Professions

Careers in Speech, Language, and Hearing

Explore the professions of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association website including information on how to prepare for the professions, for graduate school, or for career entry. Learn about different employment settings that hire audiologists and speech-language pathologists.

Current Trends in Communication Sciences Fields

Read about current job market trends in the professions of audiology, speech-language pathology, and communication sciences. Growth outlook for audiology and speech-language pathology are 29% and 21% respectively.  Explore the Bureau of Labor statistics to learn more about career outlook in audiology and speech-language pathology.

Current job postings in Handshake

Communication Sciences and Disorders partners with Handshake to list current jobs and internships from Western.

The Career Services Center offers an array of services to support students and alumni through their internship and job search journey, including major and career planning, internship and job searches, résumé building, interview practice, graduate school advising, and career fairs. Explore their vast resources on the Career Services Center website.

 

Certification & Licensure Requirements

After completing their graduate coursework in an accredited program, speech-language pathologists (SLP) must complete a clinical fellowship (CF); and Audiologists (AuD) must complete a fourth-year clinical externship. Additionally, SLPs and AuDs must pass a national Praxis exam in their discipline and be appropriately credentialed to practice professionally. There are two types of credentialing for speech-language pathologists and Audiologists: national certification and state licensure.

National Certification

The WWU Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology and Clinical Doctorate in Audiology are designed to meet the educational knowledge and skill requirements for professional certification through ASHA. Any student graduating from a CAA-accredited program meets the educational eligibility requirements for ASHA’s Certification of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) or Audiology (CCC-A).

State Licensure

All 50 states in the U.S. oversee and regulate the practice of speech-language pathology and Audiology through licensure. Licensure requirements for SLPs and Audiologists vary from state to state. The type of required state licensure often depends on the setting in which a speech-language pathologist or Audiologist will work. Licensing regulations and licensing bodies differ for noneducational versus educational settings in many states. If you are planning to pursue state licensure or certification outside of Washington State, we recommended that you contact the appropriate licensing entity in the state in which you are seeking employment to obtain information and guidance regarding their requirements before beginning an academic program. We also encourage you to review ASHA’s state licensure requirements, which summarize licensure requirements for all states and territories. The information below outlines how the WWU Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology and Clinical Doctorate in Audiology meet the educational requirements for professional licensure or certification across all U.S. states, districts and territories. These findings are accurate as of February 21, 2024. For the locations where our educational offerings do not meet a specific state’s requirements for licensure or certification, you may be required to obtain alternate or additional courses or more experiential or clinical hours.

WWU Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology Compatibility with Licensure Requirements

The WWU Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology program meets the educational licensure requirements for practice in all settings in most states. Please see the table below for more detailed information.

SLP Compatibility for School and Non-School Settings

State 

Yes 

No 

Info 

Alabama 

 

Link 

Alaska* 

 

Link 

Arizona 

 

Link 

Arkansas 

 

Link 

California 

 

Link 

Colorado 

 

Link 

Connecticut* 

 

Link 

Delaware 

 

Link 

District of Columbia 

 

Link 

Florida* 

 

Link 

Georgia 

 

Link 

Hawaii 

 

Link 

Idaho 

 

Link 

Illinois 

 

Link 

Indiana 

 

Link 

Iowa 

 

Link 

Kansas 

 

Link 

Kentucky 

 

Link 

Louisiana  

 

Link 

Maine 

 

Link 

Maryland 

 

Link 

Massachusetts 

 

Link 

Michigan 

 

Link 

Minnesota 

 

Link 

Mississippi 

 

Link 

Missouri 

 

Link 

Montana 

 

Link 

Nebraska 

 

Link 

Nevada 

 

Link 

New Hampshire 

 

Link 

New Jersey 

 

Link 

New Mexico 

 

Link 

New York 

 

Link 

North Carolina 

 

Link 

North Dakota 

 

Link 

Ohio 

 

Link 

Oklahoma  

 

Link 

Oregon 

 

Link 

Pennsylvania 

 

Link 

Rhode Island 

 

Link 

South Carolina 

 

Link 

South Dakota 

 

Link 

Tennessee 

 

Link 

Texas 

 

Link 

Utah 

 

Link 

Vermont 

 

Link 

Virginia 

 

Link 

Washington 

 

Link 

West Virginia 

 

Link 

Wisconsin 

 

Link 

Wyoming 

 

Link 

U.S. Virgin Islands 

 

Link 

Guam 

 

Link 

Puerto Rico  

 

Link 

State 

Yes 

No 

Info 

Alabama 

 

Link 

Alaska* 

 

Link 

Arizona 

 

Link 

Arkansas 

 

Link 

California 

 

Link 

Colorado 

 

Link 

Connecticut* 

 

Link 

Delaware 

 

Link 

District of Columbia 

 

Link 

Florida* 

 

Link 

Georgia 

 

Link 

Hawaii 

 

Link 

Idaho 

 

Link 

Illinois 

 

Link 

Indiana 

 

Link 

Iowa 

 

Link 

Kansas 

 

Link 

Kentucky 

 

Link 

Louisiana  

 

Link 

Maine 

 

Link 

Maryland 

 

Link 

Massachusetts 

 

Link 

Michigan 

 

Link 

Minnesota 

 

Link 

Mississippi 

 

Link 

Missouri 

 

Link 

Montana 

 

Link 

Nebraska 

 

Link 

Nevada 

 

Link 

New Hampshire 

 

Link 

New Jersey 

 

Link 

New Mexico 

 

Link 

New York 

 

Link 

North Carolina 

 

Link 

North Dakota 

 

Link 

Ohio 

 

Link 

Oklahoma  

 

Link 

Oregon 

 

Link 

Pennsylvania 

 

Link 

Rhode Island 

 

Link 

South Carolina 

 

Link 

South Dakota 

 

Link 

Tennessee 

 

Link 

Texas 

 

Link 

Utah 

 

Link 

Vermont 

 

Link 

Virginia 

 

Link 

Washington 

 

Link 

West Virginia 

 

Link 

Wisconsin 

 

Link 

Wyoming 

 

Link 

U.S. Virgin Islands 

 

Link 

Guam 

 

Link 

Puerto Rico  

 

Link 

Yes = program meets the requirements; No = program does not meet the requirements; Unable to Determine = cannot determine if program meets the requirements 

*Nevada has additional educational requirements for school settings: 

  • Have completed 3 semester hours in a course of study regarding parental involvement and family engagement 

*Alaska has additional educational requirements for school settings: 

  • Three semester (4.5 quarter) hours of approved Alaska studies (taken within the past five years) 
  • Three semester (4.5 quarter) hours of multicultural education or cross-cultural communications (taken within the past five years) 

 *Connecticut has additional educational requirements for school settings: 

  • Six semester or nine quarter hours of credit/course work in: foundations of education; psychology: child, educational, developmental, adolescent or cognitive learning; and classroom instruction and management, bilingual/bicultural education, reading, curriculum development or behavioral management. 
  • A course of study in special education comprised of not fewer than 36 clock hours, including study in understanding the growth and development of exceptional, handicapped and gifted and talented children; and methods for identifying, planning for and working effectively with special-needs children in the regular classroom. 

*Florida has additional educational requirements for school settings: 

  • 3 semester hours in survey of exceptional student education; and  
  • 3 semester hours in school organization or general curriculum, which includes the elementary and secondary instructional levels.  

 

*Florida has additional licensure requirements for non-school settings:   

  • Completion of a course on HIV and acquired immune deficiency syndrome 

Au.D. Compatibility for School and Non-School Settings

State 

Yes 

No 

Unable to Determine 

Info 

Alabama 

 

 

Link 

Alaska* 

 

 

Link 

Arizona* 

 

 

Link 

Arkansas 

 

 

Link 

California 

 

 

Link 

Colorado 

 

 

Link 

Connecticut 

 

 

Link 

Delaware 

 

 

Link 

District of Columbia 

 

 

Link 

Florida* 

 

 

Link 

Georgia 

 

 

Link 

Hawaii 

 

 

Link 

Idaho 

 

 

Link 

Illinois 

 

 

Link 

Indiana* 

 

 

Link 

Iowa* 

 

 

Link 

Kansas 

 

 

Link 

Kentucky 

 

 

Link 

Louisiana  

 

 

Link 

Maine 

 

 

Link 

Maryland* 

 

 

Link 

Massachusetts 

 

 

Link 

Michigan 

 

 

Link 

Minnesota 

 

 

Link 

Mississippi 

 

 

Link 

Missouri 

 

 

Link 

Montana* 

 

 

Link 

Nebraska* 

 

 

Link 

Nevada 

 

 

Link 

New Hampshire 

 

 

Link 

New Jersey* 

 

 

Link 

New Mexico* 

 

 

Link 

New York 

 

 

Link 

North Carolina 

 

 

Link 

North Dakota 

 

 

Link 

Ohio 

 

 

Link 

Oklahoma  

 

 

Link 

Oregon 

 

 

Link 

Pennsylvania 

 

 

Link 

Rhode Island 

 

 

Link 

South Carolina 

 

 

Link 

South Dakota 

 

 

Link 

Tennessee 

 

 

Link 

Texas* 

 

 

Link 

Utah 

 

 

Link 

Vermont 

 

 

Link 

Virginia 

 

 

Link 

Washington 

 

 

Link 

West Virginia* 

 

 

Link 

Wisconsin* 

 

 

Link 

Wyoming 

 

 

Link 

U.S. Virgin Islands* 

 

 

Link 

Guam* 

 

 

Link 

Puerto Rico * 

 

 

Link 

State 

Yes 

No 

Info 

Alabama 

 

Link 

Alaska* 

 

Link 

Arizona* 

 

Link 

Arkansas 

 

Link 

California 

 

Link 

Colorado 

 

Link 

Connecticut 

 

Link 

Delaware 

 

Link 

District of Columbia 

 

Link 

Florida* 

 

Link 

Georgia 

 

Link 

Hawaii 

 

Link 

Idaho 

 

Link 

Illinois 

 

Link 

Indiana* 

 

Link 

Iowa* 

 

Link 

Kansas 

 

Link 

Kentucky 

 

Link 

Louisiana  

 

Link 

Maine 

 

Link 

Maryland* 

 

Link 

Massachusetts 

 

Link 

Michigan 

 

Link 

Minnesota 

 

Link 

Mississippi 

 

Link 

Missouri 

 

Link 

Montana* 

 

Link 

Nebraska* 

 

Link 

Nevada 

 

Link 

New Hampshire 

 

Link 

New Jersey* 

 

Link 

New Mexico* 

 

Link 

New York 

 

Link 

North Carolina 

 

Link 

North Dakota 

 

Link 

Ohio 

 

Link 

Oklahoma  

 

Link 

Oregon 

 

Link 

Pennsylvania 

 

Link 

Rhode Island 

 

Link 

South Carolina 

 

Link 

South Dakota 

 

Link 

Tennessee 

 

Link 

Texas* 

 

Link 

Utah 

 

Link 

Vermont 

 

Link 

Virginia 

 

Link 

Washington 

 

Link 

West Virginia* 

 

Link 

Wisconsin* 

 

Link 

Wyoming 

 

Link 

U.S. Virgin Islands* 

 

Link 

Guam* 

 

Link 

Puerto Rico * 

 

Link 

Yes = program meets the requirements; No = program does not meet the requirements; Unable to Determine = cannot determine if program meets the requirements 

*Alaska has additional educational requirements: 

  • Three semester (4.5 quarter) hours of approved Alaska studies (taken within the past five year 
  • Three semester (4.5 quarter) hours of multicultural education or cross-cultural communications (taken within the past five years) 

 

*Arizona has additional initial licensure requirements:  

  • Passage of exam in jurisprudence and ethics. 

*Florida has additional licensure requirements:  

  • Completion of a course on HIV and acquired immune deficiency syndrome 

 

*Colorado has specific clinical requirements:  

  • Completed a practicum or internship in a school setting equivalent to a minimum of eight weeks, full-time (320 hours), under the supervision of a professionally licensed or masters-level licensed audiologist 

 

*Indiana has additional licensure requirements:  

  • Passage of an Indiana jurisprudence exam with a score of 75 or higher 

 

*Iowa has additional educational requirements:  

  • Completion of an approved human relations course 
  • The program must also include preparation that contributes to the education of individuals with disabilities as well as the gifted and talented 

 

*Maryland has additional licensure requirements:  

  • Passage of an open-book jurisdictional exam 

 

*Montana has additional licensure requirements:  

  • Passage of a Montana jurisprudence exam. 

 

*Nebraska has additional educational requirements:  

  • Meet the Human Relations Training requirement 

 

*New Jersey has additional licensure requirements:  

  • Completion of a jurisprudence online orientation 

 

*New Mexico has additional licensure requirements:  

  • Passage of a jurisprudence exam 
  • If previously licensed by another state, verification of licensure must be sent directly to the Board by the issuing jurisdiction. 

 

*Texas has additional licensure requirements:  

  • All applicants must submit proof of successful completion of the jurisprudence examination at the time of application. The jurisprudence examination must be completed no more than six months prior to the date of licensure application. 

 

West Virgina has additional licensure requirements: 

  • Jurisprudence exam 

 

*Wisconsin has additional educational requirements that may or may not be met by WWU’s AuD program:  

  • Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the following:
    • Pupil Services standards (PI 34.004) 
    • Educational psychology, including principles and theories of learning. 
    • Procedures in school audiology programs including school pupil services programs. This requirement may be met by prior experience upon the recommendation of the institution. 
    • Alternative communication systems including signed language systems, their implications for the social, emotional, and educational development of children, and methods for effective communication with children who use them. 
  • An applicant for an audiologist license shall also complete an examination administered by the examining board that consists of practical tests of proficiency in techniques that pertain to the fitting of hearing aids; the Board may waive practical exam if the applicant has completed education or training that is substantially equivalent to completing the exam. 

 

*Puerto Rico has additional licensure requirements: 

  • Have resided in Puerto Rico during the last six (6) months prior to the date of the license application. 
  • Comply with the year of public service in the health facility following a plan for the development, organization and distribution of resources for the provision of health services in Puerto Rico, after consultation and advice with the Secretary of Health, including those entities representing the affected people and private people.