Oregon Licensing Requirements for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology

The information below is collected from state licensure boards or regulatory agencies responsible for regulating the professions of speech-language pathology and/or audiology. The information is reviewed on an annual basis. Please be advised that laws, regulations, and policies may change at any time, so always check with your state for the most up-to-date information.

Initial Licensure

Audiologist

  1. Coursework required by an accredited program granting the clinical doctorate degree in audiology
  2. Supervised clinical experience of not less than 1,820 hours; supervised by a Certificate of Clinical Competency or American Board of Audiology (ABA) holder
  3. Passage of the Praxis exam in audiology
  4. Applicants whose first language is not English may be required to submit scores from Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or Test of Spoken English (TSE) to demonstrate English language fluency.

Note: Audiologists may dispense hearing aids under an audiology license.

Speech-Language Pathologist

  1. Possesses a master's degree or doctoral degree or equivalent from an educational institution accredited by an accrediting organization approved by the Board
  2. A clinical practicum of 400 clock hours
  3. Credit earned for a thesis or capstone project if part of the accredited graduate program
  4. Supervised clinical experience for not less than 1,260 hours; supervised by a Certificate of Clinical Competency holder
  5. Passage of the Praxis Exam in speech-language pathology
  6. Applicants whose first language is not English may be required to submit scores from Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or Test of Spoken English (TSE) to demonstrate English language fluency.

Exemptions

  1. Individuals with a current teaching license with a communications disorder, speech impaired, or hearing impaired endorsement issued by the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission and employed by an education service district, school district, or charter school. Effective July 1, 2016—speech-language pathologists are required to have a state license to practice in the schools.
  2. Students appropriately designated as speech-language pathology or audiology interns or trainees; they may not be paid for services rendered except for a reasonable educational stipend
  3. Persons disseminating research findings to accredited academic institutions or governmental agencies and offers lectures to the public for a fee
  4. Medical assistants or audiology assistants performing basic audiometric testing under the supervision of a physician
  5. Any licensed person from engaging in the profession for which they are licensed

Reciprocity

  1. The Board of Examiners may waive the examination and grant a license to persons licensed in another state with equivalent standards.
  2. The Board of Examiners may waive the examination and grant a license to Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) holders.
  3. The Board of Examiner may waive the examination and grant a license to an audiology applicant who is certified by the American Board of Audiology.
  4. The Board of Examiners may grant a certificate to practice to a speech language pathology assistant who has a current certificate in another state/territory with standards equivalent to those of Oregon.

Interim Practice

  1. The state board of examiners may issue a conditional license to an applicant who, except the examination and supervised postgraduate professional practice, meets the license requirements and practices under the supervision of a licensee; the conditional license may be renewed for an additional one-year term.
  2. A limited term license may be issued to a speech-language pathologist or audiologist applicant whose application for regular license is submitted after May 1 of each odd-numbered year.
  3. A temporary conditional license or a temporary license may be issued for up to 90 days to a speech-language pathologist or audiologist applicant who meets all other requirements for licensure but whose graduate degree will not be conferred for more than 30 days after completion of all degree requirements.

Continuing Education

Thirty clock hours of professional development are required every 2-year renewal cycle; professional development hours obtained in excess of the 30-hour requirement may not be carried over to the next renewal period. Dual licensees must obtain 30 clock hours in audiology and 30 clock hours in speech-language pathology. A maximum of 15 hours may be applied to both licenses if the topic is applicable to both types of licenses.

Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact

Oregon is not a member state of the Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact. Information on the current status of the ASLP-IC can be found on the ASLP-IC website.

Board Oversight

Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology

Resources

For further information on laws and regulations for speech-language pathologists and audiologist, please visit these websites:

Questions regarding state advocacy issues? Call ASHA at 800-498-2071 and ask for the State Advocacy Team.

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