Speech and Language Therapy BSc (Hons)

at City University of London

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

 

The 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.
 

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
 

• Articulatory Phonetics, Phonology and Speech Development (30 credits)

• Biomedical Sciences 1, Anatomy and Physiology (15 credits)

• Lifespan Studies (15 credits)

• Speech Disorders, Dysfluency and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (15 credits)

• Professional Studies 1 (45 credits)
   

Year 2
 

• Applied Phonetics and Phonology (15 credits)

• Biomedical Sciences 2, ENT/Neurology/Brain and Behaviour (15 credits)

• Developmental Psychology and Research Methods (15 credits)

• Language Sciences: Linguistics and Language Development (30 credits)

• Dysphagia, Voice, Motor Speech Disorders, Dementia (15 credits)

• Professional Studies 2 (30 credits)
   

Year 3
 

• Evidence Based Practice and Data Analysis (15 credits)

• Acoustic Phonetics, Audiology and Deafness (15 credits)

• Acquired and Developmental Language Disorders (15 credits)

• Autism Spectrum Disorder, Learning Disability, Child Mental Health, Cerebral Palsy, Cleft Palate (15 credits)

• Professional Studies 3 (30 credits)

• Research Project (30 credits)
   

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)

• Advanced Professional Practice (45 credits)

• Acquired Language Impairment (15 credits)

• Cognitive Communication Impairments (15 credits)

• Dysphagia and Disorders of Eating and Drinking (15 credits)

• Practical Audiology (15 credits)

• Case Based Clinical management (15 credits)

• Instrumental Techniques in Speech Sciences (15 credits)

• Language, Learning, Development and Disorder (15 credits)

• Developmental Language Disorder (15 credits)

UK
 

A-level:
 

Typically BBC
 

Tariff:
 

112 UCAS tariff points
 

International Baccalaureate:
 

29 points
 

BTEC:
 

DMM in a Health and Social Care or Science related subject
 

GCSE:
 

Unless studying towards an Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject, all applicants must have a minimum of five passes at grade 4 (C) GCSE, including English Language and Mathematics in addition to other requirements.

 

In addition to our other entry requirements, City also accepts T-levels with the following grades:

 

T-Level in any of the following. Must have a grade of Merit, or above:

 

Entry requirements are currently subject to change.
 

Important information regarding COVID-19 vaccination

 

Clinical placements are an exciting and essential part of the training required to become a qualified Speech and Language Therapist.
 

To protect students, staff and patients during these experiences, we strongly encourage our students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (unless medically exempt).
 

University preparation programmes
 

If you do not qualify for direct entry, you may wish to take a foundation programme first. These programmes are designed to prepare students for entry to City's undergraduate courses.
 

Access to HE Diploma
 

Pass in a QAA recognised Access to HE Diploma in a health or science related subject achieving 60 credits overall with 45 at Level 3 (36 at Distinction and 9 at Merit). Applicants must hold GCSE English and Mathematics at grade C (4) or above.
 

Introduction to Health Sciences
 

If you do not meet the entry requirements for this course, you may be interested in our Introduction to Health Sciences course. This is completed over one year and provides an introduction to clinical and professional healthcare, enabling you to progress on to this course on successful completion (subject to meeting progression criteria, please visit the Introduction to Health Sciences course page for more details).
 

Selection process
 

As well as meeting the stated academic entry requirements, applicants will be required to attend an online interview as part of the selection process, to ensure that your values match those of the NHS Constitution.
 

Students are required to have occupational health and enhanced DBS (disclosure and barring service) clearance. Academic and character references are also required. Please see the Entry Requirements page for full information.
 

Mixed qualifications
 

We often use tariff points within our offers. Any conditional offer based on tariff is likely to only be based on the equivalent of an applicant's top three A-level grades.
 

Subject exclusions
 

We do not accept General Studies and Critical Thinking. These subjects will not be included in any conditional offer we make.
 

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
 

We welcome applications from students who are completing relevant EPQ Projects. Whilst we recognise the value of these projects in preparing students for independent learning at university, the EPQ is unlikely to form part of any conditional offer we make.
 

The EPQ will also not lower the specifics of any conditional offer we choose to make. We will consider the EPQ as part of the holistic assessment of the application and it could be used to form part of our final decision at Confirmation stage.
 

AS levels

We recognise that there will be differences of opportunity varying by school and college. As not all students will have the opportunity to sit AS Level exams, it is unlikely we will include AS Level grades in any offer we choose to make.
 

Where students have completed an AS Level subject, we will consider this as part of the holistic assessment of the application and it could be used to form part of our final decision at Confirmation stage.
 

Master in Speech and Language Therapy (MSLT) entry

Students who achieve an aggregate of at least 60% across years one and two of the BSc (Hons) Speech and Language Therapy course have the option of transferring to the MSLT at the start of the third year. The MSLT has the same UCAS code as the BSc (Hons).

 

• Health and Science: Healthcare Science.

• Education and Childcare.

• Health - supporting the adult nursing team.

• Health and nursing.

• Laboratory science.

• Medical and healthcare science.
   

Fees for year 2022/23
 

UK
 

£9,250
 

Overseas/EU
 

£18,220
 

The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2022/ 23 academic year only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase, which is normally 2%.

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.