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Healthcare

Speech-language pathologists

Typically requires Master's degree

What is this page & how do I use it?

This is a research report for one career — the kind an analyst would write for a stock. The rating at the top is the neutral baseline (same for everyone); below it come the cases for and against, how the last official forecast for this career actually aged, and what the education path costs and pays.

How to use it: read the bulls-vs-bears case, then hit Score this career to weigh it against your other options with your own interests factored in.

CareerStar rating
StrongMedium uncertainty
top 3% of all 730 careers

Analyst take: Strong market prospects — +15% projected growth, moderate AI exposure (45/100).

66
/ 100
low riskhigh
top row = high reward

Moat (borrowed from investing — the water that defends a castle): how shielded this career is from AI. Narrow = some shelter, but AI can reach a real share of its tasks.

The small grid is a style box (borrowed from Morningstar’s fund reports): the blue square places this career on reward (top row = high) versus risk (left column = low), against all 730 careers. Medium uncertainty means the score leans partly on forward-looking bets like AI exposure, so treat the exact number loosely.

🐂 Bulls say
  • +Strong projected growth — outpaces 97% of careers (+15%).
  • +High pay — above 83% of careers ($95,410).
  • +Low AI exposure — resilient (45% of tasks exposed).
🐻 Bears say
  • Its softest spot: it carries some AI exposure (45% of tasks).
📜 Reality check — how the last forecast for this career fared

In 2014, the U.S. government projected +21.3% growth for this career by 2024. What actually happened: +38.4%. Reality beat the forecast — a reminder that every number on this page is an estimate, and this is how the last one aged. Full back-test →

Was this rating fair?
Projected growth
+15%
Median pay
$95,410
AI exposure
45/100
share of tasks exposed to AI — not job loss

Education & ROI — how to get here

Real outcomes for the college majors that feed this occupation, across 312 bachelor’s programs.

Median earnings
$24,726
1 year after graduating
Typical debt
$22,500
median federal debt
Pay-to-debt
1.1×
first-year pay ÷ debt
Feeder majors
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Selective schools offering these majors
Northeastern University
MA · 5% admit rate
$84,641/yr
$92,538 grad pay
Northwestern University
IL · 8% admit rate
$91,250/yr
$89,363 grad pay
New York University
NY · 9% admit rate
$84,374/yr
$82,509 grad pay
Boston University
MA · 11% admit rate
$86,285/yr
$83,238 grad pay
University of Virginia-Main Campus
VA · 17% admit rate
$39,926/yr
$86,863 grad pay
University of Florida
FL · 24% admit rate
$22,523/yr
$71,588 grad pay

Earnings & debt from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard; majors mapped to this occupation via the NCES CIP→SOC crosswalk. A grounded ROI snapshot, not a guarantee — pay varies widely by school and specialty.

What this work involves

healthcaremedicinecarepeoplescience