LAC 46:LXXV.107. Qualifications for Licensure

A. Coursework RequirementsAudiology License. The applicant shall submit official transcripts from one or more regionally accredited colleges or universities (including programs in candidacy) evidencing completion of at least 75 semester credit hours of post-baccalaureate coursework for applicants who completed a doctoral program after January 1, 2005. B. Coursework RequirementsAudiology License. The following coursework requirements apply to applicants who completed a master's program after January 1, 1994. 1. The applicant shall submit official transcripts from one or more regionally accredited colleges or universities evidencing completion of at least 75 semester hours of coursework which constitutes a well-integrated program. 2.a. Thirty-six semester credit hours of professional coursework in audiology; 30 of which shall be in courses for which graduate credit was received*: b. a maximum of 6 academic semester credit hours associated with clinical practicum may be counted toward the minimum of 30 semester credit hours of professional coursework. C. Coursework RequirementsAudiology License. The following coursework requirements apply to applicants who completed a master's program which was begun prior to January 1, 1994. 1. The applicant shall submit official transcripts from one or more regionally accredited colleges or universities evidencing completion of at least 60 semester hours of coursework which constitutes a well-integrated program that includes at least 12 semester credit hours in basic human communication processes to include the anatomic and physiologic bases, the physical and psychophysical bases, and the linguistic and psycholinguistic aspects. 2.a. Thirty semester credit hours of professional coursework in audiology*: i. 6 in hearing disorders and hearing evaluation; ii. 6 in habilitative/rehabilitative procedures; iii. 6 semester credit hours in speech-language pathology. b. Twenty-one of the 30 semester credit hours shall be in courses for which graduate credit was received. c. A maximum of 6 academic semester credit hours associated with clinical practicum may be counted toward the minimum of 30 semester credit hours of professional coursework, but those hours may not be used to satisfy the minimum of 6 semester credit hours in hearing disorders/evaluation, 6 hours in habilitative/rehabilitative procedures, or 6 hours in speech-language pathology, or the 21 graduate credits in the professional area for which the license is sought. D. Coursework RequirementsSpeech-Language Pathology License and Provisional Speech-Language Pathology License. The applicant shall submit official transcripts from one or more regionally accredited colleges or universities (including programs in candidacy) evidencing completion of 75 semester credit hours, including at least 36 at the graduate level, from an accredited speech-language pathology program for applicants who began a graduate program after January 1, 2004. E. Coursework RequirementsSpeech-Language Pathology License and Provisional Speech-Language Pathology License. The following coursework requirements apply to applicants who began a master's program between January 1, 1994 and January 1, 2004. 1. The applicant shall submit official transcripts from one or more regionally accredited colleges or universities evidencing completion of at least 75 semester hours of coursework which constitutes a well-integrated program that includes at least: a. 6 semester credit hours in biological/physical sciences and mathematics; b. 6 semester credit hours in behavioral and/or social sciences; c. 15 semester credit hours in basic human communication processes to include the anatomic and physiologic bases, the physical and psychophysical bases, and the linguistic and psycholinguistic aspects. 2.a. Thirty-six semester credit hours of professional coursework in speech-language pathology; 30 of which shall be in courses for which graduate credit was received*; b. a maximum of 6 academic semester credit hours associated with clinical practicum may be counted toward the minimum of 30 semester credit hours of professional coursework. *If seeking licensure in both speech-language pathology and audiology, at least 15 graduate level semester hours in each area are required. F. Coursework RequirementsSpeech-Language Pathology License and Provisional Speech-Language Pathology License. The following coursework requirements apply to applicants who began a master's program prior to January 1, 1994. 1. The applicant shall submit official transcripts from one or more regionally accredited colleges or universities evidencing completion of at least 60 semester hours of coursework which constitutes a well-integrated program that includes at least 12 semester credit hours in basic human communication processes to include the anatomic and physiologic bases, the physical and psychophysical bases, and the linguistic and psycholinguistic aspects. 2.a. Thirty semester credit hours of professional coursework in speech-language pathology*: i. 6 in speech disorders; ii. 6 in language disorders; iii. 6 in audiology. b. Twenty-one of the 30 semester credit hours shall be in courses for which graduate credit was received. c. A maximum of 6 academic semester credit hours associated with clinical practicum may be counted toward the minimum of 30 semester credit hours of professional coursework, but those hours may not be used to satisfy the minimum of 12 semester credit hours in speech/language disorders, 6 hours in language disorders, or 3 hours in audiology, or the 21 graduate credits in the professional area for which the license is sought. *If seeking licensure in both speech-language pathology and audiology, at least 15 graduate level semester hours in each area are required. G. Coursework RequirementsSpeech-Language Pathology Assistant and Provisional Speech-Language Pathology Assistant 1. A bachelor's degree in speech-language pathology from a regionally accredited institution fulfills the coursework requirements of the board provided the individual has successfully completed coursework in both articulation and language disorders. 2. If the bachelor's degree is not in speech-language pathology, the degree program should include the following core coursework. A total of 41 hours shall be obtained in the following areas. 3. Basic requirements: a. biological or physical sciences6 semester hours; b. mathematics or statistics6 semester hours; c. psychology/sociology/multicultural studies (some combination)6 semester hours. 4. Basic professional courses: a. American phonetics3 semester hours; b. anatomy and physiology of the speech and hearing mechanism3 semester hours; c. normal speech and language acquisition3 semester hours. 5. Speech and language disorders: a. introduction to communication disorders3 semester hours; b. articulation disorders3 semester hours; c. language disorders3 semester hours; d. clinical practicum in communication disorders2 semester hours; (Additional credit may be obtained as an elective.) 6. Hearing and hearing disorders: a. introduction to audiology*3 semester hours. H. Clinical Practicum Hour Requirements. An individual shall submit official documentation from a regionally accredited educational institution or its cooperating programs, verifying supervised clinical practicum hours as follows. 1. Speech-Language Pathology and Provisional Speech-Language Pathology Licenses a. 400 clinical practicum hours if graduate program began after January 1, 2004; b. 375 clinical practicum hours if graduate program began between January 1, 1994 and January 1, 2004; c. 300 clinical practicum hours if graduate program began prior to January 1, 1994. 2. Audiology License a. The program or clinical director from an accredited educational institution must verify that the individual has met the breadth and depth of clinical experiences. b. 375 clinical practicum hours if graduate program began between January 1, 1994 and January 1, 2005; c. 300 clinical practicum hours if graduate program began prior to January 1, 1994. 3. Speech-Language Pathology Assistant License a. 225 clinical practicum hours are required, the first 100 of which shall have been obtained through a regionally accredited educational institution or its cooperating programs. Of the 100 hours obtained through a regionally accredited educational institution, 75 shall be obtained through direct patient/client contact. No simulation experiences will be accepted. The remaining 25 hours may be obtained through observation of assessment and therapy. It is recommended that the direct patient/client contact hours be obtained in at least two practicum sites with one site being a public school setting. The first 75 hours of direct patient/client contact shall be obtained in the following categories: i. minimum of 20 hours in speech disorders; ii. minimum of 20 hours in language disorders; iii. the remaining 35 hours may be obtained in the areas of speech, language or hearing disorders. A maximum of 5 of these hours may be in the area of audiology. It is recommended that a minimum of 20 hours be obtained in articulation. b. The remaining 125 hours must be obtained on-the-job and/or through a regionally accredited educational institution or its cooperating programs. Simulation experiences are not accepted. 4. Provisional Speech-Language Pathology Assistant License a. A minimum of 100 clinical practicum hours which have been obtained through a regionally accredited educational institution or its cooperating programs as defined in §107.I.3 is required. i. The first 75 hours of direct patient/client contact shall be obtained in the following categories: (a). minimum of 20 hours in speech disorders; (b). minimum of 20 hours in language disorders; (c). the remaining 35 hours may be obtained in the areas of speech, language or hearing disorders. A maximum of 5 of these hours may be in the area of audiology. It is recommended that a minimum of 20 hours be obtained in articulation. b. The additional 125 hours required to upgrade to the speech-language pathology assistant license shall be obtained within three years of the date of issuance of the provisional assistant license and may be obtained by completing the remaining hours on-the-job and/or through a regionally accredited educational institution or its cooperating programs. Those hours obtained through supervised on-the-job training must consist of direct supervision hours and will only be accepted from the date that the application for license is received by the board. c. A provisional speech-language pathology assistant must request, in writing, deferment of the three-year period to complete licensure upgrade requirements. Such deferment may only be requested if there is an extenuating circumstance, such as inability to obtain employment in the area of speech-language pathology. The license must be renewed annually. Such deferment may only be held for a period of three years from the time of board approval. i. If the licensee has never worked as a provisional speech-language pathology assistant, a notarized statement shall be submitted to the board annually. ii. If the licensee is not currently employed as a provisional speech-language pathology assistant a letter specifying date of termination from the last employer shall be submitted to the board office with Form 200, to verify supervision to the date of termination. iii. Licensees on inactive status may retain their license by payment of the annual renewal fee. In order to resume practice as a speech-language pathology assistant, licensees on inactive status shall demonstrate completion of 5 clock hours of continuing education in the area of licensure for each year that inactive status was maintained (maximum of 25 hours). I. Equivalency RequirementsSpeech-Language Pathology, Provisional Speech-Language Pathology, or Audiology License 1. Individuals who do not possess a graduate degree in either audiology or speech-language pathology but wish to obtain a license through the equivalency process shall meet the coursework, practicum and examination requirements for the area in which licensure is sought as defined in the board's rules entitled coursework requirements: audiology license; coursework requirements: speech-language pathology license and provisional speech-language pathology license; clinical practicum hour requirements and examination requirement. J. Postgraduate Professional Employment/Experience 1. A graduate-level speech-language pathologist must submit verification of 36 weeks of full-time postgraduate professional employment/experience or its full-time equivalent. K. Examination Requirement—Speech-Language Pathology License, Provisional Speech-Language Pathology License, Audiology License 1. The board recognizes only the educational testing service’s specialty area examinations for audiology and speech-language pathology as the licensure examination for audiology and/or speech-language pathology. Scores received directly from the applicant are not acceptable for licensing purposes. 2. The passing scores for the audiology and speech-language pathology area examinations are determined by the educational testing service. 3. If an individual has never held a license to practice audiology or speech-language pathology in another state, and if the degree program was completed greater than 10 years from the date of application, the passing score on the specialty area examination for audiology or speech-language pathology must have been obtained within the last 5 years. L. Restricted License Qualifications 1. In order to reinstate a restricted license to practice speech-language pathology held prior to August 15, 1995, an applicant shall: a. hold a bachelor's degree with a major in speech pathology, together with a current Type A B, or C teaching certificate issued by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education or their equivalent as determined by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education certifying the applicant as a specialist of speech, language and hearing; and b. submit evidence of completion of his/her clock hours of supervised, direct clinical experience with persons having a variety of communication disorders. This experience shall be obtained through a training institution or its cooperating programs; c. be permitted to practice in Louisiana only while under the direct supervision of a Louisiana licensed speech-language pathologist.