South Dakota’s speech-language pathologists, experts at communication and swallowing disorders, provide vital SLP services to patients across the lifespan. From speech therapy to language therapy to social communication therapy to swallowing therapy, SLPs in South Dakota are behind the therapies that change lives.
- 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 working in major hospital systems like Monument Health, Brookings Health System, and Avera Health… in private clinics like the Anderson-Smith Therapy Institute and Overland Rehab… in university clinics like the University of South Dakota Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic and the USD Scottish Rite Children’s Clinic for Speech & Language Disorders… and in schools across the state. They also work with companies like ProCare Therapy to provide at-home SLP services – an area of significant growth in the profession.
Regardless of where you career aspirations lie —whether it’s working with children through the school system or with adults with disorders like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s —South Dakota’s SLP profession is on the rise and ready for new professionals to join the field.
To begin your career as a speech-language pathologist, you will need to earn state licensure through the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology.
Follow these steps to become a licensed speech therapist in South Dakota:
Step 1. Earn a Speech Therapist Degree: Complete a Qualifying Master’s Degree Program in Speech-Language Pathology
To become a speech-language pathologist in South Dakota, you must first earn a master’s degree or higher in speech-language pathology from an American Speech-Language Hearing Association Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA)-accredited program.
There is just one CAA-accredited program in South Dakota: Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology through the University of South Dakota. With just one traditional, campus-based programs in South Dakota, CAA-accredited online SLP programs have become a popular choice. Online programs allow students to complete their graduate work in speech-language pathology, regardless of their geographic location.
Undergraduate Program Requirements
A bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders or a similar field allows students direct entry into a master’s degree program in speech-language pathology. Most programs also accept students with undergraduate degrees in other fields, although the completion of several prerequisite courses or a pre-professional program may be required before they can begin their graduate coursework.
Some of the prerequisite courses needed to begin a master’s degree in speech-language therapy include:
- Language Acquisition
- Phonetics
- Speech Science
- Anatomy and Physiology of Speech Mechanism
Graduate Program Requirements
Some of the coursework you can expect to complete in an SLP master’s program includes:
- Aural Rehabilitation
- Disorders of Phonology and Articulation
- Language Disorders of Children
- Professional Issues in Communication Disorders
- Advanced Language Disorders
- Fluency Disorders
- Craniofacial Anomalies
- Acquired Disorders of Language and Cognition
- Diagnostics in Speech and Language Disorders
As a part of your speech-language pathology coursework, you will complete a clinical practicum of at least 400 hours. This supervised clinical experience will include working under a licensed speech-language pathologist and preparing for your post-graduate clinical fellowship.
Step 2. Complete a Post-Graduate Professional Experience
South Dakota licensing laws require all candidates for SLP licensure to complete at least nine months of a full-time supervised post-graduate professional experience—also known as a clinical fellowship—under the guidance and supervision of a licensed SLP.
You’ll need to apply for a Provisional Speech-Language Pathologist license before you begin your post-graduate professional experience. The provisional license is valid for a period of 24 months and can be renewed only one time.
You will need to submit (on a separate piece of paper) a plan that details your postgraduate professional experience. It should include the location and dates of your experience, along with your supervisor and his/her South Dakota license number. The cost of the provisional license is $250.
Your post-graduate professional experience must be at least nine months (36 weeks) long. During your clinical fellowship, you’ll gain valuable experience developing treatment plans, conducting research, and assisting patients in legislative issues, among many other professional tasks.
At the end of your supervised professional experience, your supervising SLP must complete the Verification of Supervised Post-Graduate Professional Experience form.
Step 3. Pass the National SLP Examination
You must take and pass the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) National Examination in Speech Language Pathology, administered by Praxis, to become licensed as an SLP in South Dakota.
You must register for this exam (Praxis exam 5331) through Praxis. When registering, you’ll be able to choose a date, time, and location for your exam. Praxis has testing centers throughout the U.S. In South Dakota, there are testing centers located in:
- Aberdeen
- Huron
- Rapid City
- Sioux Falls
- Vermillion
Once you are registered for the exam, be sure to take advantage of the free Praxis preparation materials. The exam has 132 multiple-choice questions and a 150-minute time limit. The exam is designed to assess your knowledge in the following areas:
- Foundations and Professional Practice
- Typical development and performance across the lifespan
- Characteristics of common communication and swallowing disorders
- Wellness and prevention
- Research methodology and evidence-based practice
- Screening, Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis
- Screening for communication disorders
- Developing case histories
- Assessment procedures for fluency disorders
- Genetic and developmental disorders
- Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation of Treatment
- Evaluating factors that can affect treatment
- Establishing methods for monitoring treatment progress
- Treatment of speech sound production disorders
- Follow up on referrals and recommendations
To pass the exam, you’ll need to score 162 on a scale of 100-200.
Optional CCC-SLP Certification
After passing the SLP exam and completing your post-graduate professional experience, you may to apply for the optional CCC-SLP certification through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) before applying for licensure.
If you choose to earn this voluntary certification before applying for your state license, you can submit proof of your CCC-SLP certification in lieu of supplying proof of completing a qualified graduate program and fellowship when applying for licensure.
You must apply for the CCC-SLP online through ASHA.
Step 4. Apply for Your State SLP License and Begin Your Career as a Speech-Language Pathologist
Now it’s time to apply for your South Dakota SLP license. You must complete the Application for Licensure and pay the $250 application fee.
After the Board reviews and accepts your application you receive your license, you can begin your career in earnest. A host of opportunities exist for licensed SLPs in South Dakota in hospital systems, private practices, and public clinics, just to name a few.
After earning your CCC-SLP, you may also consider earning optional specialty certifications through ASHA to further your career and display your unique skillset to colleagues, patients and employers.
Options for specialty certification include:
- Child language and language disorders
- Fluency and fluency disorders
- Swallowing and swallowing disorders
- Intraoperative monitoring
You can read more about these certifications on ASHA’s website.
Step 5. Maintain SLP Licensure and Complete Continuing Education Requirements
You must renew your SLP license every two years on October 1 upon the completion of at least 20 contact hours. The cost of renewal is $150.
Continuing education can be fulfilled by completing courses or attending events offered by the South Dakota Speech-Language-Hearing Association (SDSLHA).
You can also become a member of the SDSLHA and gain many professional benefits in the form of legislative advocacy support, a statewide and national network, and ongoing employment opportunities.
Speech-Language Pathology Salary in South Dakota
The average SLP salary in South Dakota is $69,350, or $33.34 an hour. The top-paid SLPs in South Dakota (90th percentile) earn about $92,840, or $44.63 an hour.
Types of Health Care Jobs for SLPs in South Dakota
South Dakota should see an average of 40 SLP job openings every year in the decade leading up to 2030 due to a blend of new job creation, retirements, and natural job turnover. As of 2023, there were 400 SLPs working throughout the state:
- 160 SLPs work in Sioux Falls
- 100 SLPs work in Rapid City
- 90 SLPs work in rural East South Dakota
- 70 SLPs work in metro Sioux City
- 50 SLPs work in rural West South Dakota
Home Health Services
Civic and social organizations are the top-paying industries for speech-language pathologists in the country, followed by home health care services, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The U.S. Department of Labor reports that South Dakota is home to some 76 home health service providers that employ at least one speech-language pathologist.
Some of these healthcare entities are shown below:
- Aberdeen: Bethesda Community Services
- Beresford: State Home Care Service, Inc.
- Brookings: Homecare Services of South Dakota
- Dakota Dunes: SYNERGY Homecare
- De Smet: Good Samaritan Home Health
- Flandreau: Riverview Home Health
- Lemmon: West River Nurse Corps Home
- Madison: Home Care Service of South Dakota
- Mitchell: Helping Hands
- Mitchell: Home Instead Senior Care
- Mobridge: Homecare Services of South Dakota, Inc.
- Pierre: Avera@Home
- Rapid City: Interim Health Care
- Rapid City: Regional Home Care
- Sioux Falls: Alpha Sigma Health Group
- Sioux Falls: Comfort Keepers
- Sioux Falls: Good Samaritan Society
- Sioux Falls: Home Care Assistance
- Sioux Falls: Interim Health Care
- Sioux Falls: Seasoned Home Healthcare
- Sioux Falls: Sioux Falls Wellness Consulting
- Sioux Falls: SYNERGY Homecare
- Waubay: Homecare Services of South Dakota, Inc.
Skilled Nursing Facilities
SLPs employed at skilled nursing facilities earn the fifth-highest average salary nationally, according to the BLS. Some of the skilled nursing facilities that employ speech-language pathologists in South Dakota include:
- Aberdeen: Aberdeen Community Health Center
- Belle Fourche: Senior Living Center
- Brandon: Bethany Home
- Bridgewater: Diamond Care Center
- Bryant: Parkview Care Center
- Centerville: Good Samaritan–Centerville
- Chamberlain: Dakota Milestones, Inc.
- Custer: Custer Regional Senior Center
- Eureka: Avera Eureka Health Care Center
- Lemmon: Live Center, Inc.
- Flandreau: Riverview Assisted Care
- Milbank: St. William’s Care Center
- Mitchell: Avera Brady Health & Rehab
- Muron: Rediscovery Program
- Parkston: Avera Bormann Manor
- Parkston: Parkston Group Care Program
- Pierre: Avera Maryhouse Long Term Care
- Plankinton: Aurora Plains Academy
- Rapid City: Pleasant Hill Village
- Rapid City: Rapid City Community Health
- Sioux Falls: Select Specialty Hospital
- Sioux Falls: Silver Park Place
- Webster: Bethesda Home
- Winner: Winner Regional Nursing Home
- Yankton: Averaga Sacred Heart Majestic
Salaries for Speech-Language Pathologists in South Dakota
Where you work in South Dakota has an impact on your earning potential. For example, there’s almost a $14,000 difference in the average SLP salary between metro Sioux City and Rapid City.
You can compare the SLP salary statistics for areas throughout South Dakota listed below. They’re listed by highest average salary, and include the range between entry-level (10th percentile) and high-end (90th percentile) salaries:
Metro Sioux City:
- Average: $80,880 annually, $38.89 hourly
- Entry-level to high-end range: $60,180 – $111,740 annually, $28.93 – $53.72 hourly
Sioux Falls:
- Average: $70,690 annually, $33.98 hourly
- $46,690 – $97,230 annually, $22.45 – $46.74 hourly
Rural West South Dakota:
- Average: $69,740 annually, $33.53 hourly
- $54,190 – $91,280 annually, $26.06 – $43.89 hourly
Rural East South Dakota:
- Average: $69,530 annually, $33.43 hourly
- $56,420 – $86,470 annually, $27.12 – $41.57 hourly
Rapid City:
- Average: $66,960 annually, $32.19 hourly
- $59,680 – $87,890 annually, $28.69 – $42.26 hourly
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.