(1) Minimum educational requirements for licensure to practice as a hearing aid specialist in Washington are:

(a) Satisfactory completion of a two-year degree program in hearing aid specialist instruction approved by the board. The board will consider for approval any program which meets the requirements as outlined in this section;

(b) A two-year or four-year degree in a field of study approved by the board from an accredited institution and satisfactory completion of a nine-month certificate program in hearing aid specialist instruction approved by the board. Two-year and four-year degrees must be completed prior to enrolling in a nine-month certificate program. The board will consider for approval any program which meets the requirements as outlined in this section; or

(c) Acceptable prerequisite degrees for entry into nine-month certificate programs are baccalaureate or associate degrees from accredited institutions in any field of study which include at least five quarter credits or four semester credits each of 100 level or greater English composition and humanities, and at least four quarter credits or three semester credits of 100 level or greater basic math.

(2) Procedure for approval of two-year degree programs in hearing aid specialist instruction:

(a) An authorized representative of an institution may apply for approval from the board.

(b) The application for approval must be submitted on forms provided by the department.

(c) The authorized representative of the program may request approval of the program as of the date of the application or retroactively to a specified date.

(d) The program application for approval must include, but may not be limited to, documentation required by the board pertaining to curriculum standards as set in WAC 246-828-615.

(e) A program must be fully recognized by the appropriate accreditation body in that jurisdiction.

(f) The board will evaluate the application and may conduct a site inspection of the program prior to granting approval by the board.

(g) Upon completion of the evaluation of the application, the board may grant or deny approval or grant approval conditioned upon appropriate modification of the application.

(h) An authorized representative of an approved program must notify the board of significant changes with respect to information provided on the application within sixty days of change.

(3) Procedure for approval of nine-month certificate programs in hearing aid specialist instruction:

(a) An authorized representative of a program may apply for approval from the board.

(b) The application for approval must be submitted on forms provided by the department.

(c) The authorized representative of the program may request approval of the program as of the date of the application or retroactively to a specified date.

(d) The program application for approval must include, but may not be limited to, documentation required by the board pertaining to curriculum standards as set in WAC 246-828-615.

(e) The board will evaluate the application and may conduct a site inspection of the program prior to granting approval by the board.

(f) Upon completion of the evaluation of the application, the board may grant or deny approval or grant approval conditioned upon appropriate modification of the application.

(g) An authorized representative of an approved program must notify the board of significant changes with respect to information provided on the application within sixty days of change.

(4) The board may inspect a currently approved program or a program requesting approval. These inspections may be at any reasonable time during the normal business hours of the program. The board may withdraw its approval if it finds the program has failed to comply with requirements of law, administrative rules, or representations in the application.