• Work in hospitals, speech, language and hearing centers, speech-language pathologist offices.
• Work with people who have hearing, balance and related problems.
• Use audiometers, computers and other testing equipment to measure the loudness at which a person begins to hear sounds, the ability to distinguish between sounds, and the nature and extent of hearing loss.
• May recommend, fit and dispense amplification systems, such as hearing aids and alerting devices.
• Fit and tune cochlear implants and provide rehabilitation for adjustment to listening with implant amplification systems.
• Measure noise levels in workplaces and conduct hearing protection programs in industry, schools and the community.
• May conduct research on types and treatment of hearing, balance and related disorders; may design and develop equipment and techniques for diagnosing and treating these disorders.

Education/Training

• College prep courses in high school
• Most states regulate licensing of audiologists and require a master’s degree or equivalent.
• Graduate course work in audiology includes anatomy, physiology, basic science, math, physics, genetics, normal and abnormal communication development; auditory, balance and neural systems assessment and treatment, audiologic rehabilitation and ethics.
• Audiologists can earn a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiolgy (CCC-A). According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, as of 2007, audiologists will need to have a bachelor’s degree and complete 75 hours of credit toward a doctoral degree to seek certification.  As of 2012, audiologists will have to earn a doctoral degree to be certified.

Salary

• Average range $30,850 - $68,570.

More Information

• American Academy of Audiology
  8300 Greensboro Drive, Suite 750,
  McLean, VA 22102
  800-AAA-2336 or 703-790-8466
  http://www.audiology.org