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Communication Disorders Sciences and Services Degree

103 schools compared · Average earnings $25,393/yr

Students study speech-language pathology, audiology, hearing science, and the assessment and treatment of communication and swallowing disorders across the lifespan. Graduates typically pursue careers as speech-language pathologists and audiologists after completing a required master's degree, working in hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers, and private practices. Speech-language pathologists enjoy strong job growth, flexible work settings, and competitive salaries.

What Communication Disorders Sciences and Services Graduates Do

Your work in this field is deeply human-centered. As a speech-language pathologist, you might spend your morning in a school helping a child overcome a stutter, and your afternoon in a hospital guiding a stroke survivor as they relearn to swallow and speak. Or, as an audiologist, you could conduct hearing tests for newborns or help a veteran manage tinnitus, fitting them with technology that reconnects them to their world. Both speech-language pathology and university-level teaching roles are expanding rapidly.

Most graduates begin with direct patient care after a required clinical fellowship. With experience, you can advance to manage a department, open a private practice, or move into academia to teach and conduct research. AI is poised to become a significant co-pilot in these roles, automating routine paperwork and initial data analysis from diagnostic tests. This won't replace the need for your expertise, but it will change your daily workflow, freeing you to focus more on hands-on therapy, complex diagnoses, and building patient trust.

Schools Offering

103

Avg Grad Earnings

$25,393/yr

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

32/100

AI Automation Risk

High

51% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Communication Disorders Sciences and Services graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 41,400 combined openings per year.

Career Path	Salary Range	Openings/yr	Growth	AI Risk
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	$105,620 $74K$176K	27,400	+17.3%	48%
Speech-language pathologists	$95,410 $75K$113K	13,300	+15.0%	45%
Audiologists	$92,120 $76K$109K	700	+9.5%	45%

Health specialties teachers, postsecondary

$105,620

$74K $176K

27,400 openings/yr +17.3% growth 48% AI risk

Speech-language pathologists

$95,410

$75K $113K

13,300 openings/yr +15.0% growth 45% AI risk

Audiologists

$92,120

$76K $109K

700 openings/yr +9.5% growth 45% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Communication Disorders Sciences and Services

Top 20 of 103 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Nevada State University Henderson, NV	52 49–52	$47,833/yr	17.8x
2	California State University-East Bay Hayward, CA	50 54–51	$34,924/yr	25.7x
3	CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY	49 53–50	$36,241/yr	21.7x
4	CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY	43 48–44	$26,817/yr	24.6x
5	Portland State University Portland, OR	42 46–43	$35,615/yr	12.6x
6	California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA	42 48–43	$29,270/yr	22.6x
7	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA	42 47–42	$27,296/yr	22.3x
8	CUNY Queens College Queens, NY	42 44–42	$23,108/yr	22.8x
9	San Diego State University San Diego, CA	42 43–42	$22,378/yr	21.7x
10	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ	41 43–41	$37,074/yr	10.8x
11	University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL	41 45–41	$26,539/yr	37.2x
12	California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA	41 43–42	$22,310/yr	23.7x
13	Worcester State University Worcester, MA	40 45–41	$34,142/yr	12.6x
14	University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD	40 46–41	$31,105/yr	13.9x
15	California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA	40 44–41	$24,594/yr	22.2x
16	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL	40 38–40	$13,371/yr	26.5x
17	California State University-Chico Chico, CA	39 46–40	$29,297/yr	18.2x
18	University of Florida Gainesville, FL	39 44–40	$26,539/yr	22.2x
19	State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY	39 43–39	$25,475/yr	18.0x
20	University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY	39 42–39	$24,952/yr	15.4x
21	California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA	39 41–39	$22,915/yr	19.5x
22	California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA	39 41–39	$22,463/yr	21.3x
23	Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX	38 42–39	$34,509/yr	11.9x
24	Utah State University Logan, UT	38 44–39	$30,239/yr	15.2x
25	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK	38 43–38	$26,921/yr	15.1x
26	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA	37 41–38	$25,791/yr	13.0x
27	Towson University Towson, MD	37 39–37	$23,463/yr	13.6x
28	Brigham Young University Provo, UT	37 37–37	$21,220/yr	20.1x
29	Western Washington University Bellingham, WA	37 36–37	$19,512/yr	15.7x
30	Appalachian State University Boone, NC	37 34–37	$12,383/yr	18.4x
31	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI	36 41–37	$34,633/yr	8.2x
32	Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO	36 42–37	$30,971/yr	14.3x
33	University of Houston Houston, TX	36 42–37	$30,395/yr	13.6x
34	Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN	36 40–37	$24,949/yr	14.5x
35	SUNY College at Plattsburgh Plattsburgh, NY	36 40–37	$24,536/yr	15.8x
36	University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV	36 39–36	$23,733/yr	15.5x
37	University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA	36 33–36	$10,746/yr	14.8x
38	University of Kansas Lawrence, KS	35 41–36	$30,227/yr	11.7x
39	University of West Georgia Carrollton, GA	35 41–35	$28,612/yr	19.2x
40	University of South Florida Tampa, FL	35 41–35	$28,425/yr	18.3x
41	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL	35 39–35	$26,286/yr	18.7x
42	Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, LA	35 39–35	$26,032/yr	15.4x
43	Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT	35 38–36	$24,025/yr	12.1x
44	Texas Woman's University Denton, TX	35 36–35	$21,555/yr	15.4x
45	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI	35 33–35	$14,668/yr	13.2x
46	Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL	34 39–35	$34,136/yr	9.6x
47	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL	34 40–35	$29,620/yr	9.5x
48	Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC	34 37–34	$24,521/yr	24.2x
49	University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM	34 36–34	$23,532/yr	15.5x
50	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX	34 36–35	$22,286/yr	12.4x
51	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA	34 35–34	$21,969/yr	12.9x
52	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA	34 33–34	$18,575/yr	12.0x
53	University of North Texas Denton, TX	33 39–34	$28,337/yr	11.7x
54	Washington State University Pullman, WA	33 38–33	$27,463/yr	10.6x
55	Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN	33 37–33	$26,496/yr	11.4x
56	University of Mississippi University, MS	33 36–33	$24,300/yr	13.6x
57	Texas A & M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX	33 34–33	$22,853/yr	12.9x
58	East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg, PA	33 31–33	$12,621/yr	12.3x
59	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ	32 35–33	$37,074/yr	—
60	California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	32 38–32	$28,702/yr	15.6x
61	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH	32 35–33	$23,509/yr	10.8x
62	University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA	31 37–32	$30,693/yr	7.6x
63	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL	31 37–32	$29,044/yr	10.5x
64	University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO	31 34–31	$24,628/yr	8.7x
65	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ	31 34–31	$24,044/yr	9.9x
66	Idaho State University Pocatello, ID	31 32–31	$21,587/yr	14.0x
67	Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus Portales, NM	30 34–30	$26,335/yr	14.8x
68	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH	30 33–30	$23,758/yr	9.7x
69	Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI	30 32–30	$23,102/yr	8.7x
70	California Baptist University Riverside, CA	29 31–29	$38,559/yr	2.4x
71	Baylor University Waco, TX	29 31–29	$38,174/yr	1.9x
72	University of Maine Orono, ME	29 35–30	$30,231/yr	9.1x
73	Wayne State University Detroit, MI	29 32–29	$24,474/yr	8.8x
74	Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI	29 31–29	$23,752/yr	9.0x
75	Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA	29 32–30	$23,664/yr	10.1x
76	Wichita State University Wichita, KS	29 29–29	$21,429/yr	11.9x
77	Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH	28 33–28	$27,742/yr	9.1x
78	Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO	28 32–28	$26,636/yr	10.3x
79	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	28 30–28	$23,203/yr	7.7x
80	University of Oregon Eugene, OR	28 29–28	$21,762/yr	8.1x
81	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX	27 32–27	$26,577/yr	8.1x
82	Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA	27 32–27	$26,396/yr	10.2x
83	University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO	26 30–26	$26,425/yr	9.0x
84	Temple University Philadelphia, PA	26 25–26	$17,826/yr	5.7x
85	St. John's University-New York Queens, NY	24 23–24	$19,067/yr	2.6x
86	Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA	23 29–24	$27,901/yr	5.1x
87	Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock, TX	23 28–23	$27,008/yr	—
88	Southern University and A & M College Baton Rouge, LA	23 27–23	$25,281/yr	5.4x
89	Southern University Law Center Baton Rouge, LA	23 26–23	$25,281/yr	—
90	California State University-San Marcos San Marcos, CA	23 25–24	$22,567/yr	6.3x
91	University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA	23 22–23	$18,766/yr	9.1x
92	The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis, TN	22 22–22	$19,480/yr	—
93	Jackson State University Jackson, MS	22 20–22	$17,858/yr	3.9x
94	College of Our Lady of the Elms Chicopee, MA	21 27–22	$31,890/yr	2.3x
95	William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ	21 24–21	$24,702/yr	3.1x
96	University of Redlands Redlands, CA	20 20–20	$21,354/yr	2.0x
97	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT	19 21–20	$22,345/yr	2.2x
98	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT	19 21–20	$22,345/yr	2.2x
99	University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT	19 21–20	$22,345/yr	2.2x
100	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT	19 21–20	$22,345/yr	2.2x
101	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT	18 20–19	$22,345/yr	1.7x
102	Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus Gurabo, PR	17 14–17	$9,121/yr	5.1x
103	Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce Mercedita, PR	16 14–16	$9,347/yr	4.0x

Highest Earning Communication Disorders Sciences and Services Programs

Schools where Communication Disorders Sciences and Services graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score
Nevada State University	$47,833/yr	52
California Baptist University	$38,559/yr	29
Baylor University	$38,174/yr	29
Arizona State University Campus Immersion	$37,074/yr	41
Arizona State University Digital Immersion	$37,074/yr	32
CUNY Lehman College	$36,241/yr	49
Portland State University	$35,615/yr	42
California State University-East Bay	$34,924/yr	50
University of Rhode Island	$34,633/yr	36
Stephen F Austin State University	$34,509/yr	38

Best ROI for Communication Disorders Sciences and Services

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Communication Disorders Sciences and Services.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
University of Florida-Online	37.2x	$26,539/yr	41
Florida State University	26.5x	$13,371/yr	40
California State University-East Bay	25.7x	$34,924/yr	50
CUNY Brooklyn College	24.6x	$26,817/yr	43
Western Carolina University	24.2x	$24,521/yr	34
California State University-Northridge	23.7x	$22,310/yr	41
CUNY Queens College	22.8x	$23,108/yr	42
California State University-Long Beach	22.6x	$29,270/yr	42
San Francisco State University	22.3x	$27,296/yr	42
University of Florida	22.2x	$26,539/yr	39

Want to compare two Communication Disorders Sciences and Services programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

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Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Communication Disorders Sciences and Services offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Communication Disorders Sciences and Services graduates earn?

Across 103 schools, Communication Disorders Sciences and Services graduates earn an average of $25,393 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $9,121 to $47,833 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Communication Disorders Sciences and Services?

Communication Disorders Sciences and Services is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 51% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means most career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Communication Disorders Sciences and Services program?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), Nevada State University ranks #1 for Communication Disorders Sciences and Services with a score of 52/100 and graduate earnings of $47,833/yr.

What's the outlook for a Communication Disorders Sciences and Services degree?

On average, Communication Disorders Sciences and Services graduates earn 12.7x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →