BSc Speech and Language Therapy

Do you enjoy working with people? Want to make a difference in people's lives? If you are keen to become a registered speech and language therapist and want to shape the future of communication, our BSc Speech and Language Therapy pre-registration course can help you achieve your goals. Alternatively, if you are already in full-time employment in a relevant role, and have the support of your employer, you may be interested in our Speech and Language Therapy Degree Apprenticeship which also leads to BSc Speech and Language Therapy.

There's never been a better time to train as you can now apply for a £5000 grant that you won't need to pay back! There is also an extra £3000 funding available depending on your personal circumstances. You can find more information about eligibility and how to apply on the HSC Scholarships and Funding page.

Speech and language therapists work with people of all ages who experience communication and swallowing difficulties, enabling them to maximise their independence in their social, academic and working lives. Successful completion of our BSc Speech and Language Therapy programme leads to eligibility to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a speech and language therapist.

This is a client-focused course which uses varied learning methods to integrate theory and clinical practice. You undertake day visits and blocks of practice education with speech and language therapists in the workplace. This practical experience helps prepare you for your future as a qualified therapist.

Our course is continuously developed to reflect contemporary health, education and social care practice. Clients, voluntary groups, other allied health professionals, speech and language therapy clinicians and service managers continue to be involved, in order to ensure that changes in speech and language therapy practice are incorporated, keeping your course up to date.

The School of Health and Social Care is proud to work closely with our Service User Reference Group (SURG). SURG is made up of service users, carers, and volunteers who generously share their first-hand experiences of health and social care. We work collaboratively with SURG to design our courses to ensure that we truly are putting the needs of patients and clients at the heart of what we do. SURG are involved as part of our course application processes and often form part of our interview panels. This helps us to be confident that we are selecting the right applicants for the course and their future careers. SURG members also support the delivery of our teaching sessions and research activity, which means you'll benefit from an insight into their lived experiences of living with a diagnosis, health condition, or circumstance. You'll find that not only does your clinical knowledge expand, but your empathy, compassion and ability to advocate develops also.

You share some learning experiences with other healthcare students on similar undergraduate courses. The learning includes inter-professional collaboration, especially during placements. Working alongside other health professionals means that you also have the opportunity to gain expert knowledge from them.

The cost of required uniform will be fully covered by the school.

Pre-registration Eating, Drinking and Swallowing (EDS) Competencies

The RCSLT have developed pre-registration EDS competencies (2021) in partnership with clinicians and higher education institutions to ensure that all pre-registration SLT students have the same level of competency across the UK. These competencies will become mandatory for all pre-registration SLT students who graduate from 2026 onwards.

The RCSLT pre-registration EDS competencies are embedded into our teaching and placement curriculum. Across your academic programme you will have an opportunity to achieve EDS knowledge and practical competencies. This will be supported through a combination of theory-based lectures, practical workshops, e-learning and clinical placements. EDS observations, supervised EDS assessment and management discussions can occur in a variety of placement locations including, hospitals, community services including visiting people in their own home, care homes, pre-school, schools, special education needs provision, mental health settings, secure settings, adult learning disability settings.

Once you have these pre-registration EDS competencies, you will have an enhanced skills set. Common activities a student and EDS trained speech and language therapist would complete, may include, but is not limited to:

• assessing oral movements
• carrying out oral care
• completing infection control procedures including hand washing and decontaminating equipment
• holding babies
• helping to position clients
• assisting and/or feeding clients
• touching the client's face and neck during assessment to determine movements
• travelling to client's homes
• being part of difficult discussions with clients and carers
• talking to the client and carers about the results of an assessment and future management

You will also find that, should you choose to work abroad once qualified, you will be able to evidence EDS training. This will make it easier to work as a qualified Speech and Language Therapist in countries where the RCSLT have a Mutual Recognition Agreement.

Placement information

Placements are an integral part of this course and are sourced for you from across a variety of settings (e.g.NHS organisations, independent/private SLT services, charities, and Schools) and client groups (e.g. paediatrics, adults, etc). Your placements will vary in length and are linked to the objectives of the modules you are studying. You will have a minimum of 150 clinical experience sessions (approximately 75 days). Placements will have different structures which include face-to-face, virtual, via telehealth. If you have significant experience in a particular field, we may not return you to that setting so you have the opportunity to advance your skillset.

Speech and Language Therapy placements tend to fall Monday-Friday and within office hours (e.g between 8am -6pm). To provide the best opportunities, we use a wide network of placements across the Eastern region, which means you will likely have to travel approximately 90 minutes from campus. We allocate students on placements throughout the entire East of England region (e.g. Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk) and surrounding areas. Subject to eligibility, you may be able to claim the NHS Learning Support Fund which provides reimbursement of excess travel (i.e. above your regular commute to campus, and inclusive of costs such as hire cars, etc) or accommodation costs incurred due to undertaking practical training on clinical placement. When you start your course, the SLT Placements Team will collect information about your previous work experience, whether you can drive, and other circumstances in order to aid placing you.

DBS and Occupational Health Checks

This course requires a satisfactory Occupational Health Check and enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check (including child and adult barred list check) - both of these are organised by the University. Please contact our DBS team at DBS@essex.ac.uk, or our Occupational Health team at studentoh@essex.ac.uk if you have any questions in relation to these checks.

You will also be required to register for the DBS Update Service. You will need to register for this within 30 days of your DBS certificate being issues. The Update Service costs £13 per year, which the University will reimburse. You will need to keep the subscription to this Service active for the duration of your course. If you do not register for the Update Service within 30 days, or your registration lapses, and you later attend placement where this is a requirement, you will have to pay for a new DBS check, which will enable you to sign up to the Update Service. Please contact our DBS team at DBS@essex.ac.uk if you have any questions relating to this.

A satisfactory Overseas Criminal Record Check/Local Police Certificate is also required, in addition to a DBS Check, where you have lived outside of the UK in the last 5 years for 6 months or more. Further information about how to obtain an Overseas Criminal Record check can be found on the Gov.uk website.

We continue to recommend Covid and flu vaccination to all of our students. This is to protect both yourself and the vulnerable people that you may meet throughout your placement.

Professional accreditation

Approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for the purpose of providing eligibility to apply for registration with the HCPC as a speech and language therapist.

Recognised by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) for the purpose of applying for newly qualified practitioner membership.

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. This four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course.

Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised.

If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university

Placement year

Alternatively, this four year version of our degree allows you to spend your third year with an external organisation. This is an opportunity to further develop professional skills in the workplace by working in a field associated with Speech and Language Therapy practice, for example as a Teaching Assistant, a Speech and Language Therapy Assistant, a Care Assistant, etc.

Your HCPC and RCSLT pre-registration placement hour requirements are met within the standard three years of the BSc Speech and Language Therapy programme.

If you complete a placement year you'll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.

Specialist facilities

The School of Health and Social Care is located at two sites; in the Kimmy Eldridge building at our Colchester campus and in the Gateway Building at our Southend campus. This course is based at our Colchester Campus only.

We have purpose-built Simulation Wards and Communication Skills Labs at our Colchester Campus to meet the needs of a growing and lively School. View our image gallery and find out more about our Speech and Language Therapy facilities".

Your future

We currently have graduates working in clinical and management positions in local and national NHS trusts, hospitals, schools, local authorities, justice system, private and not for profit organisations, reflecting the range of locations in which speech and language therapists are employed.

86% of our graduates are in employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2024)

Find out more careers in speech and language therapy from the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

UK entry requirements

• GCSEs: Mathematics, Science and English Language C/4. Acceptable alternatives are listed further down this page
• A-levels: BBB - BBC or 120 - 112 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 2 full A-levels.
• BTEC: DDM - DMM or 120 - 112 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of the equivalent of 2 full A-levels.
• Other UCAS tariff qualifications, and combined qualifications: 120 - 112 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 2 full A levels or equivalent. Tariff point offers may be made if you are taking a qualification, or mixture of qualifications, from the list on our undergraduate application information page.
• IB: 30 - 29 points or three Higher Level certificates with 555-554.
• IB Career-related Programme: We consider combinations of IB Diploma Programme courses with BTECs or other qualifications.
• QAA-approved Access to HE Diploma: 6 level 3 credits at Distinction and 39 level 3 credits at Merit.
• T-levels: We consider T-levels on a case-by-case basis, depending on subject studied. The offer for most courses is Distinction overall. Depending on the course applied for there may be additional requirements, which may include a specific grade in the Core.

We also consider vocational level 3 qualifications for entry. If you are taking or have achieved any qualifications that are not listed here, email Undergraduate Admissions.

GCSE/level 2 requirements

All applicants must have, or be working towards, acceptable level 2 Mathematics, Science, and English qualifications such as GCSE grade C/4 or equivalent.

• We accept OFQUAL regulated level 2 maths qualifications, including Functional Skills level 2, Key Skills level 2 or numeracy units taken as part of an Access to HE Diploma.
• If you don't need a Student visa and are either a first language English speaker or have a lived in the UK for over three years, we can accept OFQUAL regulated level 2 English qualifications, including Functional Skills level 2, Key Skills level 2 or literacy units taken as part of an Access to HE Diploma.

Additional requirements

This course has additional requirements including a satisfactory reference, Occupational Health Check and Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check. For more information see the Health and Social Care Undergraduate page

Contextual Offers:

We are committed to ensuring that all students with the merit and potential to benefit from an Essex education are supported to do so. If you are a home fee paying student residing in the UK you may be eligible for a Contextual Offer of up to two A-level grades, or equivalent, below our standard conditional offer.
Factors we consider:

• Applicants from underrepresented groups
• Applicants progressing from University of Essex Schools Membership schools/colleges
• Applicants who attend a compulsory admissions interview
• Applicants who attend an Offer Holder Day at our Colchester or Southend campus

Our contextual offers policy outlines additional circumstances and eligibility criteria.

For further information about what a contextual offer may look like for your specific qualification profile, email ugquery@essex.ac.uk.

If you haven't got the grades you hoped for, have a non-traditional academic background, are a mature student, or have any questions about eligibility for your course, more information can be found on our undergraduate application information page or get in touch with our Undergraduate Admissions Team

English language requirements

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 8.0 overall with a minimum of 7.5 in each component, or specified score in another equivalent test that we accept.

Details of English language requirements, including component scores, and the tests we accept can be found here

If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.

English language shelf-life

If you require a Student visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.

Pre-sessional English courses

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Pending English language qualifications

You don’t need to achieve the required level before making your application, but it will be one of the conditions of your offer.

If you cannot find the qualification that you have achieved or are pending, then please email ugquery@essex.ac.uk.

Additional Notes

If you’re an international student, but do not meet the English language or academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College

Course structure

These carefully selected modules will give you the chance to explore, question, and create powerful ideas. Picked to give you an extensive and in-depth education, they'll equip you with the specialist knowledge, vital transferrable skills, and the confidence to make a genuine difference to the world around you.

We're reactive, we're pioneering, we never stand still, so modules might change from year to year in response to new developments and innovation. Those listed below show how a typical course might look.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Placement

On a placement year you gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

Year abroad

On your year abroad, you have the opportunity to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

Teaching

Please be aware you will be required to be on campus for between 4-5 days per week in the Autumn and Spring term. In the Summer term, you may have more self-directed study which will help you prepare for your summer exams/and or final assigments, so you may not be required to be on campus so frequently. When you are on placement, you will be expected to commit to 5 days per week. Speech and Language Therapy placements tend to fall Monday-Friday and within office hours (e.g between 8am -6pm).

• Enquiry based learning
• Interactive Lectures
• Practical learning in university and on placement

Assessment

You will be assessed through a range of techniques including:

• coursework: verbal presentations, vivas, essays, dissertation
• exams
• practice placements