Speech and Language Therapy

Speech and language therapy is a healthcare profession concerned with the assessment and treatment of people who have difficulties with communication or swallowing, whether as a result of developmental conditions, neurological injury, illness, or structural differences. Therapists work with adults and children across a remarkable range of presentations, including language delay, stuttering, voice disorders, aphasia following stroke, autism spectrum conditions, and the swallowing difficulties that can accompany conditions like Parkinson's disease or head and neck cancer. The role demands both scientific knowledge of how speech, language, and swallowing work and the interpersonal sensitivity to build therapeutic relationships with people who may find communication itself challenging.

At Manchester Metropolitan University, this three-year full-time degree prepares you for registration and professional practice as a speech and language therapist. You will study the anatomy and physiology of communication and swallowing, the cognitive and linguistic processes that underpin language, the range of conditions that affect these systems, and the evidence-based assessment and therapy approaches that are used to support people to communicate more confidently and comfortably. Substantial clinical placement experience is woven through the programme, giving you hands-on practice with real clients in a range of settings under the supervision of qualified therapists.

Graduates from speech and language therapy programmes are eligible to register with the Health and Care Professions Council and can practise in the NHS, independent sector, schools, charities, and private practice. Common settings include hospitals, community health teams, special schools, early years settings, and adult learning disability services. Career progression into specialist clinical roles, management, and research is well supported, and many speech and language therapists go on to postgraduate study in specialist areas or to contribute to the research base that guides effective clinical practice.