How to Become a Speech-Language Pathologist in Delaware

Written by Sarah Keller, Last Updated: November 24, 2025

Delaware’s speech-language pathology field is growing rapidly. The SLP job market is projected to expand by 29% through 2030, creating exceptional opportunities for licensed professionals. The state has taken unprecedented steps to support this growth, including an SLP incentive program from the Delaware Department of Education that helps graduate students cover tuition, mandatory fees, and other educational expenses.

Your decision to pursue speech-language pathology in Delaware positions you for both professional rewards and personal fulfillment. Licensed SLPs in the state earn competitive salaries averaging $100,530 annually while working with diverse patient populations in settings ranging from schools and hospitals to private practices and rehabilitation centers.

To practice as an SLP in Delaware, you’ll need to earn your license through the State of Delaware Board of Speech Pathologists, Audiologists, and Hearing Aid Dispensers. The path requires dedication, but the career opportunities and the satisfaction of helping patients overcome communication challenges make it worthwhile.

Step 1: Complete a Master’s Degree Program in Speech-Language Pathology

The Delaware State Board requires all candidates for SLP licensure to earn the nationally recognized CCC-SLP (Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology) certification through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The first step toward this credential is completing a master’s degree from a program accredited by ASHA’s Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA).

Your graduate degree must emphasize speech-language pathology, communication disorders, or speech-language and hearing science. Only programs with CAA accreditation qualify you for the licensing process in Delaware.

As of 2025, the University of Delaware offers the only CAA-accredited program in the state with a campus location. Many aspiring SLPs choose to study through online programs rather than attending out-of-state schools. CAA accredits several online programs nationwide that have earned the respect of employers and the professional community. Students in online SLP programs complete traditional coursework online and fulfill clinical hours at hospitals and clinics in their local area.

Admissions and Undergraduate Requirements

Graduate-level SLP programs build on competencies developed during an undergraduate program in communicative sciences and disorders. If you hold a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated major, you can still be considered for admission after completing prerequisite courses fundamental to the field:

• Phonetics and Phonology
• Psycholinguistics
• Speech Science
• Speech-Language Development
• Clinical Principles for Management of CSD
• Intro to Audiology

Most graduate programs give you an opportunity to complete foundational courses through the school before transitioning to graduate-level coursework. To apply to a graduate program, you’ll typically need to submit a resume, GRE scores, and at least two letters of recommendation from academic references. SLP graduate programs are selective. Most require a GPA of 3.5 or above in undergraduate coursework. Required GRE scores vary, but most admissions departments require at least 153 in the verbal section and 144 in the quantitative section.

Graduate Courses and Clinical Practicum

Your curriculum combines classroom study with supervised clinical experiences through a practicum that puts you in direct contact with patients. Delaware requires you to complete at least 400 clock hours of practicum work to be eligible for licensure and the CCC-SLP credential.

Core courses typically include:

• Foundations of Clinical Practice
• Language Disorders in Children
• Neurogenic, Phonological, and Fluency Disorders
• Dysphagia
• Voice and Resonance Disorders
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication
• Communication in Autism Disorders

Elective courses allow you to expand your skillset and focus your expertise:

• Methods of Communication
• Dysphasia Management
• Craniofacial Anomalies
• Neurogenic Speech Disorders
• Autism Spectrum Communication Disorders
• Communicative Science and Disorders Research
• Natural Language Approaches

The ultimate goal of an SLP graduate program is to produce a confident, knowledgeable practitioner with a firm understanding of the biological processes of communication and the clinical process involved in providing speech therapy. Through classroom study and clinical experiences, you’ll gain experience with diverse patient populations and various communicative disorders, preparing you to serve virtually any patient.

Step 2: Gain Required Professional Experience Through a Clinical Fellowship

ASHA and Delaware require more than just a classroom education and practicum. You also need at least 9 months, or a part-time equivalent, of carefully supervised on-the-job experience through a clinical fellowship.

Delaware doesn’t allow anyone to practice SLP, even under supervision, without a license. You’ll need to apply for a temporary license before beginning your clinical fellowship. The temporary license expires after 1 year, and you apply for it as part of your full license application.

For both applications, you’ll manage the process online through the DELPROS system. Along with your application, you’ll need to include:

• An official graduate transcript
• A letter from your clinical practicum supervisor showing completion of at least 400 clock hours of supervised clinical experiences
• A clinical fellowship plan form signed by your clinical supervisor (included in the application)

You can’t begin your clinical fellowship until your temporary license is issued. Processing usually takes about two weeks. If you choose a part-time 18-month clinical fellowship, you’ll need to get permission from the board to extend your temporary license.

During your fellowship, you’ll be supervised in at least 36 defined activities, including 18 one-hour on-site observations and 18 other monitored activities. These activities include assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients, working with patients’ families to devise treatment plans, and completing administrative work related to patient care.

You’ll also complete feedback sessions with your supervisor throughout the clinical fellowship. This is an important part of the mentorship, allowing you to draw on their field expertise to help build your own skills. Your supervisor will need to document proof of completion of a clinical fellowship when you apply for the CCC-SLP credential.

Future SLPs are responsible for lining up their own CF placements, although many colleges will point you in the right direction. It’s also common for fellowships to be listed with other regular SLP jobs on state and national listing sites.

Step 3: Pass the National Examination and Earn the CCC-SLP Credential

After completing your clinical fellowship, you’ll take the National Speech-Language Pathology Exam. You can register for the exam online through Praxis, an independent third-party provider that handles educational testing services for state and independent credentialing bodies.

When registering online for the national exam, you’ll need to provide an official graduate transcript sent directly from your university and proof of completion of a clinical fellowship. The 132 questions on the exam fall into these categories:

• Foundation and professional practice: 44 questions
• Planning, implementation, and evaluation of treatment: 44 questions
• Screening, assessment, evaluation, and diagnosis: 44 questions

The questions test your knowledge in speech production, voice and resonance, motor speech, receptive and expressive language, social and cognitive aspects of communication, augmentative and alternative communication, hearing, and feeding and swallowing. You must score 162 or higher on the national exam to pass (out of a possible 200).

You’ll want to prepare by reviewing the study companion for the speech-language pathology exam. Delaware has relatively few cities with Praxis test centers, but you’re not required to take the test in the same state where you’re applying for licensure. An exam center in any nearby state works just as well. Online testing from home is also an option, with remote proctor observation throughout the process.

Step 4: Apply for Licensing Through the Delaware Board

After passing the national exam, you’ll apply for your Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP). The CCC-SLP credential is awarded through ASHA and is required to gain your full, unrestricted SLP license in Delaware. Within six weeks, provided you meet all requirements, you should receive your CCC-SLP credential.

After receiving your certificate from ASHA, you’ll be eligible to complete your application with the Delaware Board of Speech Pathologists, Audiologists, and Hearing Aid Dispensers. A copy of your certification card is all you need if you’re applying by certification. Most of the other details are already confirmed and handled during the temporary licensing process when completing your RPE.

It’s also possible to apply for licensure by reciprocity. Delaware recognizes licenses issued in 20 other states as sufficiently similar to grant credentials, even if you don’t hold CCC-SLP certification. The Board is willing to consider other jurisdictions for reciprocal licensure, even if they aren’t on the current list. You’ll need to submit a notarized letter from supervisors at your employers verifying you’ve practiced in that location for at least five years of experience. If you don’t have five years of experience, you’ll need to submit copies of the laws and regulations of that jurisdiction for consideration.

Starting Your SLP Career in Delaware

Once licensed, you can begin your career as an independent SLP. Three traditional paths to get started:

Join the Clinic that Provided Your Fellowship Experience: Many clinics prefer to hire SLPs who have completed fellowships with them. Some even advertise clinical fellowships as stepping stones to full-time SLP positions. If you’re interested in this route, stay engaged during your fellowship placement, and a job offer is likely to follow.

Start an Independent Practice or Partnership: Starting your own practice can be rewarding if you already have clients you’d like to work with independently, or if you want to focus on a specific patient population. You’ll need to balance the benefits with the challenges of being the boss, including taxes, paperwork, and employment issues.

Pursue Job Openings With Other Treatment Centers: Like most SLPs, you may choose to pursue employment with another healthcare provider in Delaware. Hundreds of clinics, hospitals, rehab centers, and private practices in the state need SLPs to fill vital roles. You can also consider working in public, private, or university programs. Once you’ve become certified and licensed, you may seek specialty certifications through ASHA to expand your opportunities in specialized treatment facilities or with organizations that require specific expertise, such as treating child language disorders.

Step 5: Maintain SLP Licensure and Complete Continuing Education

To keep your SLP license current in Delaware, you’ll need to renew it every two years. Licenses expire on July 31 of every odd-numbered year. Several weeks before your license expires, a renewal notice will be mailed to the address you have on record. The notice explains how to access the online renewal application.

You’ll need to pay a renewal fee and confirm you’ve completed 30 approved continuing education hours during the two-year licensing period. The continuing education requirements for your Delaware license differ from the CCC-SLP credential requirements, even though the CCC-SLP is required for Delaware licensure.

During the two-year cycle, you must complete 30 continuing education hours approved by the Delaware board. You’re not required to furnish proof of the CEs each renewal period, but licensees are randomly selected for CE audits during each renewal period. Keep documentation of all completed CE courses.

You have plenty of options for finding CE classes and events. DPR posts approved courses on its website. The Delaware Speech-Language-Hearing Association (DSHA) also supports the state’s professional community, often hosting annual conventions and monthly events that qualify for CE. These events allow the state’s licensed SLPs and students to network and explore new therapeutic techniques and educational technologies. DSHA events have covered topics including interventions for individuals with behavioral challenges and severe communication disorders, as well as dynamic assessment and multi-tiered systems of support for language.

Speech-Language Pathology Salary in Delaware

Delaware offers competitive compensation for speech-language pathologists. The average salary for SLPs in Delaware is $100,530 annually, or $48.33 per hour. Statewide, SLPs at the top of the salary spectrum can earn upwards of $127,610 per year, which works out to around $61 per hour.

Between 2020 and 2030, the US Department of Labor projects that Delaware will see 70 SLP job openings each year, a rate 10 points above the national average. This strong job growth, combined with competitive salaries and the state’s SLP incentive program for graduate students, makes Delaware an attractive location for pursuing an SLP career.

Salaries for Speech-Language Pathologists in Delaware by Percentile

Salary ranges vary based on experience, specialization, and work setting. The table below shows the salary distribution for SLPs in Delaware:

Delaware Metro Area SLP Salaries

Geographic location within Delaware affects salary levels. SLPs in the Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area earn a mean salary of $98,700 annually, with salaries ranging from $73,370 at the 10th percentile to $129,550 at the 90th percentile. Those working in areas closer to the Philadelphia metro region often see salaries at the higher end of the range due to proximity to major medical centers and educational institutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

2024 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and job market figures for Speech-Language Pathologists reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed November 2025.

Sarah Keller

Sarah M. Keller, MS, CCC-SLP, is a licensed speech-language pathologist with 15 years of experience in pediatric clinics and university training programs. She earned her master’s in speech-language pathology from a CAHPS-accredited program in the Midwest and supervised clinical practicums for online and hybrid SLP cohorts. Sarah now advises students on graduate school applications, clinical fellowships, and state licensure. She lives in Colorado with her family and golden retriever.

See Full Bio