---

Audiology/Audiologist

A program that prepares individuals to diagnose and treat hearing loss and other disorders involving the ear, advise patients on means to use their remaining hearing, and select and fit hearing aids and other devices. Includes instruction in acoustics, anatomy and physiology of hearing, hearing measurement, auditory pathology, middle and inner ear analysis, rehabilitation therapies and assistive technologies, and pediatric and other special applications. Examples: [Audiology and Hearing Sciences]

Types of Degrees Audiology/Audiologist Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Audiology/Audiologist may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	173
Master’s Degree	202
Doctor’s Degree	613

What Audiology/Audiologist Majors Need to Know

Programs in Audiology/Audiologist emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Audiology/Audiologist graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Audiology/Audiologist emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Audiology/Audiologist program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Audiology/Audiologist careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Audiology/Audiologist graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Working with Computers	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Audiology/Audiologist professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Turning Technologies TurningPoint	Multi-media educational software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Audiology/Audiologist graduates include:

• Inhalation Therapy Aides Teacher
• Surgery Teacher
• Pharmacology Teacher
• Pediatrics Teacher
• Urology Teacher
• Therapy Teacher
• Respiratory Therapy Instructor
• Nutrition Professor
• Corrective Therapy Aide Teacher
• Faculty Member
• Osteopathic Medicine Teacher
• Medicine Teacher
• University Faculty Member
• Lecturer
• Clinical Professor

What Can You Do With a Audiology/Audiologist Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Audiology/Audiologist commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Audiology/Audiologist graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	53.4%
Master’s degree	21.4%
Post-doctoral training	13.3%
Bachelor’s degree	7.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.8%
Postsecondary certificate	1.7%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Audiology/Audiologist?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 92.8% of Audiology/Audiologist degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	917	92.8%
Men	71	7.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Audiology/Audiologist graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	714	72.3%
Asian	51	5.2%
Hispanic or Latino	94	9.5%
Black or African American	27	2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.2%
Two or More Races	27	2.7%
Race Unknown	23	2.3%
International Students	48	4.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Audiology/Audiologist Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Audiology/Audiologist graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$53,106
4 years	$57,878
5 years	$63,177

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $63,177 — roughly 19% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Audiology/Audiologist Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Audiology/Audiologist. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Audiology/Audiologist Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Audiology/Audiologist graduates earn a median of $57,878 four years after completion — roughly 52% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250
Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist	7,724
Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist	7,213
Communication Sciences and Disorders, General	7,097
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Advanced General Dentistry	238
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services, Other	228
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	150

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.