Test tones and word understanding
When audiometer tone and word scores disagree, find out if your instructions or equipment swayed answers before interpreting.
Career profile
Audiologist
Audiologists diagnose hearing and balance problems, then care for them over time.
You link test results to the daily trouble a person has, like keeping up when others talk, then help them choose what to try next.
A day in the life
Fit a hearing aid
Make sure the hearing aid feels comfortable and works well, and teach the person to use it.
Go over results with family
Ask when talking breaks down, explain the findings, and discuss strategies with the person and their family.
Track progress and refer onward
Compare new results with earlier chart entries, note gains, and refer for medical or educational help if needed.
Quick facts
Clinical doctorate
United States
$95,780/year
United States · May 2025
11% growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Clinical doctorateA Doctor of Audiology (AuD) generally takes 3–4 years of full-time graduate study.
Pay
$95,780/yearNational median employee wage, equivalent to $46.05 an hour.
Outlook
11% growthProjected employment growth, with about 600 openings a year nationally.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like checking why two measurements disagree.
- You enjoy explaining an unfamiliar device until someone feels comfortable using it.
- You can listen carefully when a person's priorities differ from your first suggestion.
Things to weigh
- Patient conversations fill much of the day, and accurate records still need your attention between visits.
- Hearing changes can be upsetting. You need patience for conversations about frustration and adjustment.
- The education commitment extends beyond a bachelor's degree into doctoral coursework and clinical placements.
Where AI may help
Remote connections can let an audiologist program hearing aids while a trained helper handles physical tasks beside the patient.
What people still lead
You decide whether that setup suits the person, interpret their responses, and check that the visit produces useful results.
What we can’t predict yet
How many visits can move away from the clinic remains uncertain: equipment, reliable connections, and hands-on help still shape what works.
Pay in context
Earnings
Use the national figures as a reference when comparing offers, not as a starting salary promise.
The national midpoint
Audiologists earned a median $95,780 a year, or $46.05 an hour. Half of employee wages were above the median and half below.
The national spread
The 10th percentile was $64,610 and the 90th was $133,120 a year. These describe the wage distribution, not beginner and experienced pay grades.
Openings over the decade
Employment is projected to grow 11%, with about 600 openings annually from growth and replacement needs. Local opportunities can differ.
Getting started
Begin with communication sciences
- What the route involves
- Earn a bachelor's degree in communication sciences and disorders, checking the prerequisites of your intended AuD programs.
- What it can lead to
- You build the subject foundation for applying to clinical doctoral programs.
Enter from another college major
- What the route involves
- Complete another bachelor's major and take any missing prerequisites before graduate study or within a program that includes them.
- What it can lead to
- You can pursue audiology without restarting your undergraduate degree; added coursework may extend the path.
Both undergraduate approaches below lead toward an AuD, which combines coursework with supervised clinical placements.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization. This path also has a credential or licensing boundary; see the requirements and limits.
Get established
Build a dependable routine for testing, explaining results, and writing records another clinician can follow.
Develop your judgment
Use follow-up visits to sharpen hearing aid fitting and teaching skills as you learn what patients find effective.
Specialize or lead
Develop expertise in cochlear implants: assess candidates, program devices after surgery, and support learning to use them.
- Move toward running an audiology program, including its staffing and service planning.
Where you can work
Medical ear clinics
In clinics with balance services, you may evaluate dizziness as well as hearing. Audiology testing connects with physician visits and decisions about further medical care.
- Indoors
Schools
You work with teachers and the educational team on listening conditions. That can mean examining classroom noise and checking whether changes help students follow speech.
- Indoors
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
During an ordinary class, note which background sounds compete with the teacher's voice. Sketch one room change that might help, and explain how you would check its effect. Notice whether investigating listening conditions interests you.
Stay safe: Observe existing sounds; do not add loud noise or treat this as a hearing test.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 29-1181.00 — Audiologists. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates — supplied facts binding. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections Table 1.2, 2025–2035 — supplied facts binding. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Planning Your Education in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Hearing Loss in Adults. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Center for Hearing and Speech in America. Who Are Audiologists, and What Do They Do?. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Scope of Practice in Audiology. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Telepractice. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2020 Audiology Certification Standards. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Frequently Asked Questions About Business Practices. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Johns Hopkins Medicine. Services at ENTAA Care: Audiology. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Classroom Acoustics. Accessed 2026-10-09.