Several colleges opened speech clinics during the 1920's. The organization that later became the American Speech and Hearing Association was founded in 1925. The need for speech rehabilitation services attracted large numbers of men and women to the profession of speech therapy. Many speech clinics opened, and research increased into speech problems and their causes. Since the end of World War II, the field of speech therapy has expanded rapidly.
Many universities offer undergraduate and graduate training in speech-language pathology.
Men and women who plan a career in this field should have a master's degree. Those who intend to teach in a college or university or to direct a clinic or research program usually have a Ph.D. degree. Undergraduate students interested in speech therapy take courses in biology, linguistics, psychology, physics, introductory speech correction, and related fields. Most speech-language pathologists work in schools. Others are employed by private institutions, including hospitals, specialized community speech and hearing centers, and university speech clinics.