Speech and Language Therapy

Speech and language therapy is the healthcare profession that assesses and treats communication disorders and difficulties with eating, drinking, and swallowing. Speech and language therapists work with people of all ages who have acquired or developmental conditions affecting how they speak, understand language, read, or communicate, including people with stroke, brain injury, autism, learning disability, hearing impairment, cleft palate, stammering, voice disorders, and many other conditions. It is a profession that combines scientific knowledge with highly developed interpersonal and clinical skills.

At Birmingham City University, this three-year full-time BSc is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council, which means that graduates are eligible to register with the HCPC and work as qualified speech and language therapists. The programme uses a variety of innovative activities and placements to develop both your theoretical knowledge of communication science and clinical linguistics and your practical skills in assessment and therapy. You will study phonetics, linguistics, psychology, anatomy, physiology, and the specific disorders that speech and language therapists address, developing the evidence-based reasoning and clinical communication skills that the profession demands.

Clinical placements are central to the training, giving you experience across a range of settings and client groups under the supervision of qualified therapists.

Graduates work in NHS trusts, community health services, schools, independent practice, research, and international healthcare settings with children and adults across the full spectrum of communication and swallowing disorders. Further study at postgraduate level is available in specialist areas such as voice, fluency, augmentative and alternative communication, and clinical supervision.