Speech and Language Therapy

Speech and language therapy is the health profession dedicated to assessing and treating people of all ages who have communication difficulties or problems with eating, drinking, and swallowing. The conditions that speech and language therapists work with include stammering, voice disorders, aphasia following stroke, autism, learning disability, cleft palate, head and neck cancer, and the communication effects of progressive neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease and motor neurone disease. The work requires both rigorous scientific knowledge, including linguistics, phonetics, anatomy, neurology, and psychology, and the clinical and interpersonal skills to work effectively with people in often vulnerable circumstances.

At Leeds Beckett University, this three-year full-time degree trains you to work as a qualified speech and language therapist. You will develop your understanding of communication development and disorder across the lifespan alongside the assessment and intervention skills that clinical practice demands. A year abroad is incorporated into the programme, providing international clinical or academic experience that broadens your understanding of how communication disorders and therapy practice vary across different healthcare and educational systems.

The programme includes substantial clinical placements throughout, ensuring that your academic learning is grounded in real clinical experience with real patients from an early stage.

Speech and language therapy graduates register with the Health and Care Professions Council and work in a wide range of settings, including the NHS, schools, early years services, community health teams, care homes, specialist disability services, and private practice. The profession has experienced sustained demand for its graduates, driven by growing recognition of the importance of communication in health, education, and wellbeing. With experience and further training, therapists progress into specialist, advanced practitioner, research, and management roles.

Leeds Beckett also offers an MSc for those who already hold a relevant undergraduate degree and want to qualify in an accelerated timeframe. The typical entry tariff is 136 points.