How to become a speech pathologist in Australia
Speech Pathologists provide diagnostic assessment and management of disorders of communication and swallowing through direct intervention, education, consultancy, advocacy, or a combination of these approaches.
Pay and growth are for the wider audiologists and speech pathologists \ therapists group, which is as fine as the data goes. The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the audiologists and speech pathologists \ therapists group are projected to grow 32.7% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Administers tests and observes patients to determine nature and extent of disorders.
- Plans and conducts programs of remedial exercises to correct disorders such as stuttering and abnormal articulation.
- Administers individual and group therapy for rehabilitation of patients with communication problems caused by defective hearing, cerebral palsy, surgery and injury.
- Advises on treatment for children with difficulties in learning to speak.
- Counsels and guides language-handicapped individuals, their families, teachers and employers.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the audiologists and speech pathologists \ therapists group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 98% a degree or higher, 0% a diploma, 0% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria9 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Speech Pathology (Honours) · Monash, Peninsula91.30 Speech Pathology (Honours) · La Trobe, Melbourne89.85 Speech Pathology · ACU, Melbourne87.40 Speech Pathology (Honours) · Federation, Berwick79.70 Speech and Language Sciences/Speech Pathology (Degree/Master) · VU, Footscray Park88.15Showing 5 of 9 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT8 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Applied Science (Speech Pathology) · Sydney95.60 Bachelor of Speech Pathology · ACU94.70 Bachelor of Speech Pathology · Western Sydney90.00 Bachelor of Speech Pathology · Southern Cross81.70 Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) · La Trobe81.10Showing 6 of 8 matches. Search every course.
Queensland7 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) · UQ, St Lucia94.55 Bachelor of Speech Pathology · ACU, Brisbane81.75 Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) · UniSQ, Ipswich75.60 Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) · JCU, Townsville70.00 Bachelor of Speech Pathology · Southern Cross, Gold Coast70.00Showing 6 of 7 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia2 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Science (Speech Pathology) (Honours) · Curtin, Perth80.30 Bachelor of Speech Pathology · ECU, Joondalup74.45Matched on course names, 26 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Social, Investigative, Conventional.
From O*NET ratings for "Speech-Language Pathologists", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
Psychiatrist Counsellor$2,154 Audiologist$2,003 Paediatrician$3,620 Occupational therapist$1,913Done this job, or studied for it?
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.