Speech And Language Therapy

Speech and language therapy is the health profession concerned with the assessment and treatment of communication and swallowing difficulties. Speech and language therapists work with children and adults across an enormous range of conditions, including language delay and disorder in children, acquired communication impairments following stroke or brain injury, voice disorders, fluency difficulties such as stammering, conditions such as autism that affect social communication, and swallowing difficulties associated with neurological or structural problems. The role requires both detailed scientific knowledge of how communication and swallowing work and the interpersonal skills to build therapeutic relationships with people who are often in vulnerable or distressing situations.

At the University of Manchester, this three-year, full-time programme leads to qualification for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a speech and language therapist. The curriculum integrates the sciences that underpin the profession, including linguistics, phonetics, anatomy and physiology, neuroscience, and psychology, with clinical education and practical placement experience. You will study the full range of communication and swallowing disorders across the lifespan, developing both the theoretical understanding and the clinical skills to assess, diagnose, and plan treatment.

Manchester is a large and diverse city with excellent clinical placement opportunities across NHS trusts, community services, schools, and specialist settings.

Clinical placements are a required and regulated part of the programme, ensuring that you graduate with genuine supervised experience across different client groups and settings before you register and practise independently.

Speech and language therapists work in the NHS, schools, private practice, care homes, prisons, and voluntary sector organisations. The profession is regulated, and Manchester's degree is approved by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. Postgraduate specialist training and academic research are routes available for those who wish to develop expertise in particular areas or pursue leadership and teaching roles within the profession.