In Illinois, speech pathologists and audiologists must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Licensing requirements include:
- attainment of at least 21 years of age;
- receipt of a master's degree in speech-language pathology or audiology from a program approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation;
- passage of the Praxis examinations in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology or submission of certification from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); and,
- completion of 9 months of full-time, supervised professional experience.
Licenses must be renewed every two years and requires 20 hours of continuing education.
Additional licensing information can be obtained from:
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation320 West Washington Street, 3rd Floor, Springfield, IL 62786
Phone: 217.785.0800, Fax: 217.782.7645
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association offers optional certification for speech-language pathologists and audiologists. For more information about their certification, contact:
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association2200 Research Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20850-3289
Phone: 301.296.5700, Fax: 301.296.8580
E-mail: actioncenter@asha.org