Speech and Language Therapy

Speech and language therapy is a healthcare profession concerned with the assessment and treatment of communication and swallowing difficulties across the full range of ages and conditions. Therapists work with children experiencing language delay, adults who have had strokes, people with autism spectrum conditions, individuals with stammering, voice problems, or learning disabilities that affect communication, and patients with swallowing difficulties arising from neurological or structural conditions. The role combines scientific understanding of how speech, language, and swallowing work with the interpersonal sensitivity to build effective therapeutic relationships with people for whom communication may itself be challenging.

At Birmingham City University, this part-time BSc programme is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council and uses a variety of innovative activities and placements to deliver a client-centred, evidence-based education in speech and language therapy, as the course describes. You will develop your knowledge of anatomy and physiology, linguistics, psychology, and the evidence-based assessment and intervention approaches that speech and language therapy employs, alongside substantial clinical placement experience across a range of settings. Studying part-time allows you to progress at a pace that suits your existing commitments while building the professional knowledge and practical skills the profession requires.

Graduates who qualify from HCPC-approved speech and language therapy programmes are eligible to register with the Health and Care Professions Council and practice as speech and language therapists in the NHS, private practice, schools, early years settings, and charitable organisations. Career progression into specialist clinical roles, management, research, and clinical education is well supported. Many speech and language therapists also go on to postgraduate study in specialist areas such as dysphagia, child language, or aphasia, developing deeper clinical expertise and contributing to the evidence base that guides professional practice.