Becoming an audiologist runs through a sequence of milestones: a bachelor's degree, the Doctor of Audiology (AuD) — BLS describes it as typically taking 4 years — the externship year at the programs that build one in, the Praxis Audiology exam and a state license.
BLS reports that all states require audiologists to be licensed, so the license, not the diploma, is what authorizes practice.
This roadmap walks each milestone in order: the degree, the extern year, the exam and license, how long the path takes, and how new graduates land their first audiology job.
The steps to become an audiologist
The road to becoming an audiologist runs through six steps, in this order: a bachelor's degree, the Doctor of Audiology (AuD), the externship year, the Praxis Audiology exam, the state license and the first job.
Two facts anchor the whole path.
BLS describes the AuD as the degree audiologists typically need — typically four years, entered with a bachelor's degree.
And BLS reports that all states require audiologists to be licensed, so the license, not the diploma, is what authorizes practice.
The order holds even though the calendar flexes: your program runs the clinical years, ETS administers the Praxis against the passing score ASHA sets, and the state issues the license.
Build your own timeline from each one's current dates rather than from a classmate's.
Earn a bachelor's degree
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the entry requirement for an AuD program. The major does not have to be communication sciences and disorders at every program — confirm each program's expectations with the program.Complete the AuD
BLS describes the AuD as typically taking 4 years. Which program you pick also shapes the credential you can apply for later, because ASHA's CCC-A standards look for a CAA-accredited or candidacy degree (or the equivalent).Complete the externship year
At the programs that build one in, the externship is the AuD's clinical capstone: Ball State University caps its four-year program with a one-year clinical externship, and UConn and UMass Amherst each describe a full-time externship year. The shape varies — Northwestern's accelerated AuD runs the externship in its third year, and Arizona State's three-year program makes a fourth-year externship optional.Pass the Praxis Audiology exam
ASHA's required score on the current Praxis Audiology (5343) is 162, as of October 2026. For a CCC-A application, the score must be earned no earlier than 5 years before and no later than 2 years after ASHA receives your application.Get your state license
BLS reports all states require licensure, with requirements that vary by state but typically include an AuD from an accredited program. Your state's licensing board or agency publishes the current rules.Land your first audiology job
BLS's largest employers of audiologists were offices of physicians (26%), offices of PT/OT/speech therapists and audiologists (26%), hospitals (16%) and educational services (10%). VA's audiology program calls VA the largest employer of audiologists in the United States, with nearly 1,400 audiologists. BLS projects 11% employment growth for the occupation from 2025 to 2035.
Where each step ends is a different office: the degree comes from a university, the Praxis score from the exam ETS administers under the passing score ASHA requires, and the license from the state.
For the role those steps lead into — duties, settings, specialties and pay — start with the audiologist career guide.
What degree is required? The Doctor of Audiology (AuD)
BLS puts one degree at the center of the profession: audiologists typically need a Doctor of Audiology (AuD), which BLS describes as typically taking 4 years to complete, entered with a bachelor's degree.
Your undergraduate major is more flexible than the word "doctorate" suggests, at least at some programs.
East Tennessee State University states its AuD does not require a CSD bachelor's degree, and the University of Memphis says the same of its four-year program.
Each program writes its own admissions rules, so read them directly.
Accreditation is the next filter.
Under ASHA's 2020 certification standards, CCC-A applicants must hold a doctoral degree in audiology from a program accredited by the CAA, a program in CAA candidacy status, or the equivalent.
The program you choose therefore shapes which credential you can pursue after graduation.
What about a master's route into the profession?
BLS's national description is the AuD, and state licensing requirements vary.
Whether any state licensing board or agency would accept a different degree for licensure is that board's or agency's call — put the question to yours before planning around an alternative.
One program's own description shows the degree's full shape: Ball State University describes its AuD as a four-year residential program for bachelor's-degree entrants, capped by a one-year clinical externship.
What does the fourth-year externship involve?
The externship is the AuD's clinical capstone year at the programs that build one in.
Ball State caps its four-year program with a one-year clinical externship.
UConn describes three years of coursework and clinical experience plus one year of full-time residency (externship).
UMass Amherst runs three years of on-campus coursework and rotations, then a full-time fourth-year externship.
The shape is not uniform, so read the program, not the stereotype.
Northwestern's accelerated AuD lasts 12 quarters (3 years), with students on externship in that third year.
Arizona State's AuD is a three-year course of study with an optional fourth-year clinical externship — and ASU told the CAA in August 2022 that it planned to withdraw the program's accreditation, so confirm its current status with ASU before relying on the example.
The year carries real rules of its own.
CMS's Medicare Benefit Policy Manual addresses externs directly: a fourth-year AuD student with a provisional state license is not a "qualified audiologist" for Medicare unless they also hold a master's or doctoral degree in audiology.
That distinction matters in clinics that serve Medicare patients.
How externs are paid, how sites are chosen, and how the year turns into a job offer are the extern year's own questions — the extern year guide covers them in detail.
What exam and license do you need?
Two separate things sit at the end of the program: the state's license, and ASHA's CCC-A certification.
The license is the legal requirement.
BLS reports that all states require audiologists to be licensed, with requirements that vary by state but typically include an AuD from an accredited program.
The CCC-A is ASHA's own credential, governed by ASHA's standards rather than any state's.
Under ASHA's 2020 certification standards, CCC-A applicants must hold a doctoral degree in audiology from a CAA-accredited program, a program in CAA candidacy status, or the equivalent.
The exam is the Praxis Audiology (5343), and ASHA's required score is 162 on the 100-200 scale, as of October 2026.
The often-quoted 170 belongs to the older 5342 and 0342 test versions — ASHA continues to accept a passing score on those where a state's licensing agency requires that version.
Timing matters with the score.
ASHA requires a passing exam score earned no earlier than 5 years before you submit your application and no later than 2 years after ASHA receives it.
Certification carries ongoing obligations.
CCC-A holders must earn and report at least 30 professional development hours — 3.0 ASHA CEUs — during each 3-year certification maintenance interval, and pay annual dues.
What each state's licensing board or agency requires for the license itself — including whether it requires an exam — is that board's or agency's own list, so read it where you plan to practice rather than borrowing another state's checklist.
Rules change — confirm with your board and ASHA
How long does it take to become an audiologist?
The degree math is the spine of the timeline: the AuD typically takes 4 years, and it comes after a bachelor's degree, in BLS's description of the route.
The school years therefore run through your undergraduate program plus typically four more years of doctoral study — though not every program runs that long: Northwestern's accelerated AuD lasts 12 quarters (3 years).
The exam adds a planning window rather than a fixed stop.
ASHA accepts a passing Praxis score earned no earlier than 5 years before your CCC-A application and no later than 2 years after ASHA receives it — a window to plan against.
The license has no national clock.
Our research did not confirm a published processing timeline for state audiology licenses; each state runs its own application process, which is a reason to read your state's requirements early rather than after graduation.
After entry, the clocks keep running in the background: CCC-A holders report at least 30 professional development hours each 3-year maintenance interval, and license renewal is the state's to set.
Here is the whole route in one table.
| Step | What sets the clock |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | Required for AuD entry (BLS). Length and major rules are the undergraduate program's and each AuD program's to set. |
| Doctor of Audiology (AuD) | Typically 4 years (BLS). |
| Externship year | Inside the degree, where the program builds one in. Ball State caps its four-year program with a one-year clinical externship; Northwestern's accelerated AuD runs the externship in its third year; Arizona State's three-year program makes a fourth-year externship optional. |
| Praxis Audiology (5343) | ASHA's required score is 162 (as of October 2026). Usable for a CCC-A application from 5 years before to 2 years after ASHA receives it. |
| State license | Required in all states (BLS). Each state's licensing board or agency sets its own process — confirm timelines with yours. |
How do you land your first audiology job?
Start from the license: BLS reports that all states require audiologists to be licensed, so plan your state license application alongside your job search.
The market you graduate into has a federal number attached.
BLS projects employment of audiologists to grow 11% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 600 openings a year.
BLS's projections count about 14,200 audiologist jobs in 2025, a figure that includes the self-employed.
On pay, BLS's OEWS survey put the median annual wage for audiologists at $95,780 in May 2025, or $46.05 an hour.
That survey covers wage-and-salary audiologists only, so self-employed practice owners sit outside the figure — and a median is the occupation-wide midpoint, not a starting offer.
Where you aim is a choice of employer type.
BLS's largest-employer breakdown names the four biggest.
It puts offices of physicians at 26%.
Offices of PT/OT/speech therapists and audiologists hold another 26% — the industry row closest to private audiology practices — with hospitals at 16% and educational services at 10%.
VA's audiology program, on its own page, calls VA the largest employer of audiologists in the United States, with nearly 1,400 audiologists.
Retail shows up in the wage data too: OEWS's May 2025 file counts 1,370 wage-and-salary audiologists in health and personal care retailers, the industry row that includes hearing aid stores.
Your extern site is a year of inside evidence for whichever of them you target — the extern year guide covers turning a placement into an offer.
When you are ready to apply, the audiologist jobs page on HearingHires collects open roles in one place, and the board lists hearing care positions only.
Career information, not licensing, legal, medical, clinical, billing or coding advice — confirm current requirements with your state's audiology licensing board or agency, and with ASHA for the CCC-A.