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Implementation Dates
Degree/Accreditation Requirement
Course Work/Knowledge Areas
Clinical Practicum
Forms and Documentation
Summative Assessment
Clinical Fellowship
Implementation Dates
When do the new audiology standards go into effect?
The new audiology standards go into effect in two stages. The first effective date is January 1, 2007, when the minimum amount of post-baccalaureate course work will increase, required practicum will be reconfigured and evidence of formative assessment of knowledge and skills all go into effect. In 2012, a doctoral degree will be required for new applicants for certification in audiology.
When must individuals apply under the new standards?
Individuals will have until December 31, 2007, to submit their application for certification under current (1993) standards. All applications post-marked from January 1, 2008, forward will be assessed under the 2007 audiology standards.
Of course, individuals may apply under the 2007 standards prior to January 1, 2008, if they have met these new standards. If unsure whether or not the new standards for certification have been met, applicants are encouraged to consult with the director of their academic graduate program.
If the graduate degree was received many years ago but certification was not pursued at that time, under what standards will the applicant be assessed?
If the application is post-marked prior to January 1, 2008, the 1993 certification standards can be used to assess the application. Applications post-marked after December 31, 2007, will be evaluated under the 2007 audiology standards.
Additionally, applicants for certification as of January 1, 2012, will be required to hold an earned doctoral degree.
If the applicant graduated several years ago but doesn't apply prior to January 1, 2008, what will be required for certification?
All individuals applying as of January 1, 2008, will be required to be assessed under the new standards. Individuals who apply more than three years after receipt of the graduate degree will be required to submit a completed application for certification which indicates that they have achieved the very specific knowledge and skills required in the certification standards during their educational program. Completion of this application will require assistance of the graduate program. Full instructions for completion of the application can be found on the ASHA Web site.
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Degree/Accreditation Requirement
What degree is required for ASHA certification in audiology?
Individuals applying for certification in audiology prior to January 1, 2012, must have been awarded a graduate degree (doctoral or other recognized graduate degree). Effective January 1, 2012, all applicants for audiology certification will be required to have an earned doctoral degree.
Will the AuD be the only degree that will be accepted by ASHA for the CCC-A after 2012?
No. Although most accredited clinical doctoral programs in audiology offer the Doctor of Audiology (AuD), the CFCC's requirement for an earned doctoral degree does not exclude any specific designator (such as PhD, EdD, or ScD) to meet this standard.
What about accreditation?
As is currently required, all graduate level academic course work and graduate level clinical practicum for ASHA certification must have been initiated and completed in a program that holds accreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA). (See listing of CAA-Accredited Graduate Education Programs.)
Does the graduate degree have to have been awarded in audiology?
No. The graduate degree may be in any area as long as the applicant has completed a minimum of 75 semester credit hours of post-baccalaureate study addressing the knowledge and skills pertinent to the field of audiology.
What verification will be required that a graduate degree has been awarded?
All applicants for certification will be required to submit an official graduate transcript that shows the date the degree was awarded.
If someone already has CCC-A, will they have to get a doctoral degree by 2012 to maintain certification?
No. Only individuals applying for initial certification on or after January 1, 2012, will be required to hold a doctoral degree. As long as annual dues and fees remain current and the certification maintenance requirements are met every 3 years, individuals will not be required to obtain a doctoral degree. However, if certification lapses and reinstatement of certification after January 1, 2012, is desired, a doctoral degree will be required.
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Course Work/Knowledge Areas
How much course work must be completed?
Applicants for certification in audiology must complete a minimum of 75 post-baccalaureate semester credit hours (112.50-quarter hours).
What pre-requisite courses are required for certification?
Although there is not a uniform curriculum that all applicants must have taken, transcript credit is required as evidence of courses completed in life sciences, physical sciences, behavioral sciences, and mathematics.
What courses are acceptable in those four areas?
The graduate academic program will determine which courses are acceptable in life science, physical science, behavioral science and mathematics. The CFCC believes that the individual graduate programs are best equipped to make the assessment as to whether or not specific courses will best serve as providing appropriate and adequate prerequisite skills and knowledge.
What professional area courses are required in audiology?
This is where a major difference between the 1993 standards and the 2007 standards occurs. Under the 2007/2012 Audiology Certification Standards, the emphasis is on the acquisition of knowledge and skills, not on completion of specific course work. The graduate program is required to periodically assess the student's acquisition of the knowledge and skills listed in Standards IV-B through IV-E.
How will the program director know that a knowledge or skill has been acquired?
Each academic program will have determined the specific student learning outcomes and mechanisms they will use to assess students' acquisition of knowledge and skills. The CFCC expects that programs will use a variety of mechanisms, e.g., performance on exams, submitted papers, performance in clinic, etc., and that the program will make these assessments on an on-going basis.
If a student receives a passing grade in a course, won't that indicate that they have gained a particular knowledge or skill?
It may. But a grade won't tell the CFCC which knowledge or skill has been mastered. Knowledge may be gained in more than one area through completion of a course. The CFCC is relying on the academic and clinical instructors/supervisors to assess which knowledge and skills have been achieved and how they have been achieved.
Is there a requirement for a certain number of courses or semester hours in hearing disorders and hearing evaluation?
No. Again, beyond the prerequisite courses noted earlier, there are no specific courses in audiology required for certification. However, graduate programs will likely have requirements for course work that are above those required for ASHA certification and that is their prerogative. Additionally, individual state licensure boards may have requirements that are not the same as the ASHA certification requirements. These requirements may make it necessary for applicants for licensure to be able to provide a breakdown of courses and practicum hours that will satisfy licensure requirements.
Is there a requirement for course work in speech-language pathology? If so, how much?
New audiology certification standards do not mandate specific course work or clinical practicum in speech-language pathology, but do address acquisition of knowledge related to speech and language areas. But again, individual graduate programs and licensure boards may have different requirements in this area.
In several of the standards, there is the phrase "the applicant must demonstrate...the acquisition of knowledge and skills." How will a student demonstrate the acquisition of knowledge?
The individual graduate programs will have developed mechanisms for assessing the acquisition of each of the knowledge and skills listed in the standards. Their verification, via completion of the "Verification by Program Director" page of the application will be sufficient documentation to the CFCC that the applicant has met the requirements.
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Clinical Practicum
How much practicum must be completed for ASHA certification under the new audiology standards?
This is the another area where a difference from the 1993 certification standards can be noted. Applicants for certification under the 2007 standards will be required to complete a minimum of 12 months' full-time equivalent of supervised clinical practicum.
How many hours is that?
Clinical experience under new standards must equal 52 weeks of experience, with a week of clinical practicum defined as 35 hours per week in direct patient/client contact, consultation, record keeping, and administrative duties relevant to audiology service delivery. The aggregate total is 1,820 clock hours of clinical practicum.
Why so many hours?
In the new standards, there is no requirement for a supervised clinical fellowship experience after completion of academic course work and clinical practicum. The Standards Council (the group that developed the new standards) received input from practicing professionals, graduate programs and a Skills Validation Study that indicated that the skills necessary for practice as an audiologist had to be gained while the individual was enrolled in a graduate program. Therefore, an increase in the amount of practicum was the logical answer to increase the depth of skills acquired during the program and thereby eliminate the need for the clinical fellowship experience after the degree was awarded.
What are the supervision requirements?
As is stated in the implementation language for Standard III, supervision must be sufficient to ensure the welfare of the patient and the student in accordance with the ASHA Code of Ethics. The amount of supervision must also be appropriate to the student's level of training, education, experience and competence.
What is the breakdown of practicum hours in the various categories?
The new standards do not specify a particular number of hours in different categories. Programs may determine the number of hours that they will require and again licensure boards may require a specific number of hours in different categories. Students need to be aware of the various requirements so that they will be able to meet the standards of these various entities.
Are there requirements for a certain amount of hours in the area of speech-language pathology?
No. For ASHA certification, activities must be within the scope of practice of audiology to meet the requirements. But as noted above, programs and state regulatory agencies may have requirements that differ from the ASHA certification standards.
Who must supervise the clinical practicum?
Only individuals holding current ASHA certification in audiology may supervise the hours required for ASHA certification. Other appropriate individuals, as determined by the graduate program, may supervise hours that are acquired beyond the ASHA certification requirements. The graduate program may use the input of all these individuals in assessing the student's acquisition of knowledge and skills in particular areas.
What must be included in supervision?
Supervision must include direct observation, guidance, and feedback to permit the student to monitor, evaluate, and improve performance and to develop clinical competence.
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Forms and Documentation
How will student progress be documented?
Programs may use various mechanisms to document and track student progress in the acquisition of knowledge and skills. The Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) will review an accredited program's process and forms to ensure compliance with its standard related to accurate record keeping. The CFCC requires an applicant to file a certification application that may include submission of the Knowledge and Skills Acquisition (KASA) summary form that identifies how and when those elements were assessed by the program as being met. [For details about who is required to submit a KASA as part of their certification application, please see the question below about application procedures or see the ASHA Certification Handbook section on "Pass-through Applicants."]
What happens if it is determined that a student has not met all of the requisite knowledge and skills for certification?
Programs must discuss their assessment of knowledge and skill acquisition with the student and it is anticipated that the program will work with the student to develop a plan to address the need for further development. It is the program's responsibility to assure that the student has met all of the knowledge and skills prior to signing the application for ASHA certification.
Whose responsibility is it to keep the KASA?
In most programs, the maintenance of the KASA a shared responsibility between the faculty/staff and the student. At the completion of the graduate program, the program director will be required to review the KASA and to complete the "Verification by Program Director" page that is part of the certification application. Individuals who apply within three years of receipt of their graduate degree will only be required to submit a brief application for certification which will have as a part the, program director's verification page.
What form will individuals use to apply for ASHA certification?
A new application form for the 2007 audiology standards is available. Application within three years of receipt of the graduate degree will require only a portion of the new form - the background information (sections I and II) and the "Verification by Program Director" page.
If the application is received more than three years after receipt of the graduate degree, a full application will be required. A full application includes completed forms identified above plus the information that is contained on the KASA form that is completed by the graduate program.
What else must be submitted for certification?
All applicants will be required to submit official graduate transcripts that show the date the graduate degree was awarded. Additionally, the appropriate dues/fees must be submitted with the application for certification.
Summative Assessment
What mechanism is used for summative assessment?
The summative assessment that will be used for ASHA certification is the Praxis series examination in audiology administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).
Is the graduate program responsible for assuring that the students take the Praxis exam prior to graduation?
No. The Praxis examination is designed to be taken once all academic course work and clinical practicum required for certification have been completed.
When the exam is taken, the applicant will want to list ASHA as a score recipient so that the results will be sent to the National Office for certification. Additionally, the applicant is encouraged to list her or his graduate program as a score recipient so that the program can report aggregate performance data periodically to the CAA for accreditation purposes.
What is the minimum passing score required for ASHA certification?
The current passing score in audiology is 600. In order to accept a score for ASHA certification, it must be reported to ASHA by the Educational Testing Service. Score reports from applicants are not sufficient for ASHA certification.
How long do scores remain valid?
Exam results submitted for initial certification in Audiology must have been obtained no more than five (5) years prior to the submission of the certification application. Scores older than 5 years will not be accepted for certification.
Clinical Fellowship
There is no reference in the new standards to a Clinical Fellowship. Why not?
This is the third major area of difference between the 1993 standards and the 2007 standards. Under the 2007 audiology standards there is no clinical fellowship requirement. It is the position of the CFCC that the increase in clinical practicum time and experience makes a clinical fellowship after completion of graduate education unnecessary.
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