Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists

Certification or Licensing

To work as a speech pathologist or audiologist in a public school, you will be required to be a certified teacher and you must meet special state requirements if treating children with disabilities. Most states require speech-language pathologists to be licensed if they work in a health care setting, and some states require the same license to practice in a public school. In order to become licensed, you must have completed an advanced degree in the field (generally a master's degree, but a doctorate is becoming the new standard for audiologists), pass a standardized test, and complete 300 to 375 hours of supervised clinical experience and nine months of postgraduate professional clinical experience. Audiologists must be licensed in all states. Many states require audiologists to have a doctorate degree in order to be licensed. Some states permit audiologists to dispense hearing aids under an audiology license. Specific education and experience requirements, type of regulation, and title use vary by state.