BSc (Hons) Speech and Language Therapy degree • City, University of London

This course is for 2023/24 entry. Details for 2024/25 entry are also available.

What is unique about this course?

Key information

This accredited degree qualifies graduates to practise as a speech and language therapist. We have a long-standing reputation as the UK’s largest provider of speech and language education in the UK. You will learn from world-class academics and clinicians, treating a wide range of real clients and disorders.

Start date

September 2023

UCAS code

B620

Duration

3 years full-time

Institution

City, University of London

Location

Northampton Square

Entry requirements

Below is a list of countries with information on each about which qualifications we accept.

English language requirements

If your first language is not English, we will require evidence of English language proficiency. Minimum requirements are:

IELTS:

8.0 overall band score; with at least 7.5 in the listening, reading, writing and speaking sections

TOEFL Internet Based Test (iBT): Minimum score of 118/120

For more information you can visit TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition

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Prospectus

Speech and Language Therapy BSc (Hons) degree Course overview

Speech and language therapists work with a range of different clients including children with learning disorders, people who have experienced stroke, dementia, head and neck cancer, eating drinking and swallowing problems, and congenital or acquired deafness.

The speech and language degree course covers the foundations of speech and language therapy including both the social and clinical context of human communication.

Learn in a world-leading environment from academics who are at the forefront of the field
Benefit from practical placements in City’s state-of-the-art Roberta Williams Speech and Language Therapy Centre – our in-house SLT clinic – led by specialist practitioners
Develop clinical skills and train to use specialist equipment such as ultrasound and laryngographs
Undertake clinical placements in a variety of settings including our in-house clinic, health centres, schools and hospitals, which take advantage of City's close links with speech and language therapy services throughout London
Receive a non-repayable and non-means tested government grant of £5,000 per year
Apply to volunteer abroad at the end of your course, with schemes in Cambodia, Uganda and more.

Optional fourth year at master's level

An optional additional master’s-level year offers a range of elective modules that are designed to enhance your clinical experience.

Students who are achieving at 2.1 level at the end of year two of the BSc have the option to join the Master in Speech and Language Therapy (MSLT). The MSLT runs alongside the BSc, with students on the MSLT completing an additional fourth year of study where they learn about clinical leadership and develop their skills to master’s level in specialist clinical areas and research.

Accreditation

As a graduate, you will be eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council and practice as a speech and language therapist within the NHS and other settings.

If you already have an undergraduate degree, City offer a two year MSc in Speech and Language Therapy, which also enables you to register with the Health and Care Professions Council and work as a speech and language therapist.

Structure

Course content

Over the three years of this BSc Speech and Language Therapy degree, you will study the foundations of speech and language therapy including the social and clinical context of human communication.

You have the option to apply to take an additional fourth year and graduate with a master’s degree.

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

In this optional fourth year you will learn about clinical leadership and develop your skills to master’s level in specialist clinical areas and research. The year comprises two core modules and three elective modules.

Research Project (Part 2) (30 credits)

This core module aims to develop your data management and analysis skills, critical evaluation skills and ability to synthesise and interpret research evidence, using real data.
Advanced Professional Practice (45 credits)

In this core module, you will develop clinical supervision and leadership skills and enhance your clinical practice, maintaining your clinical competencies as required to be eligible for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a speech and language therapist.
Acquired Language Impairment (15 credits)

This module aims to update your theoretical understanding of aphasia and help you apply that knowledge. You will explore issues such as conversation and outcome measurement, and specific manifestations, such as jargon aphasia and aphasia in bilingual language users.
Cognitive Communication Impairments (15 credits)

This module will lead you through current research on the nature of cognitively based communication impairments such as dementia and head injury, and cognitive deficits in communication impairments such as acquired aphasia and developmental language impairment. You will learn about current theories of relations between cognition and language in different clinical populations, and current approaches to intervention.
Dysphagia and Disorders of Eating and Drinking (15 credits)

This module will help to deepen your understanding of the assessment, treatment and management options of dysphagia resulting from different pathologies across the lifespan (from neonates to older people). Issues around service provision and ethics will also be explored.
Practical Audiology (15 credits)

The module is designed for Speech and Language Therapists and other professionals with experience of working with clients with hearing disorders. This module will help to deepen your understanding of the assessment and management of hearing loss in children and adults.
Case Based Clinical management (15 credits)

This module aims to provide you with advanced clinical experience through case based learning focusing on clinical areas not addressed in other modules. You, through your choice of client, will become familiar with the body of literature driving clinical practice in a specific area.
Instrumental Techniques in Speech Sciences (15 credits)

This module will introduce you to the instrumental techniques used to investigate speech production and their applications in the domain of speech pathology. You will learn about the technical aspects of the analysis equipment and be taken through practical demonstrations and exercises relating to aspects of speech physiology (neural, respiratory, phonatory and articulatory) and speech acoustics.
Language, Learning, Development and Disorder (15 credits)

This module aims to develop an understanding of the link between theory and practice in the area of language, learning and development, and the application of this interface to educational and speech and language therapy contexts for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.
Developmental Language Disorder (15 credits)

This module will extend your perspectives on language and communication problems in children and give you access to current issues in research on Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), with opportunities to reflect on the implications for support and intervention in a range of settings.

Download course specifications:

Teaching and assessment

The BSc (Hons) / MSLT Speech and Language Therapy course is taught by expert staff who are leaders in the field of speech and language therapy and specialist areas such as phonetics, linguistics and audiology, in addition to clinical tutors who are practising clinicians.

A typical week consists of three days at City, one day in the clinic and one day of private study. The course is assessed through coursework, clinical reports and written and practical examinations.

Academic subjects are taught through lectures supported by video presentations, small group problem-solving sessions, practical classes and tutorials. You will also have access to the most up-to-date equipment in the Speech Acoustics Laboratory and City's in-house speech and language therapy clinic and the Roberta Williams Speech and Language Therapy Centre.

Assessment methods

You will be assessed using a variety of methods, depending on module choices:

exams
tests
coursework
clinical placements.

Percentage of the course assessed by coursework

The balance of assessment by examination, practical examination and assessment by coursework will to some extent depend on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessment, based on 2019/20 entry is shown below.

Assessment

Year 1

Written examination: 33%

Coursework: 67%

Year 2

Written examination: 25%

Practical: 19%

Coursework: 56%

Year 3

Written examination: 41%

Coursework: 59%

Overall workload

Approximate study time based on 2019/20 entry is shown below. Please note that the distribution of workload in the BSc Speech and Language Therapy course now offered by City will differ to the course delivered in 2019/20.

Workload

Year 1

Scheduled learning: 23%

Independent learning: 64%

Placement: 13%

Year 2

Scheduled learning: 22%

Independent learning: 62%

Placement: 16%

Year 3

Scheduled learning: 19%

Independent learning: 66%

Placement: 15%

Fees and funding

Fees for year 2023/24

£9,250

Overseas/EU

£19,130

The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2023/24 academic year only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase in the region of 5%.

Funding options

Explore up-to-date information about funding options, available financial support and typical living costs.

There are no fee waivers available for this course
Means tested support is available for 2023/24 entry
The same funding support is available over four years for students who opt to take the MSLT.

NHS Learning Support Fund: Non-repayable grants of at least £5,000 a year for eligible healthcare students.

Additional expenses

Some of our degrees may involve additional expenses which are not covered by your tuition fees. Find out more about additional expenses.

Career

A career in speech and language therapy offers opportunities to work in a range of settings including:

health centres
hospitals
day centres
schools
charities
universities.

Qualified speech and language therapists can earn a starting salary of £21,000 per annum and this can quickly rise to between £25,000 - £34,000. Principal and lead speech language therapists can go on to earn up to £58,000 per annum.

City graduates have gone on to secure roles such as:

clinical specialists
senior managers
research leaders
heads of education services.

International opportunities

Current Speech and Language Therapy students at City can apply to volunteer abroad at the end of their course.

Schemes have included:

City-Cambodia project
Kyaninga Child Development Centre in Uganda
Lockerbie College in Barbados
Student placement exchange with Curtin University, Perth, Australia.

Students apply for such opportunities directly through the Department of Language and Communication Science or through City, University of London’s volunteering team. These opportunities offer a great experience to practise what has been learnt on the course and further develop skills in an international setting.

You can find out more from students who’ve already benefitted from these experiences;

Please note that these student experiences took place prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, which subsequently paused some of these activities. We are pleased to share that opportunities for international experiences are now opening up again, and we hope to share newer stories soon.

How to apply

Applications for degree courses must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Apply now

You will be able to apply through your school or college using the Apply system, which enables you to submit your application directly to the UCAS website.

You can apply to up to five universities or institutions on the form. The UCAS code for City, University of London is C60.

Please take care to enter the correct course code when applying, particularly for subjects with a Foundation year or with BEng (Hons) and MEng (Hons) or BSc (Hons) and MSci (Hons) options.

UCAS has implemented an 'invisibility of choices' policy so that, on the initial application and while you are receiving decisions, each institution can see only their entry and not those of other institutions you have chosen. This ensures that your application for a course at City is considered solely on your academic and personal qualities.

You should submit your completed application form to UCAS with a £26.50 application fee. If you want to apply to City, University of London only, you can make a single choice application at a reduced rate of £22.

The School of Health & Psychological Sciences Admissions team have put together some handy tips and advice about the application process. You can also contact them to organise a drop-in session for additional advice and support.

When to apply

Your application for entry in September 2023 should arrive at UCAS between September 2022 and 25^th January 2023. Applications that arrive after 25^th January 2023 will be considered only at City's discretion.

Contacting UCAS

Website: www.ucas.com

Address: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 3LZ

Telephone:

from inside the UK 0871 468 0468
from outside the UK +44 (0)871 468 0468

For callers with hearing difficulties:

from inside the UK use the Text Relay service on 18001 0871 468 0468
from outside the UK dial +44 151 494 1260 (text phone) and then ask the operator to dial 0871 468 0468.

Facilities

Take a tour of the School of Health & Psychological Sciences at City, University of London

Our Clinical Skills Centre, specialist labs, radiography suite and optometry and speech and language clinics ensure our students are well prepared for clinical placements and future careers in healthcare. 2 minutes

Key information

Entry requirements

UK

Important information regarding COVID-19 vaccination

University preparation programmes

Access to HE Diploma

Introduction to Health Sciences

Selection process

Contextual offers

Mixed qualifications

Subject exclusions

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

AS levels

Master in Speech and Language Therapy (MSLT) entry

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