Professional Licensure Disclosure

Public Disclosure Information

Certification & Licensure Eligibility for Speech-Language Pathology Employment
34 C.F.R. § 668.43

The Master of Science Program in Speech-Language Pathology, in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington, is designed to achieve an integration of academic, scientific, and clinical knowledge. In recognition of our compliance with national standards, the UW program has been accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (https://caa.asha.org/) since 1967, and our accreditation was renewed following our recent (2021) 7-year accreditation review and renewal cycle.

To become a professional speech-language pathologist (SLP), obtaining a graduate degree from a CAA-accredited program is only the first step. Graduates from speech-language pathology programs also need to complete a supervised post-graduate experience (the Clinical Fellowship), pass a national Praxis examination in speech-language pathology, and be appropriately credentialed to practice professionally. Credentialing can require additional post-graduation steps before one can work as a clinician (beyond the Clinical Fellowship and Praxis examination) and these steps can vary from state to state.

There are two types of credentialing for SLPs: national certification and state licensure.

1. National Certification:  Our Program is specifically designed to meet the educational knowledge and skill requirements for professional certification through ASHA, which is the national professional, credentialing, and scientific organization for SLPs. Any student graduating from a CAA-accredited program meets the educational eligibility requirements for ASHA’s Certification of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP).  Holders of this certification demonstrate they have met rigorous academic and professional standards that typically meet or exceed the minimum requirements for state licensure. While ASHA certification is optional, it is a nationally recognized credential in existence since 1952. It is required by employers for insurance reimbursement in almost all non-educational settings and can result in higher pay scale eligibility for holders in educational settings.
2. State Licensure:  All fifty states in the U.S. oversee and regulate the practice of speech-language pathology through licensure. Under a licensure system, states define by statute the scope of practice of a profession and provide that these tasks may be legally performed only by those who are licensed. Some states have a single license and some have a two-tiered system of interim and permanent licensure. The names and types of licenses, as well as requirements, vary from state to state. Importantly, the type of required state licensure often depends on the setting in which an SLP will work. Licensing regulations and licensing bodies differ for non-educational versus educational settings in many states.

• Non-Educational Settings:  State licensing authorities, commonly referred to as “State Boards,” determine the specific educational and training requirements for SLP licensure in non-educational settings such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, private practice, skilled nursing facilities, etc.
• Educational Settings:  State licensing authorities, commonly referred to as “Educational Agencies,” credential SLPs under special teacher requirements in all states except DE, HI, KS, MD, MI, MO, MT, NC, NM, OR, SD, TX, and VA. These agencies determine the specific educational and training requirements for SLP licensure in their school settings.

If you are planning to pursue state licensure or certification in any settings outside of Washington State, it is strongly recommended that you contact the appropriate licensing entity in the state for which you are seeking employment to obtain information and guidance regarding their requirements before beginning an academic program.  Given that state requirements for licensure or certification vary and may change over time, it is also strongly recommended that you review licensing or certification requirements as you get closer to seeking licensure or certification. You are encouraged to review ASHA’s online state licensure requirements website, which summarizes licensure requirements for all states and territories. You are also encouraged to confirm state licensing requirements directly with the state in which you are interested in seeking licensure or certification. 

Below are two tables that outline how our Program meets the educational requirements for professional licensure or certification across all U.S. states/districts/territories. These findings are accurate, to the best of our knowledge, as of January 1, 2021. For the places in which our educational offerings do not meet a specific state’s requirements for licensure or certification, students may be required to obtain alternate or additional courses or more experiential or clinical hours.

• Table 1 indicates whether our program meets the educational requirements for licensure or certification to practice speech-language pathology in school settings for each state, district, and territories in the United States. The Program meets the educational licensure requirements for practice in school settings in all but three of the states/districts/territories. Currently, the Program does not meet the licensure requirements for Alaska or Connecticut and we were unable to definitively determine whether the Program meets the licensure requirements for Florida.
• Table 2 indicates whether our program meets the educational requirements for licensure or certification to practice speech-language pathology in non-school settings for each state, district, and territories in the United States. The Program confirms it meets the educational licensing requirements across all U.S. states/districts/territories for practice in non-educational/school settings.

Table 1. UW Master of Science Program in Speech-Language Pathology
Compatibility with Licensure Requirements for School Settings

(Yes = program meets the requirements; No = program does not meet the requirements;
Unable to Determine = cannot definitely determine if program meets the requirements)

*Alaska has the following additional, educational requirements:

Taken within the past five years:

• Three semester (4.5 quarter) hours of approved Alaska studies
• Three semester (4.5 quarter) hours of multicultural education or cross-cultural communications 

*Connecticut has the following additional, educational requirements:

• Six semester or nine quarter hours of credit / course work in: 1) Foundations of education; 2) Psychology: child, educational, developmental, adolescent, or cognitive learning; and 3) Classroom instruction and management, bilingual/bicultural education, reading, curriculum development or behavioral management.
• A course of study in special education comprised of not fewer than 36 clock hours, including study in understanding the growth and development of exceptional children, handicapped and gifted and talented children, and methods for identifying, planning for, and working effectively with special-needs children in the regular classroom.

Table 2. UW Master of Science Program in Speech-Language Pathology
Compatibility with Licensure Requirements for Non-School Settings

(Yes = program meets the requirements; No = program does not meet the requirements)