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How to Become an Audiologist: Degree, Steps & Salary (2026)
Key takeaway: Audiology is a doctoral-entry profession: after a bachelor's degree you need a Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) from an accredited program -- typically four years including a full-time clinical externship -- plus a passing Praxis score and a license from your state. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median annual wage of $95,780 for audiologists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median).
Audiologists identify, evaluate, and manage hearing and balance disorders. They administer diagnostic hearing tests, fit and program hearing aids, work with cochlear implant candidates and recipients, evaluate dizziness and vestibular problems, run newborn hearing screening programs, and design hearing conservation programs in industrial settings. It is a licensed clinical profession with a clearly defined entry credential, and the biggest thing to know before you start is that the credential is a doctorate.
This guide lays out the path in the order you will complete it, states the exam and supervised-practice requirements plainly, and links to the program pages that match each stage. For the wider field, start with the Online Communication Disorders Degrees guide.
Step-by-step: how to become an audiologist
Step 1: Earn a bachelor’s degree
Begin with a four-year bachelor’s degree. A bachelor’s in communication sciences and disorders is the most direct preparation – it covers acoustics, anatomy and physiology of the hearing mechanism, hearing science, speech science, and an introduction to audiologic assessment, which is exactly the prerequisite set Au.D. programs look for.
Other majors are accepted. Applicants come in from biology, psychology, linguistics, and physics, among others, but they generally need to complete prerequisite coursework in the communication sciences plus statistics and the natural sciences before or during their first year of doctoral study. Assume that adds time.
A bachelor’s degree does not qualify you to practice audiology. In some states it can qualify you, with additional state-specific training, for a limited hearing aid dispenser or audiology assistant credential – both distinct from being an audiologist.
Step 2: Complete a Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.)
The Au.D. is the entry-level clinical degree for the profession. It is normally a four-year program after the bachelor’s: roughly three years of graduate coursework and clinical practicum, followed by a full-time, year-long supervised clinical externship. Coursework covers diagnostic audiology, amplification and hearing aid technology, cochlear implants, vestibular assessment and rehabilitation, pediatric audiology, auditory electrophysiology, pharmacology as it affects hearing, and practice management.
Program accreditation is a gating requirement, not a preference. State licensing boards and the national certification bodies build their eligibility rules around graduation from a program accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) or, for some programs, the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education (ACAE). Confirm a program’s accreditation with the accreditor itself before applying. Note also that audiology is a hands-on, equipment-intensive discipline – coursework may be delivered at a distance in some programs, but clinical training happens in person.
A research doctorate (PhD) in hearing science exists and prepares people for academic and laboratory careers. It is not the clinical practice credential.
Step 3: Pass the Praxis examination in audiology
You must pass the Praxis examination in audiology, the national subject-matter exam for the field. Most candidates take it during the final year of the Au.D., often during or shortly before the externship year.
Required passing scores are set by individual state boards and by the certifying bodies, and they are not always identical, so verify the score your state expects rather than assuming a single national cutoff.
Step 4: Complete the fourth-year clinical externship
The Au.D. includes a capstone year of full-time supervised clinical practice, usually called the fourth-year externship. You work in a clinical setting – a hospital audiology department, an ENT practice, a private audiology clinic, a VA facility, or a school system – under the supervision of a licensed audiologist, carrying a real caseload.
Most states issue a temporary, provisional, or limited license or a trainee permit that covers you during this year; you apply for it through the state board before the externship begins. Unlike some clinical fields, this supervised period is generally completed inside the degree rather than after it, which is why audiology does not have a separate postgraduate fellowship year.
Step 5: Obtain state licensure
Every state licenses audiologists, and you must be licensed in the state where you see patients. Licensure generally requires the accredited doctoral degree, the Praxis score, completion of supervised clinical hours, an application and fee, and a background check. Renewal requires continuing education.
Two state-level details matter. First, dispensing hearing aids may require a separate hearing aid dispenser license or endorsement in some states, even for licensed audiologists – check before you plan a dispensing practice. Second, working in public schools can require an additional education-department credential in some states, layered on top of the audiology license.
Beyond licensure, audiologists may earn a voluntary national certification: the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology (CCC-A) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, or board certification from the American Board of Audiology. Neither replaces a state license; both are optional credentials some employers prefer.
Step 6: Take an entry-level clinical role
New audiologists commonly begin in ENT practices, hospital or medical center audiology departments, private practices, VA and military health facilities, hearing aid manufacturers, industrial hearing conservation, or school systems. Externship placements often turn into first jobs. The communication disorders careers guide covers the settings and adjacent roles in more detail.
What degree do you need to be an audiologist?
You need two degrees, and the second one is a doctorate.
- Bachelor’s in communication disorders – the prerequisite stage. It prepares you for doctoral admission but does not license you.
- Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) – the entry-level clinical credential, from an accredited program.
A master’s in communication disorders is a useful degree in this field for related roles and for candidates who ultimately pursue speech-language pathology, which is a master’s-entry profession. It is not, however, the current entry credential for clinical audiology practice – the Au.D. is.
How much do audiologists make?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median annual wage of $95,780 for audiologists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median). Half of audiologists earn more than that and half earn less. Pay varies by setting – hospital, private practice, industry, schools – and by geography and experience.
For context inside the same discipline, the BLS reports a national median annual wage of $97,870 for speech-language pathologists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median), a profession that requires a master’s rather than a doctorate.
How long does it take to become an audiologist?
Plan on about eight years from the start of college to independent practice:
- Bachelor’s degree: about 4 years
- Au.D. program: about 4 years, including the full-time clinical externship year
- Praxis examination: taken during the doctoral program; weeks of study, not additional years
- Licensure processing: typically weeks to a few months after graduation, depending on the board
Add time if you enter from an unrelated major and need prerequisite coursework, or if you study part-time where a program permits it. Some programs run year-round and finish slightly faster; assume a range rather than a fixed number. To weigh that commitment, see Is a communication disorders degree worth it?.
Frequently asked questions
What degree do you need to be an audiologist?
You need a Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) from an accredited program. It follows a bachelor’s degree, most directly one in communication sciences and disorders, and it is the entry-level clinical credential for the profession in every state.
How long does it take to become an audiologist?
About eight years: roughly four years for a bachelor’s degree and four more for the Au.D., which includes a full-time supervised clinical externship year. Prerequisite coursework for career changers and licensure processing can add several months.
How much do audiologists make?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median annual wage of $95,780 for audiologists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median). Half the profession earns above that and half below, with variation by practice setting and location.
Do you need a degree to be an audiologist?
Yes. There is no path to practicing as an audiologist without a doctorate. Some related jobs – hearing aid dispenser or audiology assistant, depending on the state – have lower educational requirements, but those are separate credentials with narrower scopes of practice, not audiology licenses.
Is a master’s degree enough to become an audiologist?
Not for new entrants. The Au.D. replaced the master’s as the entry-level clinical credential, and current licensure and certification pathways are built around the doctorate. Some audiologists licensed under earlier rules continue to practice with a master’s, but that route is not open to new candidates.
Do audiologists have to be licensed in every state?
Yes. All states license audiologists, and the license must be held where your patients are. Some states additionally require a separate hearing aid dispenser license or endorsement, and some require an education-department credential for school-based work. Verify the rules with the board in your state.
Where to go next
- Start the path: Online Communication Disorders Degrees
- Undergraduate stage: Bachelor’s in communication disorders
- Graduate options: Master’s in communication disorders
- Where the degree leads: What can you do with a communication disorders degree?
- The related clinical path: How to become a speech-language pathologist
- Weigh the investment: Is a communication disorders degree worth it?
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national medians. Licensure, certification, and dispensing rules vary by state; confirm current requirements with your state licensing board.
Data verified: August 12, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
Back to Online Communication Disorders Degrees: Programs & Careers (2026)