It’s important to consider your education options if you’re thinking about pursuing the speech therapy jobs Arizona (Click here) has to offer.
Speech therapists play an important role in helping people with speech and language disorders. This occupation can be very challenging at times, and requires plenty of preparation, but it’s equally as rewarding.
The first step to becoming a speech therapist is earning your bachelor’s degree. The second step is to attend graduate school and earn either a master’s degree, which is required to begin working as a speech therapist, or a doctoral degree.
According to Education-Portal.com, there are two main types of graduate degrees you can pursue, depending on the type of speech therapist job you want. These include:
- Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology – Through class work and clinical practice, students in this degree program will learn how to diagnose and treat communication and swallowing problems in both children and adults. Some typical class topics include: language disorders, voice disorders, swallowing disorders, stuttering, audiology practice, and clinical practice and procedures. Once you complete the program and earn your degree you will be able to take a state or national licensing examination, which is required before you can begin working.
- Doctor of Philosophy in Speech Pathology – This program is focused more on preparing students for a career in speech therapy research or as a college professor. Students usually work with a mentor to complete more advanced classes in language and speech science and they also may participate in clinical work or serve as a teaching assistant. Depending on the career they are aiming for, typical class topics might include: individual research in speech-language pathology, sensory processes, linguistics, audiology, special education, psychology, engineering, computer science, and statistics.