International Assessment Application Information
Before commencing your application to SAC, please note that the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology are regulated in most Canadian provinces. If you plan to work in a province in which the professions are regulated, ensure you contact the regulatory body. Employers in provinces and territories without regulatory bodies may require SAC membership and certification.
SAC generally recommends that internationally educated professionals register with the relevant regulatory body (if applicable) before applying for SAC membership.
The SAC International Assessment Process is as follows:
- Review SAC academic and clinical requirements.
- Arrange assessment of your academic credentials by the International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS; request the Specialized Assessment) or the World Education Services (WES; request the Course-by-Course Report). Please sign the release that allows IQAS or WES to share the assessment report with SAC.
- Complete the SAC Application for Assessment.
- Send an official copy of the documents below to SAC along with a non-refundable payment of $500* Canadian.
- Official degree transcripts;
- Complete course descriptions including hours of study;
- Verified signed record of clinical practicum hours;
- Official translations of the documents if they are not in English or French.
SAC will begin your assessment when all documents and fees are received, including the IQAS or WES report. Once all documents and fees are received, the SAC assessment will be completed within 8-12 weeks. Official documents such as transcripts will not be returned to the applicant.
- If your complete application is received on or before December 31, 2019, you will be required to write the SAC Clinical Certification Exam if the SAC assessment shows that you meet the academic and clinical practicum requirements for membership. If you pass the clinical certification exam, you are also eligible for SAC Clinical Certification.
If your complete application is received after December 31, 2019, you will not be required to write an exam since SAC will not continue to offer the Clinical Certification Exam, after April 1, 2020. If the SAC assessment shows that you meet the academic and clinical practicum requirements for membership, you are also eligible for SAC Certification.
SAC Academic and Clinical Requirements
Master's degree or equivalent in speech-language pathology or audiology.
- Course work must cover the areas described in the Assessing and Certifying Clinical Competency: Foundations of Practice for Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists
- Course work must meet the following minimum requirements:
- 216 hours in normal development and use of speech, language and hearing (equivalent to 18 credits in Canadian programs)
- 324 hours in the major area (either speech-language pathology or audiology) (equivalent to 27 credits in Canadian programs)
- 36 hours in the minor area:
- Audiology for S-LPs (see p.36 of Assessing and Certifying Clinical Competency: Foundations of Clinical Practice for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology) (equivalent to 3 credits in Canadian programs)
- Speech-language pathology for audiologists: defined as speech and language development, delays and disorders (e.g., screening/identification programs and procedures for speech, language and hearing problems throughout the lifespan; potential impact of hearing loss on speech and language acquisition). (equivalent to 3 credits in Canadian programs)
- 350 hours of supervised clinical practicum.
- For Speech-Language Pathology, please refer to : SAC Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Hours Requirements, SAC Speech-Language Pathology Summary of Clinical Practice Hours
- For Audiology, please refer to: SAC Audiology Clinical Hours Requirements, SAC Audiology Summary of Clinical Practice Hours
For many Internationally Trained Professionals (ITPs), the cost of licensing exams, training and skills upgrading can present a barrier to credential recognition. The Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) Loan Project provides financial assistance to ITPs to lessen some of these burdens. For more information, please visit the Foreign Credential Recognition Loan Project website.