Masters Degrees in Language Pathology, United Kingdom

Our Language Pathology MSc is designed for those wanting to develop a career as a Speech and Language Therapist in the National Health Service. This practical course is accredited by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and approved by the Health and Care Professions Council.

In year one you will cover modules in psychology, linguistics and anatomy/physiology that underpin the discipline. You will also begin to work on speech and language therapy (SLT) cases and have your first experiences of working clinically under supervision.

Year two is more specialised with a focus on motor, head and neck and cognitive impairments. With academic and clinical supervision, you will carry out and write up a clinically-based research project (an extended case report), based on a therapy programme that you will deliver to one client.

You need to be able to identify with NHS values as stated in the NHS constitution.

Teaching is delivered through case-based problem solving which means you will be participating in guided self-directed learning and collaborating with peers in group work.

Our staff have an immense amount of experience of delivering SLT courses and many are qualified and experienced speech and language therapists. All are involved in research in this area and our teaching is supported by research findings.

We take a student-centred approach to your development of knowledge, thinking and professional identity. We offer an individual approach to clinical supervision in our clinics, which involves micro-analysis of video material and focuses on positive aspects of interaction. We also aim to provide transparent assessment procedures and a clear and specific marking criteria for coursework, helping you to prepare your coursework.

We have very high student satisfaction scores for our programmes in the 2016 Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (92% satisfaction). We are ranked in the top 10 in the UK for Aural and Oral Sciences in The Complete University Guide 2017. We also rank 4th in the UK for overall student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey, with a score of 93% (in the Aural and Oral Science category).

[Delivery

The course is taught at Newcastle city campus and in a variety of external clinical placements. The course runs from 9am to 6pm during weekdays from September to July in both years. This is an intense course with approximately 25-30 contact hours per week with the possibility of additional contact hours during clinical placements. There are also block clinical placements in the summer months in both years.

You will complete compulsory modules followed by a six-week clinical placement in both years. Assessment is through course work, written examinations, in-course assessment of the clinical practicum, case presentations and in-course class tests. An important element of year two is the extended case report, where you manage a clinical case, provide intensive input, and write up your findings in dissertation format.

Placements

You will complete two, 11-week on-site placements either in the Aphasia Centre or the Child Speech and Language Therapy Clinic. You will also complete two, six-week placements in a range of NHS and educational settings.

Your clinically-based research project (extended case report) will be the basis of a third six-week placement.

Accreditation

The course is accredited by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). On successful completion of the course you can apply to register with the HCPC and RCSLT as a speech and language therapist.

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Fostering critical reflection, specialist knowledge, and joint professional practice between school-based professionals supporting children with speech, language and communication needs.

Who is it for?

This course is suitable for school-based professionals who provide support for children with speech, language and communication needs.

It is designed for students looking to gain high level knowledge and analytical skills, share their professional experience and perspectives and access current research in their field.

Students will be aiming to raise their profile as a specialist and leader in speech, language and communication needs in the school setting.

Objectives

The MSc in Speech, Language and Communication Needs in Schools is jointly run by City, University of London and UCL Institute of Education. It brings together speech and language therapists, teachers and other graduate school-based practitioners for collaborative study. The programme is designed to enable students to:
-Understand and critically reflect on research and professional practice across both education and health.
-Develop high level knowledge of educational contexts and children’s language, social, emotional and behavioural development and needs.
-Enhance students’ understanding of research methods and skills.
-Complete a research project in a chosen area under expert supervision.
-Enjoy stimulation and fresh thinking in a community of fellow students, practitioners and research experts.
-Gain recognition as a specialist in the field.

Teaching and learning

Modules are facilitated by experienced clinicians, teachers and leading researchers, using a variety of direct and interactive methods. Some modules take place in large groups supplemented by small group discussion or laboratory sessions that provide hands-on experience of statistical analyses. Specialist modules take place in small groups combining lecturing with student-led discussion and workshop activities often drawing on participants' professional experiences. Moodle, the virtual learning environment at both institutions, provides an online platform for sharing module information and interactive learning. These methods support and are supported by self-directed study.

Assessments

Modules are assessed through a diverse range of assignments that may include essays, literature reviews, oral presentations, poster presentations, case studies, and data analyses. Assessments require critical evaluation of the research on key issues; selective application of theory and research to a particular setting, group or individual in the student's experience; understanding of research methods; and skills in statistical analysis.

Modules

The taught programme comprises:
-Four core modules
-Either one elective module worth 30 credits or two elective modules each worth 15 credits
-A research dissertation.

Teaching takes place in three 10-week terms: autumn, spring and summer. Students will normally take one module per term part-time or two modules per term full-time.

Each module runs over 3-5 whole days, 10 evenings or 10 half days. In addition, students will be expected to spend approximately half a day a week reading around the taught sessions, preparing for discussion, or completing short exercises. Students have up to one year to complete the research dissertation.

Core modules
-Concepts and Contexts of Special and Inclusive Education (30 credits)
-Social, Emotional and Behavioural Development (30 credits)
-Language Learning and Development (15 credits)
-Foundations of Research Methods and Applied Data Analysis (15 credits)

Elective modules - Elective modules are chosen from many available at both institutions and timing depends on module choice. Popular electives at UCL IOE include:
-Literacy Development (30 credits)
-Developmental Language Impairment (30 credits)
-Child and Adolescent Mental Health (30 credits)
-Reading and Spelling Difficulties (30 credits)
-Understanding Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) (30 credits)
-Autism: Research and Practice (30 credits)

At City, University of London:
-Cognitive Communication Impairments (15 credits)
-Developmental Language Impairment (15 credits)
-Dysphagia and Disorders of Eating and Drinking (15 credits)
-Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Early Identification and Assessment (15 credits)
-Promoting Child and Adolescent Psychological Development (15 credits)

Career prospects

This MSc qualification raises graduates’ profile as a specialist and leader in speech, language and communication needs in the school setting. It is an advantage for teachers and clinicians seeking higher grade specialist and managerial posts.

Graduates are also eligible to apply for a research degree (MPhil/PhD) and some research posts.

Please note that this MSc does not lead to professional qualification as a speech and language therapist or teacher.

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As a postgraduate researcher in Speech and Language Sciences you will carry out a major research project working with supervisors who are experts in your field.

We offer expert supervision in the following research areas:
-Links between the production and perception of speech
-Monolingual/bilingual speech and language development in children for a range of language(s), particularly Arabic
-Early years policy with a focus on language and communication
-Relation of socio-economic factors to language development
-Assessment, diagnosis and intervention for speech, language and communication impairment, including: primary speech and language impairment in children (including specific language impairment); verb and sentence processing deficits in people with aphasia; memory disorders following stroke; effectiveness of interventions for speech and language impairments; the psycholinguistics of word production; computational modelling of word retrieval

Our website provides further information on research areas. Our supervisors' current research interests, projects and publications are available from our staff profiles. The majority of our staff have hands-on professional experience in speech and language therapy, teaching, or English language teaching prior to entering academia.

We advise that you contact Carolyn Letts, Director of Postgraduate Research, or a member of our staff as a potential supervisor before applying. You will be asked to submit a short research proposal (1000 words max).

Delivery

Your attendance at Newcastle is flexible, depending on your field work or if you are away collecting data. You will have regular meetings with your supervisory team, supported by email and Skype.

You can choose to enter the annual competition for ESRC funded studentships through the ESRC Northern Ireland/North East (NINE) Doctoral Training Partnership. You should contact us well in advance of the February deadline if you are planning to apply.

You will be based in the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, which is very diverse with a high number of international students. You will have opportunities to attend seminars across the disciplines of speech and language sciences, education and applied linguistics and to engage with staff and fellow-students from all over the world. Many of our students already have well-developed professional careers and are inspired to explore research questions arising from their experience.

If you are based in the UK and wish to maintain your professional employment, part time study is a flexible option.

Our links with research centres and institutes provide opportunities for collaboration and cross-disciplinary seminars and interest groups. Our most important connections are with:
-Institute for Health and Society
-Centre for Research in Linguistics and Language Studies
-Centre for Research in Learning and Teaching

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A flexible, professionally orientated programme for speech and language therapists and other graduates seeking new knowledge and expertise about communication disorders and swallowing.

Who is it for?

The course is for qualified speech and language therapists seeking to gain specialist knowledge and high level research skills in their field. It is also suitable for other graduates with a background and special interest in children and adults with speech, language, communication and associated difficulties, including Deafness.

Objectives

The MSc programme is designed to:
-Stimulate you to think in new ways about disorders of language, communication and swallowing.
-Introduce you to new theoretical ideas and new approaches to clinical practice.
-Strengthen your knowledge of the evidence base for clinical work.
-Enhance your skills in critically appraising research evidence.
-Provide you with the skills and knowledge that you need to begin independent research.
-Students are taught in a dynamic and supportive atmosphere, which encourages participation and the exchange of ideas. The knowledge and skills that you will develop can be applied across different language and cultural contexts, making the programme highly suitable for home, EU or overseas students.

Academic facilities

Students on the MSc course have access to specialist labs, e.g. providing speech and hearing instrumentation, computing resources and the excellent Institution library facilities, including our subject specific librarian. The School of Health hosts a speech and language therapy clinic (The Roberta Williams Centre) which provides project opportunities for MSc students.

Teaching and learning

Most teaching and learning takes place in small groups, combining direct input from experts with student-led discussion and workshop activities. Large-group teaching in research methods is combined with small-group laboratory sessions. Our virtual learning environment, Moodle, provides a platform for sharing module information and interactive learning. These methods support and are supported by self-directed study.

Assignments include essays, portfolios, literature reviews, poster presentations, oral presentations, and data analyses. Some focus entirely on critical evaluation of research; others require you to apply a selected body of research to a given case, client group, or clinical setting.

Modules

To gain the MSc or a PG Dip you will study two core modules, three discipline-specific modules (or related to communication or swallowing), and two elective modules which may be discipline-specific or generic.

Most modules run in the Autumn and Spring terms. A typical 15 credit module involves between 25 and 30 hours of teaching, supplemented by extensive private study (at least 8 hours a week).

The research dissertation involves up to one year of independent data collection and study, supported by a supervisor.

To gain a Postgraduate Certificate in Speech Language and Communication you will be required to complete 3 or 4 modules totalling 60 credits. These must include at least two discipline specific modules in the area of Speech Language and Communication.

Core modules
-Introduction to research methods and applied data analysis (30 credits)
-Critical issues in advanced practice (15 credits)

Discipline Specific and Elective modules
-Acquired language impairments (15 credits)
-Case-based clinical management (15 credits)
-Cognitive communication impairments (15 credits)
-Developmental language impairment (15 credits)
-Dysphagia and disorders of eating and drinking (15 credits)
-Habilitative audiology (15 credits)
-Identity, Inclusion and Living with Disability
-Language learning and development (15 credits)
-Instrumental Techniques in Speech Sciences
-Developing Complex Interventions (15 credits)

Students can also choose modules from the School of Health Sciences' broader Continuing Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) portfolio.

Following successful completion of the taught component, students have up to one year to complete the dissertation.

Career prospects

Successful completion of the MSc fulfils the requirements for many higher-grade senior speech and language therapy posts, and for many EU and overseas clinical posts that require a masters level qualification. Students will also be eligible to apply for a research degree (MPhil/PhD) and for some research posts.

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