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Speech and Language Therapy BSc (Hons)

This course will enable you to develop the academic, clinical and professional skills and knowledge to become a registered Speech and Language Therapist

Overview

Lisa Morgan, Senior Lecturer in Speech and Language Therapy, speak about the benefits of our Speech and Language Therapy course.

Speech and language therapists work collaboratively with children and adults of all ages who are experiencing challenges with speech, language and communication and/or eating, drinking and swallowing. We work closely with parents, carers and families, as well as many other professionals, to identify, assess and offer support to people in many, different ways. Speech and language therapy really is a rich and varied profession.

At DMU, you’ll study a wide range of topics across the three-year programme – including phonetics and phonology, psychology, medical sciences, linguistics and language development. As the course progresses, you’ll learn more about communication disabilities, evidence-based practice and intervention and have opportunities to develop your own focus in your final year dissertation project.

Alongside your academic studies, each year you’ll undertake practice-based learning, including weekly and block placements in a range of settings, such as schools, hospitals, care homes and in the community. This enables you to apply your learning to practice and develop your clinical and professional skills in real-life situations.

All speech and language therapy students are eligible to receive a bursary of at least £5,000 a year with up to £3,000 additional funding available. See further information, including details of eligible health professional courses.

Key features

  • Our course is approved by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and graduates are eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council to practise as a professional.
  • Varied practical opportunities, right from the beginning of year 1, will enable you to build your essential clinical and professional skills.
  • We have a strong focus on developing inter-professional skills and include specific events and activities in each year, working with other health and education students to understand and make the most of effective collaborative working.
  • We have well-established links with East Midlands NHS, school and independent providers to ensure a dynamic and clinically relevant curriculum.
  • We have a clear emphasis on employability throughout our teaching and learning, as well as inviting employers, newly qualified and experienced SLTs to share their knowledge and perspectives to support your transition from student to SLT.
  • You could gain valuable international experience as part of your studies with our DMU Global programme. Previous students have visited schools and community groups in India, supported deaf children in The Gambia and taught English to children in Bangkok.

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  • UK
  • EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: B621

Duration: Three years full-time

Start date: September 2023

Location of study: De Montfort University, Leicester UK and on work-based placements normally in the East Midlands but occasionally could be elsewhere in the UK

Fees and funding: 

2023/24 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

Additional costs: You may incur additional costs for this programme, including the cost of travelling to and from project/placement locations.

How to apply

Order a prospectus

Book an Open Day

Submit a study-related enquiry

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: B621

Duration: Three years full-time

Start date: September 2023

Location of study: De Montfort University, Leicester UK and on work-based placements normally in the East Midlands but occasionally could be elsewhere in the UK

Fees and funding:

2023/24 tuition fees for international students: £15,750

Find out more about available funding for international students.

 

Additional costs: You may incur additional costs for this programme, including the cost of travelling to and from project/placement locations.

How to apply

Order a prospectus

Submit a study-related enquiry

Entry criteria

GCSEs

  • Five GCSEs at grade C/4 or above including: English, Maths and Science

Plus one of the following:

Level 3 qualifications must be taken within the last 5 years and will normally be taken in one sitting. 

A Level

  • A minimum of 128 UCAS points from three A-levels at grades ABB or higher. We do not accept General Studies

T Levels

  • Distinction in Healthcare Science (optional module in Assisting with Healthcare Science, not Optical Care Services)
  • Distinction in Health (optional module in Supporting the Therapy Teams or Supporting the Adult Nursing Team or Supporting the Mental Health Team or Supporting the Care of Children and Young People)

BTEC

  • BTEC National Diploma - normally in Health and Social Care or Applied Science at DD plus another level 3 to meet the 128 UCAS points
  • BTEC Extended Diploma - normally in Health and Social Care or Applied Science at DDM

Access Diploma

  • Pass in the QAA Access to HE Diploma ‘Science’ or ‘Medicine and Healthcare’ with 45 credits at Distinction

English, Maths and Science GCSE required at grade C/4 as separate qualifications. Equivalency not accepted within the Access qualification.

We will normally require students to have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course.

International Baccalaureate: 30+ points

Alternative qualifications 

Degree: 2:1

Foundation degree: each application will be considered on its merits 

Mature students: Applications from mature students are encouraged. Mature students must normally demonstrate evidence of academic attainment within five years of application.

English language requirements:

If English is not your first language an average IELTS score of 8.0 (with no component below 7.5) when you start the course is essential. English language tuition, delivered by our British Council accredited Centre for English Language Learning (CELL), is available both before and during the course.

Work experience: We expect candidates to have sought some related experience e.g. with a voluntary organisation/school/nursery etc before applying. Where possible they will have had experience within a speech and language therapy clinical setting. In their personal statement applicants should demonstrate some knowledge of the profession and the potential ability to:

  • Recognise and respond to the needs of others.
  • Motivate others.
  • Make others feel safe and comfortable during interactions ('rapport').
  • Listen effectively and with empathy.
  • Communicate effectively in spoken and written English adapting to varied listeners and settings.
  • Learn independently.
  • Manage time and workload and effectively.  
  • Apply problem-solving skills flexibly and creatively to complex situations.
  • Reflect realistically on own learning and performance

Non-academic requirements

As well as academic requirements, you will also be required to meet and fulfil non-academic requirements which are stated below:

  • Self-Declaration Form clearance
  • Occupational Health clearance
  • Enhanced DBS disclosure clearance

You submit an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service disclosure application form before starting the course (if you are overseas you will also need to submit a criminal records certificate from your home country), which needs to be cleared in accordance with DMU’s admissions policy. Contact us for up-to-date information.

You must meet and fulfil all non-academic requirements before 17 July 2023. Failure to meet this deadline may result in your offer being withdrawn.

 

Resources: For more general information and resources on how to prepare for applying to become a Speech and Language therapist, please see the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists website.

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessments

Academic expertise and accreditation

 

 

First year

  • Professional Practice Education 1
  • Introduction to Linguistics and Language Acquisition
  • Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology
  • Medical Sciences
  • Communication Disability and Psychology

Second year

  • Professional Practice 2
  • Clinical Linguistics Assessments
  • Intervention 1: Language and Cognition
  • Intervention 2: Speech and Swallowing
  • Cognitive Psychology and Research Methods

Third year

  • Professional Practice 3
  • Transition to the Workplace
  • Intervention: Specialist Settings
  • Speech and Language Therapy Project
  • Language, Interaction and Society

See more detailed module information


Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

Teaching is generally in relatively small groups and includes:

  • Lectures
  • Seminars
  • Tutorial discussions
  • Practical workshops
  • Inter-professional (IP) learning with students from other healthcare professions
  • Work-based placement sessions 

Sessions often have lots of opportunities for interaction and applying your learning through discussion, practical or case-based examples along the way. You will also undertake self-directed study within modules, such as reading, webinars and group activities. Learning also takes place within inter-professional learning events with other programmes and practice-based learning including virtual and/or physical placements.

You’ll be assessed using a wide variety of methods including:

  • written assignments
  • case studies
  • video assessments
  • presentations
  • exams
  • dissertation project

These are not only beneficial in demonstrating your learning on the programme, but often have relevance to your future role as an SLT

Teaching contact hours:

Contact hours in any week depend on modules and the year you’re in. Most modules take a flexible, blended approach, with online materials to support your studies as well as face to face taught sessions, but you can expect around 15-20 hours timetabled study each week.

In years 1 and 2, these are mainly focused across 3 days per week due to the weekly nature of placement. Across the programme you will also complete at least 150 sessions (approximately 75 days) practice-based learning.

 At DMU, we have a structured personal tutoring approach and aim for a collaborative and collegiate feel for the programme. We’re delighted to regularly receive feedback from students on the approachability of the staff and the support they offer.

Academic expertise

The vast majority of our teaching staff are registered Speech and Language Therapists, so academic teaching is well-supported by clinical experience across a wide range of specialisms. You’ll also access some teaching from visiting lecturers, immersed in specialist areas of clinical practice.

Staff also have expertise in academic research, particularly relating to dysarthria, aphasia, autism/mental health and phonetics and phonological pedagogy; and a wide range of interests including reflection, collaborative practice and pedagogy.

Our staff also contribute to wider developments in the SLT world, for example in RCSLT working groups on topics such as clinical education, equality and diversity and dysphagia competencies.

 Accreditation

The course is certified by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).  Graduates are eligible to apply to the HCPC for entry onto the speech and language part of the register in order to practise as speech and language therapists.

Facilities and features

 
Placements
Placements
Placements
Placements
 

Hawthorn Building

Substantial investment in Health and Life Sciences has developed our teaching and learning facilities to help you apply your practical experience and theoretical knowledge beyond the classroom.

Students will access our dedicated Speech Lab, equipped with computers and software relevant to the programme. We also have an SLT learning resource library, with access to a wide range of up to date speech and language therapy assessments and intervention resources to support clinical placement learning, as well as space to work together within, and across year groups. During the course you will also have access to clinical skills and simulation teaching using dedicated software and specially equipped practice environments such as a mock hospital ward environment to practice a range of clinical skills including bedside assessment.

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including Blackboard, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Opportunities and careers

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Placements

Each year, you’ll access practice-based learning including placements to compliment the theoretical learning in university and develop professional and clinical expertise. Preparation for practice-based learning takes place in the professional practice modules.

Placements are typically provided by the NHS, educational establishments, social care settings and private providers across the East Midlands and reflect current service delivery in speech and language therapy. This will include virtual (telehealth) as well as physical placement opportunities, enabling you to develop a wide range of skills across different client groups and settings. Our model includes both weekly and block placements across the programme.

Recent Speech and Language Therapy graduate Dinithi O'Gorman benefited from varied placement experiences such as helping people with brain injuries and empowering trans and gender diverse clients. She said: “It's been absolutely everything I could have ever wanted in a degree and I don't think I've been happier.”

 

We follow the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists guidance on clinical placements, to ensure an appropriate breadth and depth of experience. We rely on SLT services to offer practical experiences for students. If, a student chooses to decline a placement, it’s important to be aware that it may not be possible to find a timely alternative which may impact on when the student is then able to complete the programme and graduate.

While on placements you are likely to incur additional travel and accommodation costs compared with a regular student attending university and requiring student accommodation. The university consider financial support on an individual basis, depending on placement location and circumstances.  All NHS placements are unpaid, departments offer placements as they are keen to support the profession and in most cases receive limited funds from the NHS. 

We work closely with students who require reasonable adjustments relating to health or disability needs on placement.

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Graduate Careers

Our graduates are highly sought-after by speech and language therapy providers, with previous students securing positions working for the NHS and private organisations, as well as in medical, educational and social care settings.

Speech and Language Therapy graduate Alison Fowler came to study at DMU after more than 20 years working as a teacher, so she could follow her dream of helping people who have had a brain injury or a stroke, or any condition that might affect their communication.

She said: “I was utterly thrilled when I was offered my place on the course and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here.”

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#DMUglobal

This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world. Through #DMUglobal, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

Students on this course have recently undertaken #DMUglobal trips to places such as India, where they visited schools and community groups, and The Gambia, where they helped support deaf children. In addition to this, students have travelled to Bangkok to teach English to schoolchildren.

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