If you would like to pursue a career as an audiologist's assistant, you can earn an associate's degree in audiology. An audiologist's assistant is supervised by the audiologist and assists patients with hearing and balance problems. Students who want to earn an associate's degree in audiology are likely to study patient prep, equipment maintenance, hearing test assistance, hearing aid maintenance and record keeping.
If you know you want to be an audiologist, you can prepare for graduate coursework by earning a bachelor's degree in speech and hearing science, which teaches concepts related to speech and hearing disorders as well as language and swallowing issues, according to Education Portal. You will not be able to become a licensed audiologist after completion of this degree, but you will have gained experience to help you in graduate school. If you choose to enter the workforce after earning a bachelor's degree in speech and hearing science, you can work as an audiologist's assistant.
To apply for a master's program in audiology, you must take the Graduate Record Exam and submit appropriate transcripts to the school of your choice. Earning a master's degree in audiology requires learning both theoretical and clinical concepts related to speech and hearing. After earning a master's degree in speech and hearing science, you could become a licensed audiologist, a licensed speech language pathologist or a hearing assessment specialist.
A doctorate in audiology is fast becoming the standard for licensed audiologists. A doctor of audiology is known as an Au.D. Competition for these programs can be keen. If you have studied audiology or speech and hearing science, you may have an upper hand over students who have degrees in other fields, but many doctorate programs admit students with other degrees. According to Education Portal, students who choose to pursue a doctor of audiology degree will likely study psychoacoustics, vestibular disorders, auditory system physiology and peripheral hearing studies.