2025 Best Online Speech & Language Pathology Master's Programs
Our list of the most popular speech and language pathology online master's programs features accredited institutions ranked by the number of program graduates, helping you identify online SLP pathways with strong clinical placement networks, sustained student demand, and demonstrated readiness for licensure and the CCC-SLP.
Key Takeaways:
- Emerson College, at #1 on our list for popularity, has over 300 recent graduates from its online Master of Science in Communication Disorders.
- California State University - Northridge boasts the highest median earnings at $86,176, placing SLP master's graduates among the top 3% nationally for salary.
- Nova Southeastern University has over 5,000 online students at the graduate level.
Read our methodology to learn how we determine eligibility. Below our list, we interviewed Carrie Clark, founder of Speech and Language Kids. She helps prospective students understand the realities of clinical training when becoming an SLP.
2025 Best Online Speech & Language Pathology Master's Programs
| Rank | School | Graduates | Annual Tuition | Median Salary | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College | 309 | $46,785 | $74,461 | 84% | |
| New York University | 257 | $52,440 | $82,289 | 96% | |
| Nova Southeastern University | 160 | $22,932 | $61,527 | 89% | |
| Pennsylvania Western University | 103 | $18,936 | N/A | 94% | |
| University of Cincinnati | 103 | $14,885 | $50,705 | 86% | |
| Western Kentucky University | 84 | $18,340 | $62,318 | 94% | |
| University of South Carolina - Columbia | 68 | $47,120 | $63,523 | 88% | |
| University of South Florida Online | 61 | $7,190 | $58,705 | 93% | |
| California State University - Northridge | 46 | $18,033 | $86,176 | 91% | |
| Idaho State University | 44 | $28,126 | $63,823 | 90% | |
| University of Akron | 41 | $28,952 | $59,352 | 88% | |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 33 | $21,137 | $56,827 | 91% | |
| West Virginia University | 31 | $15,900 | $64,448 | 94% | |
| Calvin University | 30 | $33,840 | $63,173 | 89% | |
| James Madison University | 27 | $19,365 | $74,354 | 98% | |
| Maryville University | 20 | $24,453 | N/A | 61% |
2025 Best Online Speech & Language Pathology Master's Programs - Program Details
- Graduates: 309
- Annual Tuition: $46,785
- Median Salary: $74,461
- Recommendation: 84%
Why we like them: At #1 on our list, Emerson recently graduated 309 students from this communication disorders master's program online, making it the most popular choice. And these graduates make a strong median salary of $74,461 around four years later (in the 79th percentile nationally). Emerson offers a structured clinical pathway that includes one virtual placement plus four community placements coordinated through a national partner network.
- Graduates: 257
- Annual Tuition: $52,440
- Median Salary: $82,289
- Recommendation: 96%
Why we like them: In NYU's program, graduates make a median salary of $82,289. That's in the 94th percentile nationally in this field. NYU also has the best retention rate (96%) on our entire list and the lowest student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1. As part of this ASHA CAA-accredited graduate program, you gain access to an approved, nationwide clinical placement network.
- Graduates: 160
- Annual Tuition: $22,932
- Median Salary: $61,527
- Recommendation: 89%
Why we like them: NSU鈥檚 distance format is highly structured, so it's a good choice if you need that kind of discipline. Here, you attend live, synchronous classes lasting one hour per week, per course, while the residential modality meets for around three hours. We also like that the program commits to securing externship sites near your home anywhere in the United States.
- Graduates: 103
- Annual Tuition: $18,936
- Median Salary: N/A
- Recommendation: 94%
Why we like them: PennWest delivers a 100% online MSSLP anchored by a single, required one-week on-campus intensive that concentrates hands-on skill building without lengthy residencies. This gives you a sense of immersion in the field while keeping travel at a minimum. Learning is via high-fidelity simulation, teletherapy, and external placements across the lifespan. PennWest has a 97% recommendation rate from students.
- Graduates: 103
- Annual Tuition: $14,885
- Median Salary: $50,705
- Recommendation: 86%
Why we like them: Cincinnati runs a three-year, eight-semester part-time design that lets you maintain employment early in the program while building toward full-time clinical intensity in the final year. Clinical education starts in the third semester and intentionally ramps from part- to full-time, so you integrate clinical competencies progressively.
- Graduates: 84
- Annual Tuition: $18,340
- Median Salary: $62,318
- Recommendation: 94%
Why we like them: WKU has a required 6-week summer internship in the online pathway, giving you intensive clinical immersion that complements the remote coursework. The Communication Disorders department at WKU dates to 1975, with CAA accreditation in 1993, which provides you a mature clinical training culture and well-established processes.
- Graduates: 68
- Annual Tuition: $47,120
- Median Salary: $63,523
- Recommendation: 88%
Why we like them: USC鈥檚 distance learning master's degree in SLP is a part-time pathway designed for working professionals and caregivers. This school presents a clinic-and-research ecosystem anchored by the Montgomery Clinic鈥檚 specialty initiatives, with focuses on Literacy, Hispanic Initiative, and Myofunctional Therapy. You can also access the USC Speech and Hearing Research Center and a dedicated Cochlear Implant Program.
- Graduates: 61
- Annual Tuition: $7,190
- Median Salary: $58,705
- Recommendation: 93%
Why we like them: USF鈥檚 Suncoast Track is purpose-built for bachelor鈥檚-level professionals working full time in consortium school districts, extending the online MS SLP over nine semesters through a blended distance and on-site design. Adult-based clinical rotations concentrate in the summer. Based on nearly 500 student surveys we've collected, USF has a 93% recommendation rate from its students.
- Graduates: 46
- Annual Tuition: $18,033
- Median Salary: $86,176
- Recommendation: 91%
Why we like them: CSUN's online MS in Communicative Disorders has incredible outcomes, with median earnings of $86,176 that place CSUN among the top 3% of programs for graduate pay nationally. (That's the highest on our entire list.) This master's program is cohort-based and structured to satisfy academic requirements for licensure in all states, public-school credentialing, and ASHA certification.
- Graduates: 44
- Annual Tuition: $28,126
- Median Salary: $63,823
- Recommendation: 90%
Why we like them: ISU has the only ASHA-accredited SLP program in Idaho, which gives you statewide clinical credibility and a licensure pathway. We appreciate the dual-campus model with full-service Speech and Language Clinics in Pocatello and Meridian. This kind of cross-campus integration increases your access to specialized expertise.
- Graduates: 41
- Annual Tuition: $28,952
- Median Salary: $59,352
- Recommendation: 88%
Why we like them: Akron delivers a two-university collaborative online SLP MA that unifies faculty, students, facilities, and resources across institutions. This SLP master's program has a fixed cohort size of 22, which helps preserve small-group engagement within a multi-institution framework.
- Graduates: 33
- Annual Tuition: $21,137
- Median Salary: $56,827
- Recommendation: 91%
Why we like them: UNCG鈥檚 format is primarily asynchronous across a 66-credit, five-semester full-time plan. The program has explicit, state-by-state licensure disclosures that help you verify alignment with your practice location. You prepare for ASHA鈥檚 Certificate of Clinical Competence while also meeting NC Department of Public Instruction requirements for school-based practice.
- Graduates: 31
- Annual Tuition: $15,900
- Median Salary: $64,448
- Recommendation: 94%
Why we like them: WVU structures the online M.S. around an employment-integrated model that requires you to serve as an SLP-A with an approved partner organization 鈥� most commonly within the West Virginia Department of Education. This program involves telepractice training, standardized patient encounters, and simulation in the WVU STEPS lab.
- Graduates: 30
- Annual Tuition: $33,840
- Median Salary: $63,173
- Recommendation: 89%
Why we like them: At Calvin, you complete five placements, with three telepractice rotations in the Speech and Hearing Clinic and two in-person placements where you live. As part of the CAA-accredited SLP master's, you study in a curriculum that explicitly integrates Christian faith with evidence-based care and DEI reflection in a values-driven, research-aligned framing.
- Graduates: 27
- Annual Tuition: $19,365
- Median Salary: $74,354
- Recommendation: 98%
Why we like them: While some online SLP programs require students to secure their own practicum placements, JMU assists with clinical coordination. This is a critical advantage given the nationwide competition for placements. This curriculum meets both ASHA CFCC certification requirements as well as Virginia state licensure requirements.
- Graduates: 20
- Annual Tuition: $24,453
- Median Salary: N/A
- Recommendation: 61%
Why we like them: Maryville has a tightly sequenced, 57-credit plan completed across five consecutive semesters, accelerating your path to licensure. You complete all coursework fully online with no campus visits, while Maryville orchestrates in-person practicums near your home, often within about 60 miles, after two semesters of live telepractice with both adult and pediatric clients.
鈥溾�楥ommunication Is Key to Life鈥�: Carrie Clark on Becoming an SLP
CEO of Speech and Language Kids
Understanding The Work
Speech-language pathology is a profession that requires constant flexibility, reflection, and patience.
Carrie Clark explains, "Everyone is so unique. And even if they have the same disability or disorder, they present differently." Because of this, therapy is often a trial-and-adjust process rather than a linear path. "It's about trying something and failing and then trying something different and then failing and trying something different."
Clark notes that new clinicians sometimes feel pressure to be experts right away, but she says it's important to keep in mind, "you don't know what that client's going to need when they sit down in front of you." Instead, she encourages future SLPs to embrace the learning curve and remain compassionate toward themselves and others during the learning process. "You really have to have patience with yourself and with your clients and then be able to try multiple things and not get discouraged when something doesn't work the way you thought it would right off the bat."
Diversity and Representation in the Field
Clark emphasizes that the speech-language pathology field is actively working to expand representation among its practitioners. She explains, "We can't treat diverse populations if we are not a diverse workforce." Because SLPs work with clients from many cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, she encourages prospective students 鈥� especially those from underrepresented groups 鈥� to seek out mentors, affinity networks, and supportive professional communities early in their training.
"... being able to help people improve such a big, important part of their life is incredibly rewarding."
Considering Work Settings and Pay
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic's most recent data, the median annual per year, and that's across an entire career's span. Our list above shows the median yearly salary among SLP graduates at those schools, but that data is only four years after graduation. It represents the early career salaries among SLP graduates across our list. However, Clark notes that while "the mean salary for this profession is great," the pay all comes down to where you decide to work as an SLP.
Speech-language pathologists can work in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, private practices, and teletherapy settings, to name a few possibilities. And each environment offers different experiences and earning potential. Clark explains that a medical setting will push your salary higher as an SLP, while schools are going to start you much lower, depending on the area you live.
In hospitals, an SLP "may be evaluating someone to see if they've had a cognitive change or if they're having language problems. They also may be working with somebody who has hearing loss. So it's very different based on who's in the hospital that day." School-based SLPs, however, often work with the same clients over time and "have the same set of clients for maybe the entire school year. You might have some clients that you even see for multiple school years, so you have much more consistency."
Both settings also come with administrative demands. "If you're a school SLP, there's paperwork and the IEP (Individualized Education Program) and bus duty and lunch duty and all of the other things that come along with working in a school setting," Clark explains. Meanwhile, clinicians in healthcare face different logistical challenges: "In the medical field, SLPs have certain kinds of paperwork and billing and insurance" 鈥� responsibilities, she notes, "I typically see described as the worst part of our profession."
Why Many SLPs Love the Work
Despite the workload and challenges, many SLPs remain deeply passionate about their profession, and Clark is no exception. For her, the most memorable moments are the breakthroughs she's able to make in therapy. "I can still remember every time that a child has spoken their first word in my session, because it moves you."
These experiences are rooted in the power of communication itself: "The breakthroughs make everything worth it because communication is key to life. If you're having trouble with it, or if you can't communicate, it breaks down everything. So being able to help people improve such a big, important part of their life is incredibly rewarding." That joy is why Clark confidently tells prospective students that pursuing this work is "so worth it."
EXPERT TIP
"The best thing you can do is get some real-world experience as early as possible." She suggests shadowing different types of SLPs at the beginning. "You might find your preferences are actually different from what you thought, and then you can guide your study in terms of which electives you take earlier on."
FAQs About Online Master's Degrees in Speech-Language Pathology
Is There a Difference Between a Speech Therapist and a Speech Pathologist?
No, there are no differences between speech therapists and speech pathologists. The terms are used interchangeably, as they hold the same job responsibilities. Both speech therapists and speech pathologists require the same educational background and certifications to work. However, some professionals in this field prefer to be called speech therapists, as they provide forms of speech therapy.
Should You Get an MA or MS?
When pursuing speech-language pathology, you may want to consider whether you want your diploma to read as a Master of Arts or a Master of Science. These delineations typically mean that your degree focused more on the humanities or the sciences, respectively. If you want to take more language courses, a Master of Arts may be your best bet. But if you prefer to take more science classes, a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology may be more relevant to your interests. In general, your future employers likely won't be looking at your diploma's official title this closely, so it may not make a difference to them in terms of credibility.
Do I Need a Doctoral Degree to Practice as a Speech Pathologist?
No, graduate students don't need to earn doctoral degrees to practice as speech pathologists. However, depending on their career goals, students who have earned master's degrees may want to consider pursuing one of the two types of doctoral degrees available in speech-language pathology 鈥� a clinical doctorate, which prepares speech pathologists for advanced leadership roles in clinical settings, such as master clinician or a clinical administrator, or a PhD in speech pathology, which prepares students for research and teaching positions in academia.
What Is an Online Master's in Speech-Language Pathology?
Speech and language pathology online master's programs are designed to provide the skills and knowledge required for a successful career in the field. Coursework explores communication disorders, linguistics, and anatomy with hands-on clinical experiences. An SLP online master's program offers a credible pathway to certification and employment.
Speech-language pathologists work with both children and adults to resolve many types of communication disorders. Those who aspire to become speech professionals will need to earn a master's degree in the field, which they can accomplish through on-campus or online grad school for speech pathology.
Most colleges that offer master's degrees for speech pathology online require completing 61-64 credit hours, which typically includes about 18 credit hours of clinical practice courses. Some online SLP master's programs are designed to be completed in one and a half years of full-time study, while others cater to working adults and are meant to be completed in two to three years of part-time study.
The master's degree needed to become a licensed SLP goes by a variety of names. For example, it may be a master's in speech-language pathology or a master's in communicative disorders. Furthermore, if the program is part of your school's health sciences department, you'll probably earn a Master of Science because coursework focuses on physical sciences and math. If the program is delivered through the school's department of special education or human services, on the other hand, the degree may be a Master of Arts because coursework emphasizes the humanities.