What is the time frame to become a speech-language pathologist?

Becoming a speech-language pathologist typically takes six to seven years, including undergraduate and graduate coursework as well as postgraduate clinical hours. Prospective speech therapists must complete a four-year bachelor‘s degree with prerequisite courses in linguistics, phonetics, semantics, psychology, and human development. Most speech-language pathologists have a master‘s degree from an approved ASHA‘s Council on Academic Accreditation program, with supervised clinical practice playing an essential part in the curriculum. State licensing boards usually require 300 hours of supervised clinical work during the graduate years, along with nine months of postgraduate clinical practice and passing the Praxis exams. Continuing education is also required to maintain a license, with options available from ASHA, including the Certificate of Clinical Competence.