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LA · SLP licensure
Everything it takes to get your speech-language pathology license in Louisiana — the licensing board and application steps, the required Praxis 5331 exam and its 162 passing score, the Clinical Fellowship, fees, and renewal rules.
Required Praxis test
Praxis 5331 — Speech-Language Pathology
Passing score
162 (out of 200)
Format
132 multiple-choice questions · 150 minutes · computer-based
Registration
Register through ETS · $146 test fee · offered year-round
Every US state — including Louisiana — accepts the Praxis 5331 at the ASHA-set 162 cut score for SLP licensure. There is no separate state-specific SLP Praxis exam.
Licensing board
LBESPA issues a provisional license valid during the Clinical Fellowship and converts to full licensure upon CF completion and receipt of a passing Praxis 5331 score of 162 or higher. School-based SLPs additionally hold a Type A, B, or C teaching certificate from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Authoritative reference: ASHA state-by-state advocacy page for Louisiana →
The Louisiana SLP market
Louisiana licenses Speech-Language Pathologists through the Louisiana Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. The state's SLP job market centers on New Orleans and Baton Rouge, with significant rural and bilingual (French/Creole-influenced English) demand in Acadiana and along the northern parishes. Louisiana accepts Praxis 5331 at the ASHA-aligned 162 cut score.
BLS OES, Louisiana statewide (approximate range)
Passing score note: Louisiana accepts the standard ASHA 162 passing score on Praxis 5331, with no additional state-specific cut score.
The Louisiana Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology issues the state professional license, requiring a CAA-accredited graduate degree, documentation of supervised clinical hours, and an official Praxis 5331 score. Applications are submitted directly to the board along with required fees and background-check documentation.
SLPs working in Louisiana public schools also need certification through the Louisiana Department of Education, which the state treats as an educator credential separate from the board license. The 162 Praxis 5331 score satisfies the exam requirement for both, but the school certification process runs through a distinct application with its own timelines.
Louisiana issues a temporary license allowing new graduates to complete the nine-month Clinical Fellowship under a board-licensed CCC-SLP supervisor. Common CF placement sites include New Orleans hospital systems (Ochsner Health, LCMC Health) and Baton Rouge's Our Lady of the Lake, as well as school districts throughout Acadiana and the Florida Parishes.
After the CF and CF-2 documentation are submitted, the board generally converts the temporary license to a full license within several weeks, and school-certified SLPs complete a parallel process with the Department of Education.
Louisiana SLPs work across public schools, hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities, with hospital-based medical SLP roles concentrated in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Acadiana parishes around Lafayette have unique bilingual and dialect-related caseload considerations given the region's French-Creole linguistic heritage, and school districts there sometimes seek SLPs with cultural and linguistic familiarity with the area.
Rural parishes in northern Louisiana and along the Mississippi River corridor face ongoing SLP shortages, and contract or itinerant SLP positions are common there, often coordinated through regional education service cooperatives.
Louisiana SLP licenses renew annually, with continuing education requirements aligned to ASHA-approved coursework and documented through the board's licensing system. School-certified SLPs renew their Department of Education certificate on a separate multi-year cycle consistent with the state's educator certification renewal rules.
Because Louisiana's license renewal is annual rather than biennial like many neighboring states, SLPs should build CE completion into their yearly routine rather than saving it for a multi-year deadline.
A partial list of larger CAA-accredited programs. All programs listed prepare graduates to sit for Praxis 5331.
What Praxis score does Louisiana require for SLP licensure?
Louisiana requires the standard ASHA-aligned 162 passing score on Praxis 5331, the same threshold used nationwide.
Do Louisiana school SLPs need a separate credential from the board license?
Yes. School-based SLPs need certification from the Louisiana Department of Education in addition to the license issued by the Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.
How often does a Louisiana SLP license need to be renewed?
Louisiana SLP licenses renew annually, which is more frequent than the two-year cycle used in many other states.
Is there SLP demand in rural Louisiana parishes?
Yes. Northern Louisiana parishes and areas along the Mississippi River corridor face ongoing shortages, and contract or itinerant SLP roles coordinated through regional education cooperatives are common there.
Earn a master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology
Complete a graduate program accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) — the near-universal requirement across US jurisdictions.
Pass the Praxis 5331 with a score of 162 or higher
The Speech-Language Pathology Praxis (5331) is the single national exam accepted by all state boards. 162 is the ASHA-set passing score and every state uses that same cut score.
Complete a Clinical Fellowship (CF)
A 36-week (9-month full-time equivalent) mentored clinical experience under a licensed CCC-SLP. Some states use their own name for it (California calls it the RPE) but the requirement is functionally equivalent.
Submit fingerprints and a background check
Standard across all state boards. Processing typically takes 2–6 weeks and must be completed before the license is issued.
Apply to the state licensing board
Send your Praxis score (ETS score report), transcripts, CF verification, and background clearance to the state board. Some states also require a jurisprudence exam on state SLP practice law.
For the complete list of Praxis tests accepted in Louisiana (including elementary, secondary, and content-area exams), see the official ETS state page.
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