Speech-Language Pathology in New York City

New York City is the most populated city in the United States,¹ reaching a record population of 8.6 million people in 2017.

The city that never sleeps is also a top employer of SLPs. The New York City metropolitan area boasts the highest employment level of speech-language pathologists among the country’s metropolitan areas as of 2019.²

SLPs in New York City have a range of opportunities to serve those in need. Here are a few ways for SLPs to help residents in the City as well as the state:

According to the New York City Department of City Planning, more than three million NYC residents were born outside of the United States. In fact, half of all residents speak a language other than English at home, and more than 200 languages are reported to be spoken in NYC.

New York City is home to more than 2.4 million Hispanic individuals, more than any other city in the United States. Bilingual SLPs, especially those who speak Spanish, may be of valuable service to residents in need whose first language is not English.

With more than 1.1 million students, the New York City school system is the largest school district in the United States.⁵ The NYC Department of Education employs licensed SLPs to address childhood disorders such as auditory processing and comprehension.

To practice as a licensed speech-language pathologist in New York state, you must meet a number of requirements, which include criteria for education, experience, testing, and even moral character.⁶ SLP licensing in New York City and New York state is regulated by the New York state Education Department’s Office of the Professions.

One of the first steps toward becoming a speech-language pathologist is earning a graduate degree from a speech-language pathology program that is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. To learn more about the requirements to obtain licensure in New York, visit NYU Steinhardt’s Professional Licensure page.

The NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development is an esteemed, accredited institution, and its online master’s program in Communicative Sciences and Disorders provides a rigorous education designed to meet the requirements to pursue SLP licensure in the state of New York.

Through Speech@NYU, you can earn a respected degree from a program that meets the standards set by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

¹ United States Census Bureau, “Southern and Western Regions Experienced Rapid Growth This Decade” arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference

² Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics (accessed June 18, 2020) arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference

³ CareerOneStop, Projected Employment for Speech Language Pathologists in New York (accessed October 24, 2019) arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference

⁴ CareerOneStop, Wages for Speech-Language Pathologists in New York (accessed June 18, 2020) arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference

⁵ NYC Department of Education, “DOE Data at a Glance” (accessed October 24, 2019) arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference

⁶ New York state Education Department, Office of the Professions, “License Requirements” (accessed October 24, 2019) arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference