MSc Speech and Language Therapy (Pre-registration)

In our MSc Speech and Language Therapy course, you’ll explore some of the issues you might face working as a modern speech and language therapist. We aim to prepare you to work across a range of settings and support clients and their families across their lifespan.

The curriculum will be delivered via an active learning approach and learners will benefit from digital flexibility whereby they can prepare in advance for on-campus teaching sessions and work through their learning. This delivery of the curriculum will also be combined with lectures and seminars workshops, problem-based and innovative simulation-based learning, clinical placements, and independent study. This will enable our graduates to enter the workplace with the confidence and abilities to flourish in a variety of clinical and research contexts and provide a comprehensive grounding for their future as lifelong learners.

The program incorporates teaching and learning in the university in conjunction with a minimum of 525 hours of work-based learning in health and educational settings. Students will have the opportunity to apply skills and knowledge on placement with speech and language therapists, working with children and adults experiencing a range of speech, language, and communication needs and difficulties with eating drinking, and swallowing. Simulation-based education and interdisciplinary learning with Occupational Therapists and Dieticians are threaded throughout the department so that students are fully prepared for clinical placement learning, as well as being competent professionals of the future.
The program will be approved by the Health and Care Professions Council and accredited by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT).
In your first year, we usually focus on teaching you the theory to develop your knowledge of speech, language cognitive, and communication development, alongside the psychological and social factors that affect individual communication across the lifespan. You will also learn about eating, drinking, and swallowing throughout the lifespan. There will be a focus on the health and well-being of people, families, and communities.
You’ll learn through a variety of methods, including case-based learning. This allows you to practice assessing scenarios and applying the theory you have learned to cases you may come across on your placement.

You’ll learn how to use intervention materials, assessments, and specialist computer programs. We have a team of technicians to help you master specialist equipment and you’ll use these skills on your clinical placements which occur in years 1 and 2 of the program.

In your second year of our course, you will continue to attend placements that occur on both the Autumn and Spring terms, and alongside this you will further develop your knowledge of developmental and acquired communication conditions, as well as the psychosocial factors and mental health and how these impact speech and language therapy practice. This year also focuses on research and evidence-based practice in the field of speech and language therapy through your choice of a self-selected topic of interest, which can include an empirical research project.

Past topics have included research projects investigating midwives’ experiences of multi-disciplinary working with speech and language therapists, investigating staff experiences of managing children’s swallowing difficulties in a school setting, and, investigating support workers’ understanding of supporting speech, language, and communication.

Outside of studying, you can join our Speech Society which is mainly run by the speech and language therapy students on our undergraduate degree. They organize a series of talks, workshops, and events to help promote speech and language therapy and develop your knowledge outside of the classroom. You can also join our Community of Health Professions, where you can learn with, and from, other students in the department who you will work alongside in practice when you qualify as a speech and language therapist. The Community of Health Professions also has a focus on engagement with the local community, fundraising for charities, and opportunities for students to participate in social events.

You may also have the opportunity to apply to work on research projects with our academic team.

Year 1

• Into Clinical Theory and Skills across the Lifespan
• Phonetics and Phonology
• Linguistics and Language Acquisition
• Non-clinical Practice Placement 1 (Education- 5 days)
• Non-clinical Practice Placement 2 (Education- 4 days)
• Practice Placement
• Eating, Drinking and Swallowing
• Applied Clinical Theory and Skills across the Lifespan 1
• Practice Placement 2 (4 weeks)

Additional information about this course

• Health checks - You will be required to complete an Occupational Health Assessment to ensure that your health does not constitute a barrier to the achievement of the program learning outcomes or eligibility to apply for registration with the professional body. This will require the completion of a health questionnaire before or during the first few weeks of your course, followed by an occupational health screening appointment which will include the consideration of appropriate immunizations. Travel costs to appointments (which will be within the Greater Manchester area) will not be covered by the University.
• Professional Suitability - Students in programs leading to professional qualifications are required to adhere to professional standards and codes of practice during their studies. Failure to do so may lead to exclusion from the program on the grounds of professional unsuitability. Students will be briefed about the requirements at the start of their studies.
• Course-specific regulations - Professional, Statutory, and Regulatory Bodies require students to achieve results that demonstrate their ability to practice safely. There are therefore some exceptions to the standard University Assessment Regulations for those students, for example, limitations on resits and compensation for failed marks.

Year 2

• Practice Placement 3 (5 weeks)
• Applied Clinical Theory and Skills across the Lifespan 2
• Professional Competency and Employability in Speech and Language Therapy
• Research Methods and Dissertation
• Practice Placement 4 (6 weeks)

• Endorsement:Health and Care Professions Council
• Accreditation:Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists

When you graduate, you’ll have the skills to work in clinical practice as a speech and language therapist with children and adults.

You can apply to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for registration to practise as a speech and language therapist. You can also apply for membership of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), the professional body for speech and language therapy in the UK.

Study and assessment breakdown

Ten credits equate to 100 hours of study, which is a combination of lectures, seminars practical sessions, and independent study. A master's qualification typically comprises 180 credits, a PGDip 120 credits, a PGCert 60 credits, and an MFA 300 credits. The exact composition of your study time and assessments for the course will vary according to your option choices and style of learning, but it could be:

Study
Year 1 45% lectures, seminars, or similar; 30% placement; 25% independent study
Year 2 35% lectures, seminars, or similar; 30% placement; 35% independent study
Assessment
Year 1 70% coursework; 0% practical; 30% examination
Year 2 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination