How to Become a Speech-Language Pathologist in Nevada

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

Nevada’s speech-language pathologists (SLPs) work with adults and children, providing life-changing therapies that improve social interactions, enhance academic and professional performance, and improve quality of life.

They’re found in private clinics, hospitals, residential and nonresidential healthcare facilities, providing evidence-based treatments, advocacy, and support services.

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

The State of Nevada Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology & Hearing Aid Dispensing Board requires all applicants for SLP licensure to earn an SLP master’s degree accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA), a division of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). As of 2025, Nevada is home to two of these programs. You may also choose to complete your degree through a CAA-accredited online program for maximum convenience and flexibility.

By partnering with speech-pathology service providers throughout the nation, accredited online programs make it easy to complete a practicum that would allow you to gain face-to-face experience working with patients in local clinics and hospitals close to home.

Graduate Program Admissions and Foundational Undergraduate Coursework

Whether online or traditional, SLP graduate programs set selective admissions requirements. You’ll need to be prepared with:

• A bachelor’s degree (usually in communicative sciences and disorders)
• An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
• GRE scores (verbal score of 144 or above is usually preferred)
• Letters of academic reference

If you have a bachelor’s degree in communicative sciences and disorders, you’ll be able to start directly with core coursework. If your bachelor’s degree is unrelated, you’ll first complete prerequisites online through the university before beginning master ‘s-level coursework.

Foundational coursework usually requires about 14-18 credits in topics like:

• Aspects of Speech Pathology & Audiology
• Assessment of Language
• Language Science
• Common Disorders of Speech
• Audiology Fundamentals

Core Courses and Clinical Practicum Requirements

Core courses include:

• Advanced Speech Pathology
• Language Intervention
• Research Design
• Language Theory
• Fluency Disorders
• Dysphasia
• Motor Speech & Swallowing
• Laryngeal Speech
• Medical Speech in Language Pathology

Electives include:

• Craniofacial Disorders
• Special Topics in SLP
• Seminar in Clinical Procedures
• Disorders of Voice

Your practicum, which is completed in a clinic or hospital approved by your university, must be at least 300 clock hours to meet licensing requirements.

Step 2: Pass the National SLP Exam

In Nevada, you may register for the national SLP Praxis exam directly after completing your master’s degree and before beginning your post-graduate clinical fellowship.

You’ll register for the national examination online (Praxis exam 5331 – Speech-Language Pathology). The Praxis website also has a host of materials and content to help you prepare for the exam.

You’ll need to score at least 162 on a 100-200 scale to meet Nevada’s requirement.

You can take the exam at a Praxis testing center near you. In Nevada, Praxis testing centers are located in Elko, Las Vegas, and Reno.

The test covers foundations of professional practice, screening, assessment, evaluation, and diagnosis, and the planning, implementation, and evaluation of treatment.

Exam content includes:

• Generating a prognosis
• Communicating recommendations
• General treatment principles and procedures
• Speech sound production
• Fluency
• Voice, resonance, and motor speech
• Receptive and expressive language
• Social aspects of communication

Step 3: Apply for a Provisional License and Complete a Clinical Fellowship

After passing the exam, you’ll begin the nine-month clinical fellowship required for licensure. A clinical fellowship is your first foray into the world of professional practice outside of your graduate program. It’s a paid experience that will give you exposure to the kind of patients and practice environment that align with your career goals.

Before you begin your clinical fellowship year, you’ll need to apply for a Provisional License. You’ll need your Praxis score, official academic transcripts, and a $250 license fee. The application process is completed online.

Your Provisional License expires one year from the date of initial licensure. You may renew your license annually for up to two additional one-year periods upon the completion of 10 hours of continuing education, with at least one of those hours related to ethics, cultural competence, cultural humility, culturally responsive practices, or diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Step 4: Earn the CCC-SLP Credential Through ASHA

Once you’ve received passing scores on the national exam and completed your clinical fellowship, you’ll apply for the CCC-SLP credential through ASHA. CCC-SLP certification is a requirement to earn a Standard License in Nevada.

Step 5: Convert Your Provisional License to a Standard License

After earning the CCC-SLP credential, you’ll convert your Provisional License to a Standard License. This doesn’t require a new application. To request your conversion, you must:

• Email a copy of your CCC-SLP certificate to [email protected]
• Pay the $50 conversion fee

You must maintain your license by renewing it annually. The renewal period begins 60 days before the expiration date of your license. You must complete at least 10 hours of continuing education annually to qualify for renewal. At least one of the 10 hours must be related to ethics, cultural competence, cultural humility, culturally responsive practices, or diversity, equity, and inclusion. Read more about continuing education requirements here.

Starting Your Career in Nevada

You may start your career in one of several ways:

Consider Joining the Clinic That Provided Your Clinical Fellowship

In many cases, SLPs start their career at the clinic that provided the required professional experience. Clinics often prefer to hire SLPs who have completed hours at their clinic, and you may already be comfortable with the clinic’s staff and have built relationships with patients.

Start an Independent Practice

With your CCC-SLP credential and your Nevada SLP license, you may also choose to start an independent practice or partnership.

Pursue Job Opportunities

From the school system to clinics to hospitals, you may pursue opportunities throughout the state of Nevada. A few SLP employers in Nevada include:

• Affirma Rehabilitation
• Cumberland Therapy
• Speech Rehab Services
• Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center
• Beyond Boundaries: Neurorehabilitation Specialists
• Nevada Early Intervention Services
• Imagine Schools at Mountain View
• Therapy Management Group
• Life Care Centers
• Home Health Care of Northern Nevada

Step 6: Keep Your License Current with Continuing Education

You’ll need to renew your license annually with proof of 10 credit hours of continuing education, with at least one hour related to ethics, cultural competence, cultural humility, culturally responsive practices, or diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Nevada board approves continuing education provided through ASHA, the American Academy of Audiology (AAA), and the International Hearing Society (IHS).

You can browse continuing education credits from ASHA, the IHS, or the AAA.

You’ll need to record the names of the courses you’ve completed, the date of the courses, and the time that you spent in each course.

Speech-Language Pathology Salary in Nevada

Nevada is one of only a handful of states whose average annual SLP salary exceeds six figures. At $100,440 per year, Nevada’s average SLP salary ranks among the top 10 in the nation. The median salary is $100,440 annually ($48.29 per hour), with top earners (90th percentile) earning about $133,680, or $64.27 hourly.

Nevada SLP Salaries by Experience Level

*Entry-level salaries vary by location: Las Vegas area shows $55,570, while Reno shows $68,190 for 10th percentile earners.

Salaries for Speech-Language Pathologists in Nevada Metro Areas

Las Vegas and Reno both offer competitive SLP salaries, with Reno slightly edging out Las Vegas for median compensation. Both metropolitan areas show strong earning potential for speech-language pathologists:

Expanding Job Opportunities for Nevada’s SLPs

SLP jobs in Nevada are forecasted to increase by approximately 38% in the decade leading up to 2030. That’s nearly double the national average. During this time, Nevada should see an average of 110 SLP job openings each year, driven by new job growth, retirements, and natural turnover.

A total of 1,170 SLPs work throughout the state. Of those, approximately 73% work in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, 21% work in Reno, and 6% work in rural Nevada.

You can connect with other SLPs through the Nevada Speech Language Hearing Association (NSLHA), Nevada’s Coalition to Address Personnel Shortages in Special Education and Related Services (NV Coalition), or the Nevada Health Care Association (NVHCA). Both the NSLHA and the NVHCA advocate for progressive legislation to ensure speech therapy services are covered by insurance. The NV Coalition provides an important networking opportunity for SLPs who wish to work with special needs populations in schools.

Through NSLHA conferences and seminars, you can learn more about articulation, assessing children with autism, language intervention in the school environment, a multi-sensory approach to childhood apraxia of speech, and the evaluation and treatment of swallowing disorders.

A Profession That Combines High Pay with Job Satisfaction

While many speech-language pathologists find employment in public and private schools, outpatient clinics are a significant source of jobs in this field. Nevada boasts a number of clinics that feature SLPs:

Las Vegas:

• A Plus Speech Therapy Services
• Hope Communication & Feeding Specialists
• My Left Foot Children’s Therapy
• SFS Therapies
• Speech Therapy Associates
• Speech Therapy Center—Excellence: Gertz Jil M.
• Talk to Me Therapy, LLC
• Tandem Therapy Services
• The Therapy Place—Speech & Language Therapy

Reno-Sparks:

• Advance Speech & Language
• Leslie L. Goldberg, MS
• Nevada Speech and Therapy Group
• SCOPE Clinical
• Sierra Speech and Language Group
• Sierra Therapy Group

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.

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