All states have standards and requirements that teachers must meet in order to be certified to teach deaf students. These requirements are different for each state. Colleges and universities, then, have different requirements so that their teacher candidates can meet the state requirements for certification.

The field of Deaf education is broad and requires specially trained teachers with specific preparation in language and communication in order to meet the diverse learning needs of students. Colleges and universities offer both undergraduate and graduate programs in Deaf education. These programs have differing philosophies (oral-aural, bilingual-bicultural, or comprehensive).