A career in Audiology
Choosing the right qualification pathway is a key step in starting or progressing a career in audiology. There are a range of recognised routes available in the UK, including undergraduate degrees, postgraduate programmes and apprenticeships, each combining academic learning with hands-on clinical training.
These pathways are designed to equip you with the knowledge, practical skills and professional competencies needed to work in audiology and, where appropriate, achieve registration with regulatory bodies such as the Health and Care Professions Council.
These are short courses you can complete to support you in a clinic setting.
Foundation degree / Diploma in Higher Education in Hearing Aid Audiology (undergraduate diploma)
This type of qualification involves working as a trainee while completing the course. Graduates are eligible to register to work as a Hearing Aid Dispenser with the HCPC on completion. This course requires employment in the right healthcare context with access to patients/clients as well as supervision from a registered audiologist or hearing aid dispenser.
Entry onto the Foundation Degree has to be supported by an employer who agrees to provide you with a suitably qualified and experienced clinical educator/supervisor.
The following universities offer Foundation degree courses or diplomas:
| Course | University | Link |
| FdSc
Hearing Aid Audiology |
Anglia Ruskin University | https://aru.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/hearing-aid-audiology |
| Higher Apprenticeship FdSc Hearing Aid Dispensing | Anglia Ruskin University | https://aru.ac.uk/study/degree-apprenticeships/apprentice/our-courses/hearing-aid-dispenser |
| Foundation Degree in Hearing Aid Audiology
Level 6 Healthcare science Practitioner Audiology Degree Apprenticeship Level 6 Healthcare science Audiology Degree Apprenticeship (Direct entry to final year/Top Up): |
Aston University | Foundation Degree Hearing Aid Audiology | Aston University
Healthcare Science (Audiology): Degree Apprenticeship | Aston University Healthcare Science Audiology (direct entry to final year) | Aston University |
| Foundation Degree (FdSc) in Hearing Aid Audiology | De Montfort University | https://www.dmu.ac.uk/study/courses/foundation-courses/hearing-aid-audiology-fdsc/hearing-aid-audiology.aspx |
| Hearing Aid Dispenser Apprenticeship | De Montfort University | https://tinyurl.com/bdf3hvpn |
| FdSc
Hearing Aid Audiology/ Higher Apprenticeship |
South Devon College | https://www.ucsd.ac.uk/courses/hearing-aid-audiology/ |
| Foundation Degree (FdSc) in Hearing Aid Audiology | University of Central Lancashire | Hearing Aid Audiology, FdSc – UCLan
|
You’ll typically need at least two if not three A2 or A-levels including science subjects and a good spread of GCSEs at A-C grade to enter as a healthcare science practitioner. Entry is through the NHS Practitioner Training Programme (PTP) (England) by taking an accredited BSc degree in healthcare science (audiology).
The Practitioner Training Programme (PTP) is a three-year undergraduate training scheme that includes work-based and academic learning. The programmes involve broad scientific training in the first two years, with an increased focus on a chosen specialism during year three.
While on the programme, you will complete a BSc (Hons) in Healthcare Science. The National School of Healthcare Science (NSHCS) accredits the degrees, and additionally, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) approves Life Sciences, accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Sciences.
The following universities offer BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science (Audiology) courses:
If you are interested in pursuing research in Audiology we would recommend that you consider the PhD and Clinical Doctorate programmes offered at most of the universities offering Audiology programmes, as well as the MRC Institute for Hearing Research http://www.ihr.mrc.ac.uk/pages/postgraduates/2015/projects. Also see the Modernising Scientific Careers section of this website for more information on the Higher Specialist Scientific Training (HSST) programme.
Audiology Qualification options
| University Certificate/Diploma | FdSc courses | BSc courses | MSc/postgraduate courses | ||||||||||||||
| Hearing Care Assistant/ Basic Audiology Practice | Hearing Aid Audiology | Hearing Health Sciences | Aptitude Test in Hearing Aid Dispensing | Healthcare Science
|
Hearing Aid Audiology | Level 5 Apprenticeship | BSc Healthcare Science (Audiology) | BSc Audiology | Level 6 Apprenticeship: Healthcare Science (Audiology) | BSc top-up for FdSc | MSc Aud (pre-reg)/Aud Science | MSc Clinical Science | MSc/PhDip Ed Aud | MSc Advanced Audiology | Hearing Therapy Prog | PGCert Hearing Therapy; PGDip Hearing Therapy | |
| Anglia Ruskin University | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||||||||
| Aston University | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||
| Cardiff Metropolitan University | ✓ | ||||||||||||||||
| De Montfort University | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||||||
| Leeds University | ✓ | ||||||||||||||||
| Mary Hare/University of Hertfordshire | ✓ | ||||||||||||||||
| Middlesex University | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||||||
| Queen Margaret University | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||||||||
| South Devon College | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||||||
| Swansea University | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||||||||||
| University of Southampton | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||||||
| University of Manchester | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||||||
| University of Sunderland | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||||||||||
| University College London | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||||||
| University of Central Lancashire | ✓ | ||||||||||||||||