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Speech Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach speech and language arts programs at various educational levels.

Types of Degrees Speech Education Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Speech Education can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	7
Bachelor’s Degree	3
Master’s Degree	25
Doctor’s Degree	43

What Speech Education Majors Need to Know

Programs in Speech Education emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Speech Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Speech Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Speech Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Speech Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Speech Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Speech Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Geogebra	Analytical or scientific software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Speech Education graduates include:

• Educator
• College Professor
• Physical Education Instructor
• Education Instructor
• Lecturer
• Instructor
• Educational Leadership Professor
• Education Professor
• Education Teacher
• Counselor Education Professor
• Educational Instructor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Education Adjunct Professor
• Science Education Professor
• Primary Education Professor

What Can You Do With a Speech Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Speech Education commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	2.4%	$98,329	$80,157–$116,500

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Speech Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	47.3%
Bachelor’s degree	34.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	7.2%
Master’s degree	6.3%
Less than a high school diploma	2.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.8%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Speech Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 83.3% of Speech Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	65	83.3%
Men	13	16.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Speech Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	50	64.1%
Asian	1	1.3%
Hispanic or Latino	11	14.1%
Black or African American	7	9.0%
Two or More Races	2	2.6%
Race Unknown	4	5.1%
International Students	3	3.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Speech Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Speech Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Speech Education Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Speech Education graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	39,881
Secondary Education and Teaching	10,594
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels	8,732
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching	6,964
Reading Teacher Education	5,986
Music Teacher Education	4,544
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	3,018
Mathematics Teacher Education	2,993
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	2,976
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other	2,352
Social Studies Teacher Education	1,963
Art Teacher Education	1,860

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.