Northern Illinois University
School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders
College of Health and Human Sciences

Assisting people to speak, understand language, socialize, or even swallow, is what speech-language pathologists do. Expertly preparing you for this rewarding career is what the NIU Speech-Language Pathology program accomplishes.

Here are some of the ways to set yourself on the path to becoming a certified speech-language pathologist through our programs:

1. As an undergrad, major in communicative disorders with an emphasis in speech-language pathology. You’ll gain a solid foundation in math, science and psychology, as well as an understanding of normal speech, language and hearing development.
2. Pursue your Master of Arts in Communicative Disorders, specializing in speech-language pathology. Conduct research, observe and treat clients in our state-of-the-art Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic and receive excellent preparation for the SLP Praxis exam for professional certification.
3. Ace the SLP Praxis exam. For the last three years, our student pass rate on this exam has been 100 percent.
4. Get a job as a speech-language pathologist. This shouldn’t be a problem; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for this career is expected to increase by 23% through 2020. 

Program Mission

The mission of the graduate program in speech-language pathology is to further the understanding of human communication and its disorders and to contribute to the advancement of the field of speech-language pathology through clinical practice, research and professional development. The program strives to prepare speech-language pathologists who provide quality services across the lifespan, engage in intellectual discovery and give back to the profession and their communities.

• Strategic Plan
• Code of Ethics (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)