A user programmable hearing aid allows a user to select acoustical configuration programs that provide optimum performance for the user. The user may cycle through and evaluate various available programs by rotating a scroll wheel on the hearing aid housing to switch from one program to the next. When a preferred program is active, the user can press a push button on the housing for an extended time to select the currently active program. The user can then use the scroll wheel to adjust the audio gain for the selected program. The hearing aid may also operate in a Configuration Mode wherein configuration settings may be changed using the scroll wheel and the push button. In the Configuration Mode, a clinician or patient may easily change configuration settings manually, with no need to connect the apparatus to a computer or other programming interface.