How to Become a Licensed SLPA in Texas

Texas runs SLPA licensing through TDLR, and the process is almost entirely online. A bachelor's in communicative sciences and disorders (CSD) is preferred, but it's not a deal breaker if yours is in something else. The one deadline to watch: if TDLR sends you a Request for Information letter, you have exactly one year from your original application date to finish everything, or you start over and pay the fee again.

Step by step

1. Complete a bachelor's degree, ideally focused on communicative sciences and disorders, with at least 24 semester hours in SLP coursework, plus 25 hours of clinical observation and 25 hours of clinical assisting experience. If your bachelor's is in a different field, TDLR reviews your transcript against these requirements. If you're missing coursework, you fill the gaps with a leveling program, a certificate program, or associate's-level coursework before you apply, foreign degrees also need an ASHA-approved transcript evaluation.
2. Submit the online application through TDLR along with the $150 fee, which covers your initial two-year license.
3. Watch your email for fingerprinting instructions once TDLR receives your application, you'll need to complete a national criminal history background check.
4. If you receive a Request for Information (RFI) letter, complete all remaining requirements within one year of your original application date, or you'll need to reapply and pay the fee again.
5. Have your supervisor file a supervision plan with TDLR, you cannot legally practice without an approved supervisor on file, and TDLR must be notified of any future changes in supervision.
6. Renew every two years.