ASHA offers the Certificate of Clinical Competence in two areas: Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. All applicants must possess an earned graduate degree (master's or doctoral degree) in order to meet application qualifications. Additionally, they must meet the following standards described below.
Speech-Language Pathology
As of January 1, 2005, individuals applying for certification in speech-language pathology must have completed a course in each of the following areas: biological science, physical science, mathematics, and behavioral/social sciences. Applicants must also have been assessed to ensure that they have achieved the knowledge and skills outlined in the 2005 Standards for Certification in Speech-Language Pathology in a graduate program holding accreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA). Achievement of the knowledge areas outlined in the standards is typically through completion of academic course work. Skill areas in the standards would typically be achieved through participation in clinical practicum (400 clock hours total, including 25 hours of clinical observation, 375 clock hours in direct client/patient contact of which 325 are at the graduate level); however, academic programs may assess compliance with the standards in any manner they wish.
Upon completion of the academic course work and clinical practicum requirements, individuals applying for certification in speech-language pathology must complete a Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Fellowship (SLPCF) experience under the mentorship of an individual holding ASHA certification. This experience must consist of the equivalent of 36 weeks of full-time clinical practice, with full-time defined as 35 hours per week.
Applicants for certification in speech-language pathology must also successfully complete the Praxis examination in speech-language pathology that is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Results of the examination must be submitted to ASHA directly from ETS no more than five years prior to submission of the application for certification and no less than two years following completion of the knowledge and skills required for certification.
Once certification has been granted, individuals must comply with the Certification Maintenance requirements outlined in the 2005 standards and must also remit a yearly certification fee.
Audiology
Applicants for certification in Audiology may choose to apply under either the 1993 Standards for Certification in Audiology or the 2007 Standards for Certification in Audiology. Deadline for applying under the 1993 standards is December 31, 2007, after which time individuals must apply under the 2007 standards.
For individuals wishing to apply for certification before December 31, 2007, under the 1993 Audiology Standards, the requirements mandate the following:
- At least 27 semester credit hours in basic science course work, to include
- At least six semester credit hours in biological/physical sciences and mathematics.
- At least six semester credit hours in behavioral and/or social sciences.
- At least 15 semester credit hours in the basic human communication processes, to include at least one course in each of the following three areas:
- The anatomic and physiologic bases;
- The physical and psychophysical bases; and
- The linguistic and psycholinguistic aspects.
- At least 36 semester credit hours in professional coursework, to include
- At least 30 of the 36 semester credit hours in professional course work in Audiology
- At least 6 of the 36 semester credit hours must be in speech-language pathology.
- At least 30 semester hours of professional coursework must be completed at the graduate level, with at least 21 of the 30 graduate hours in audiology.
Individuals applying under the 1993 audiology standards must complete 375 supervised clinical observations and clinical practice-25 hours of observation and 350 hours of clinical practicum. Of the 350 hours of clinical practice, 250 must have been completed in audiology at the graduate level.
After completion of academic work, completion of a supervised Clinical Fellowship is required. The Clinical Fellowship must consist of the equivalent of 36 weeks of full-time professional experience (full-time is defined as 30 hours per week). The supervisor for the experience must hold current ASHA certification in audiology and the clinical fellow must be assessed at least three times during the experience using the Clinical Fellowship Skills Inventory Rating (CFSI) form.
Applicants for certification in audiology must also successfully complete the Praxis examination in audiology that is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Results of the examination must be submitted to ASHA directly from ETS no more than five years prior to submission of the application for certification and no less than two years after completion of academic coursework and clinical practicum.
Once certification has been granted, individuals must comply with the Certification Maintenance requirement that went into effect on January 1, 2003. Individuals must also remit a yearly certification fee to maintain their certification.
See additional information about current certification requirements.