you gain professional experience while working with different client populations. You’ll be able to complete your clinical fellowship by partnering with an SLP clinic in your area, and you may browse opportunities here.
Step 3. Apply for Licensing and Begin Practicing as a Speech-Language Pathologist
Once you’ve received a passing score on the national exam, you’ll be able to apply for licensing online through the North Dakota State Board of Examiners. You must pay the $100 application fee and provide the Board with your passing Praxis test score. Your school must also send your official transcripts directly to the Board office.
You can check the status of your application here.
Once you’re licensed, you may consider the different ways to start your career:
Open an Independent Practice
As a licensed SLP, you may open an independent practice in North Dakota. You might choose to open an independent practice if you’re interested in pursuing a specific patient population, or if you’d like to travel to clients who may not have access to transportation. Independent practitioners enjoy the benefits of being able to set their own schedule and determining their own client load.
Pursue Job Openings in North Dakota
If you don’t want to open an independent practice, you might consider opportunities working in clinics, schools, hospitals, home health care, or rehabilitation centers. A few employers in North Dakota who hire SLPs include:
- Reliant Health
- Catholic Health Initiatives
- Infinity Rehab
- Grand Forks
- MTX Therapy Services
- The Enrichment Garden
- Trinity Nursing Home
- Essential Health
- Alexius Health
- Centra Healthcare Solutions
- Big Stone Therapies
- Nationwide Therapy Group
- Blue Royal
Step 4. Maintain Licensure and Complete Continuing Education Requirements
To keep your SLP license current, you’ll need to renew your license online every year by December 31 upon the completion of 10 clock hours of approved continuing education.
Proof of attendance of CE clock hours might include a registration receipt, certificate, or letter signed by the continuing education course’s instructor.
If there’s a course you’d like to take that’s not pre-approved by the board, you may appeal for approval by filling out a continuing education form and mailing it to the board. Within one-two weeks, the board will let you know if the continuing education activity is approved or denied.
SLP grad students and new SLPs in North Dakota often connect with the North Dakota Speech Language Hearing Association (NDSLHA). The NDSLHA offers scholarship opportunities for graduate students, provides SLPs with legislative updates, and hosts continuing education opportunities. Some of the NDSLHA’s education activities in the past have included how to identify social skill/pragmatic weaknesses in patients and target them; how to look at reading, writing, spelling and comprehension under the broader lens of language comprehension; and how to treat speech sound disorders in infants and toddlers.
Speech-Language Pathology Salary in North Dakota
The average salary for SLPs in North Dakota is $72,900, or $35.05 an hour. Salaries for SLPs in North Dakota have climbed steadily in recent years, increasing 9% since 2029.
The highest earning SLPs (90th percentile) in North Dakota make about $99,380, or $47.78 hourly.
The SLP professional community in North Dakota is also strong. The state has the fifth-highest concentration of jobs for speech-language pathologists in the country. Bismarck ranks as the city with the 10th highest concentration of such jobs from all urban areas in the nation.
SLP career prospects are also strong. In the ten years leading up to 2030, jobs for North Dakota SLPs are projected to increase by 27%, outpacing the national average growth rate of 19% during this time.
Salaries for Speech-Language Pathologists in North Dakota’s Major Cities
You can compare the following areas throughout the state, sorted by the highest SLP average salary. The range between entry-level and high end salaries (10th to 90th percentiles) is also provided:
Rural West North Dakota:
- Average: $75,200 annually, $36.15 hourly
- Entry-level to high-end range: $57,480 – $99,080 annually, $27.63 – $47.64 hourly
Bismarck:
- Average: $74,430 annually, $35.78 hourly
- $61,360 – $97,850 annually, $29.50 – $47.04 hourly
Grand Forks:
- Average: $73,140 annually, $35.16 hourly
- $53,430 – $98,610 annually, $25.69 – $47.41 hourly
Fargo:
- Average: $72,030 annually, $34.63 hourly
- $49,730 – $101,500 annually, $23.91 – $48.80
Rural East North Dakota:
- Average: $68,980 annually, $33.16
- $47,880 – $89,730 annually, $23.02 – $43.14 hourly
North Dakota’s Schools Suffer From a Shortage of SLPs
Educational specialists from the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities at Minot State University published a detailed study on the need for special education teachers and related services personnel in the state’s schools. The report noted the explosive growth in the population of North Dakota, which has continued to grow through the present; around 15% over just the past 10 years.
One hundred speech-language pathologists were among the respondents to their survey on the services most needed in North Dakota’s schools. Both special education teachers and SLPs rated speech-language pathology among the top-three categories for positions needed at the time of the survey and in future projections.
Opportunities in Private Clinics
Some of North Dakota’s private clinics that specialize in speech-language pathology are shown below:
- Bismarck: Scottish Rite Speech Therapy
- Fargo: Anne Carlsen Center
- Fargo: Beyond Boundaries Speech Language Therapy, Inc.
- Fargo: Kids First Therapy
- Fargo: Onword Therapy
- Grand Forks: Quotable Kids Speech & Language Clinic, PLLC
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.