The professional practitioners in speech and language pathology or audiology must possess the master’s degree, state license, state certification if they are planning to work in public education, and the Certificate of Clinical Competence awarded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Students receiving their masters degrees from the UL Lafayette Department of Communicative Disorders are eligible for these credentials. Employment opportunities exist in public schools, hospitals, medical centers, private agencies, nursing homes, and private practice. There are abundant employment opportunities within Louisiana and nationally. Graduates of the program are employed by the public schools in the state of Louisiana, by hospitals both within and outside the state, and by other educational and health service agencies.

Students completing the undergraduate program are urged to consider the masters degree and the Ph.D. A significant proportion of our students will complete a masters degree and more and more are now considering the Ph.D. as an even more desirable option.

Schools, K-12
Universities and colleges
Hospitals
Physicians’ offices
Speech, language and hearing centers
Home healthcare offices
Nursing homes
Residential facilities
Federal agencies including:
Department of Veterans Affairs
National Institutes of Health
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Education
Armed Services
Health Maintenance Organizations
Sole practitioner or group practice
Public Health departments
Rehabilitation centers

The American Speech and Hearing Association and many states, including Louisiana, requires a master’s degree for certification as a speech pathologist. Consequently, UL Lafayette’s program includes four years of undergraduate study plus approximately two years of graduate study leading to a master’s degree. The department is also developing a Ph.D. program in Applied Language and Speech Sciences.

Clinical experience (practicum) is part of the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Practicum opportunities are obtained at the department’s Speech and Hearing clinic a well as community hospitals, hearing and speech centers, schools and residential centers. Other experiences may include working at summer camps for handicapped children and involvement in the National Student Speech and Hearing Association.

A master’s degree from an accredited speech-language pathology program is normally required to enter the field.
Many additional employment opportunities are available to persons with the Ph.D.

Over 40 states require license or certification of speech pathologists to practice. The Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) offered by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is the recognized credential for practicingspeech-language pathologists.

Approximately one-half of speech-language pathologists work in schools and another half are employed in healthcare institutions.

A passing score on national examination and a post-graduate supervised clinical experience are required for certification.

The Doctorate is normally required for university teaching and research positions.

You are urged and invited to join the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Our students have the opportunity to work in healthcare settings and schools to gain experience working with people in all age groups.

Learn about courses, electives, and requirements.

Department of Communicative Disorders
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
P. O. Box 43170
Lafayette, LA 70504-3170

Office located in Burke-Hawthorne Hall, Room 213
Phone: (337) 482-6721
Fax: (337) 482-6195
Email: bxl9487@louisiana.edu

Web site: http://speechandlanguage.louisiana.edu/