How to Become a Speech Therapist in Maryland

Whether online or housed in one of the schools in Maryland that offer CAA-accredited graduate programs, students studying communicative sciences and disorders not only gain a fundamental understanding of the biological and social factors that affect how we communicate, but also gain face to face experience working with patients suffering from communicative disorders of all kinds.

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At the center of Maryland’s growing community of SLP professionals is the Maryland Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA), an organization that exists to connect SLPs in the state, provide advocacy for legislative issues related to the field, offer continuing educational opportunities, and highlight advances in methods and techniques employed in the profession. MSHA also awards speech pathology scholarships  to graduate students in Maryland, making SLP graduate studies more accessible.

Recently, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) awarded MSHA a grant designed to help promote legislative measures aimed at health insurance reimbursement for private speech-pathology services. With the grant money from ASHA and a renewed push to solve this issue, MSHA is seeking measures that would ensure private speech-therapy services are covered by large insurance providers in the state.

The Maryland Board of Audiologists, Hearing Aid Dispensers & Speech-Language Pathologists issues SLP licenses to qualified candidates that meet education, experience and examination requirements. Follow the steps below to learn more about how to become a speech therapist in Maryland:

Complete an Approved Graduate Program in Communicative Sciences and Disorders
Complete a Period of Post-Graduate Supervised Clinical Experience
Pass the National SLP Praxis Exam
Apply for Licensing and Begin Practicing as a Speech-Language Pathologist
Keep your License Current and Complete Continuing Education Requirements

 

 

Step 1. Complete an Approved Graduate Program in Communicative Sciences and Disorders

There are two paths to gaining your graduate degree in communicative sciences and disorders depending on your undergraduate background:

  • If you have a bachelor’s degree in communicative sciences and disorders, you’ll begin your graduate program directly, and start taking core courses
  • If you have a bachelor’s degree in another field, you’ll begin foundational SLP coursework through the university, and start core coursework once you’ve finished the fundamentals

Undergraduate Requirements and Admissions

If you need to complete prerequisites, your coursework will include:

  • Anatomy and Physiology: Speech and Voice
  • Articulation and Phonology
  • Clinical Audiology
  • Hearing Science
  • Phonetics
  • Speech and Language Development
  • Speech and Voice Science
  • Survey of Communication Disorders

SLP graduate programs are selective: admissions departments generally look for GPA scores of 3.0 and higher. You’ll also need to submit GRE scores. Admissions departments usually prefer GRE verbal scores of 153 or higher and quantitative scores of 144 or higher.

Master’s Program Core Coursework and Practicum

Through your core coursework, you’ll study:

  • Speech and Voice Science
  • Anatomy and Physiology of Speech
  • Survey of Communication Disorders
  • Articulation and Phonology
  • Phonetics
  • Speech and Language Development
  • Hearing Science
  • Clinical Audiology
  • Language Disorders
  • Voice Disorders

Electives can vary, but may cover:

  • Advanced Behavioral Topics
  • Articulation and Phonological Disorders
  • Fluency Disorders
  • Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies
  • Language and Literacy Disorders
  • Counseling in Communication Disorders
  • Multicultural Issues
  • Tests and Measurements

You’ll also need to complete a practicum before graduating. A practicum involves supervised clinical experiences, which can include assessing and treating patients and developing treatment plans with your supervisor.

 

 

Step 2. Complete a Period of Post-Graduate Supervised Clinical Experience

To become licensed as an SLP in Maryland, you’ll need to completed a 36-week supervised clinical experience through a clinical fellowship.

You might find a clinical fellowship provider through your university, through a clinic in which you worked during your graduate practicum, or by browsing opportunities here.

The clinical fellowship is a transition period between graduate coursework and full-time employment. You’ll learn how to complete clinical and diagnostic procedures and work with a variety of patients to gain experience with different ages, populations, and disabilities.

You may complete a full-time or a part-time option, but either option must be a minimum of 36 weeks and 1,260 hours of supervised experience.

Clinical fellowships are generally split up into three sections, dictated by your clinical supervisor. You’ll receive feedback after each segment and your supervisor may tailor your clinical fellowship plan to the specialty populations your wish to serve.

 

Step 3. Pass the National SLP Praxis Exam

After you’ve completed the 36 weeks of your clinical fellowship, you’ll be eligible to apply for the National Exam in Speech and Language Pathology. The exam is offered through Praxis, and you can easily register online.

To register, you’ll need:

The exam will cover basic scientific topics that you learned during your core coursework, and clinical and diagnostic procedures that you’ll have completed in your clinical fellowship. Some of these topics include feeding and swallowing processes and therapeutic measures, voice resonance and fluency, speech and production mechanisms, motor speech, receptive and expressive language, social and behavioral aspects of communication and speech, and hearing processes.

If you’d like to study for the test with test-prep materials, you may review free practice questions or purchase a Praxis practice exam.

In Maryland, there are several Praxis test centers where you may take the exam. They’re located in:

  • Baltimore
  • Bethesda
  • Bowie
  • College Park
  • Columbia
  • Frederick
  • Frostburg
  • Hagerstown
  • Hanover
  • Hyattsville
  • Woodlawn
  • Nottingham
  • Salisbury
  • Towson

It usually takes a few weeks to hear back from Praxis about your exam scores. Once you’ve confirmed that you’ve passed the exam, you can move on to applying for licensure through the state board.

Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP)

The CCC-SLP certification through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is an optional credential that many SLPs choose to earn, though it is not required for licensure through the Maryland SLP Board. By meeting ASHA’s minimum education and experience requirements and passing the Praxis exam, you would be eligible to pursue the credential.

To apply, you’ll need the following:

  • Official graduate transcript
  • Proof of completion of a clinical practicum
  • Passing score on the National Exam
  • Proof of completion of a clinical fellowship
  • CCC-SLP application

If you choose to pursue the CCC-SLP, at the end of your clinical fellowship you’ll need to submit a CF Report and Rating Form to ASHA at:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
2200 Research Boulevard #313
Rockville, Maryland 20850

 

 

Step 4. Apply for Licensing and Begin Practicing as a Speech-Language Pathologist

Now that you’ve passed the SLP Praxis Exam, you may apply for full licensure through the Maryland SLP Board.

You’ll need to submit a signed, notarized application along with:

The Law & Regulation Exam’s purpose is to ensure that you are familiar with Maryland laws as they relate to speech-language pathologists. It consists of 42 true or false questions and four short answer questions. If you need assistance looking up Maryland laws, you may review Maryland’s SLP Rules and Regulations.

Mail the application and supporting documents directly to the board at:

State of Maryland—Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Board of Examiners for Audiologists, Hearing Aid Dispensers and Speech-Language Pathologists
4201 Patterson Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21215-2299

It may take several weeks to hear back from the board and be issued your license. In the meantime, you can explore your job prospects:

Consider Joining the Clinic That Provided Require Professional Experience

An easy way to get started in your career is to apply for a full-time position at the clinic where you completed your clinical fellowship. If you have a good relationship with your clinical fellowship supervisor, they may act as a reference for you.

Start Your Own Practice

With your CCC-SLP credential and license from the state of Maryland, you may start your own, independent practice and begin taking on clients.

You might also consider going into practice with another SLP partner if you’d like to take on a larger number of clients.

Pursue Job Openings in Maryland

Speech-language pathologists have the opportunity to work in hospitals, clinics and private practices throughout the state of Maryland, fulfilling vital roles for patients with communicative disorders A few Maryland employers that hire SLPs are:

  • Flagship Rehabilitation
  • Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children
  • HCR Manor Care
  • University of Maryland
  • Loyola University Maryland
  • Howard County General Hospital
  • Baltimore County Public Schools
  • Johns Hopkins Hospital
  • Kennedy Krieger Institute
  • Anne Arundel Medical Center
  • Baltimore Orthopedics & Rehabilitation
  • Mary’s Hospital
  • Human Touch Home Healthcare

 

 

Step 5. Keep your License Current and Complete Continuing Education Requirements

You’ll need to renew your Maryland SLP license every two years through Maryland’s online renewal system.

Upon renewal, you’ll be asked to submit proof of completion of 30 continuing education hours.

If you’re newly licensed, you may have to complete a smaller number of continuing education hours, depending on the board’s discretion.

The Maryland SLP Board approves continuing education that is hosted through ASHA and the Maryland Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

You can browse ASHA continuing education offerings such as webinars, conferences and events, or take a look at MSHA’s continuing education credits.

If you wish to pursue continuing education credits through other providers, which may include universities in the state or online courses, you can send a request to the board.

Speech-Language Pathology Salary in Maryland

The average SLP salary in Maryland weighs in higher than the national average at $95,310, or $45.82 an hour. SLPs towards the top end of the salary spectrum earn a yearly salary that starts at $130,970, or $62.97 hourly.

Large urban areas that include parts of Maryland rank nationally for the number of SLP jobs they host. Metro Philadelphia is home to 3,540 SLPs, while metro DC is home to 2,370.

For comparison there are 2,720 SLPs in total working throughout all of Maryland, 1,140 of whom work in Baltimore.

When it comes to projected SLP job growth, Maryland is also above the national average. Its forecast rate of 21% over the decade leading up to 2030 means there should be an average of 280 SLP job openings every year over that period.

While many speech-language pathologists find jobs in schools, private clinics offer another avenue for employment. Some of the clinics in Maryland that focus primarily on providing SLP services are shown below:

  • Annapolis: Erica L. Prentice, MS
  • Bel Air: The Maryland Therapy Network
  • Damascus: Nancy Thorner, CCC-SLP
  • Lanham: Connections Therapy Center
  • Lutherville-Timonium: Learning and Therapy Center
  • Potomac: Sharon Coale, MS

Speech Language Pathologist Salaries in Maryland’s Workforce Regions

The top-three areas with the highest average SLP salaries in Maryland are metro DC, rural Maryland, and California-Lexington Park.

Browse the areas listed below to compare the entry-level (10th percentile), average, and high-end (90th percentile) SLP salaries:

Metro DC:

  • Average: $104,320 annually, $50.16 hourly
  • Entry-level: $66,940 annually, $32.18 hourly
  • High-end: $146,590 annually, $70.48 hourly

Rural Maryland:

  • Average: $100,360 annually, $48.25 hourly
  • Entry-level: $54,220 annually, $26.07 hourly
  • High-end: $145,130 annually, $69.77 hourly

California-Lexington Park

  • Average: $97,760 annually, $47.00 hourly
  • Entry-level: $64,850 annually, $31.18 hourly
  • High-end: $145,600 annually, $70.00 hourly

Metro Philadelphia:

  • Average: $94,170 annually, $45.27 hourly
  • Entry-level: $63,590 annually, $30.57 hourly
  • High-end: $122,700 annually, $58.99 hourly

Salisbury:

  • Average: $93,020 annually, $44.72 hourly
  • Entry-level: $62,900 annually, $30.24 hourly
  • High-end: $135,620 annually, $65.20 hourly

Cumberland:

  • Average: $91,590 annually, $44.03 hourly
  • Entry-level: $60,450 annually, $29.06 hourly
  • High-end: $123,870 annually, $59.56 hourly

Baltimore:

  • Average: $91,530 annually, $44.01 hourly
  • Entry-level: $59,990 annually, $28.84 hourly
  • High-end: $127,300 annually, $61.20 hourly

Hagerstown:

  • Average: $84,620 annually, $40.68 hourly
  • Entry-level: $47,750 annually, $22.96 hourly
  • High-end: $119,310 annually, $47,750 hourly

2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures shown here for Speech-Language Pathologists. Job growth projections are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, CareerOneStop. Figures are based on state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed September 2024.

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