Speech and Language Therapy

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Further Education
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
Find Out More

What Is Speech & Language Therapy? Student Perspective Course Structure

Entry Points (2024)

544

Course Overview

Speech and language therapists enable people with communication disorders and swallowing disorders to achieve their maximum potential. They are involved in assessing clients’ communication and swallowing difficulties, and developing treatment programmes to meet their specific needs. They work closely with other members of the team, such as nurses, doctors, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, teachers, etc, and work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, primary care health centres and schools. The Bachelor of Science Speech and Language Therapy programme is accredited by both the Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists (IASLT) (professional body) and CORU (regulatory body).

Our mission statement is: “To prepare speech and language therapists in training to become competent clinicians and independent lifelong learners, by providing a supportive learning environment to explore relevant theory and apply it to clinical practice, with an emphasis on lived experiences and evidence.”

Our curriculum is spiral in nature, which means that we revisit topics and themes throughout the programme to deepen students’ knowledge and skills. There is a clear, transparent, pathway to facilitate the development of competencies across the four years.

Students must undertake clinical placements, under the supervision of qualified speech and language therapists, in a range of settings to develop clinical competencies. We also have a purpose-built speech and language therapy on-site clinic on campus. This clinic is a unique collaboration between University of Galway, the health services, and Voices for Down syndrome Galway. Students undertake some of their clinical placements in this facility. The on-site clinic has the dual function of delivering high quality services to the public while at the same time providing a supportive learning environment for SLTs in training.

We use innovative and creative teaching, learning, and assessment methods to facilitate students to link theory with practice the curriculum is delivered by a dynamic reflective team that is committed to excellence.

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 Level in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, another language, Mathematics, a laboratory science subject (i.e. Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Physics with Chemistry (joint) or Agricultural Science), and any other subject recognised for entry purposes.

Additional Requirements

Vaccinations The HSE, the School of Health Sciences and the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, require students to produce evidence that they have received the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) and the Hepatitis B (Hep B) vaccinations. In line with this requirement, University of Galway, Speech & Language Therapy Programme recommends that student’s evidence both the MMR and Hepatitis B before the commencement of placement. Evidence of these vaccinations must be provided in the first year of the course.
Students must satisfy the Garda/police vetting and also satisfy the English Language Requirements where English is not their first language.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

4 years

Next start date

September 2025

A Level Grades (2024)

universityofgalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

Closing Date

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY503

Course code

Course Outline

Year 1

Psychology I
Human Body Structure
Human Body Function
Practice Education I
Professional Studies I
Linguistics I
Phonetics and Phonology
Communication Impairments & Dysphagia I

Year 2

Psychology II
Neuroanatomy
Neurophysiology
Practice Education II
Professional Studies II
Research Methodology II
Linguistics II
Communication Impairments & Dysphagia II

Year 3

Psychology III
Practice Education III
Professional Studies III
Research Methodology III
Linguistics III
Communication Impairments & Dysphagia III

Year 4

Practice Education IV
Professional Studies IV
Research Methodology IV

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits: You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module: An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject: Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional: A module you may choose to study.
Required: A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject: A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester: Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (60 Credits)

Further Education

MSc Advanced Healthcare Practice and Research (full-time/part-time)

MSc Childhood Speech, Language & Communication Needs (full-time/part-time)

MSc Applied Multilingualism (full-time/part-time)

PhD Speech and Language Therapy

PhD Language Science

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Speech and language therapy graduates will be in a position to work in a range of settings with adults and children with a range of speech, language, communication and swallowing needs. For example, graduates may work in the following settings:

Primary care clinics/health Centres
Day Centres
Rehabilitation Centres
Child and adolescent mental health services
Individuals' Homes
Child Development Centres
Hospitals
Mainstream and Special Schools
Language Classes
Voluntary agencies

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Practice education begins in first year, when students visit pre-schools and centres for people with disabilities. Throughout the course, there is a combination of one-day weekly placements in the on-site clinic and block placements in the community where students are given the opportunity to learn under the supervision of a qualified speech and language therapist. The Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists (IASLT) requires that speech and language therapists in training undertake a minimum of 450 hours clinical education, 300 of which must be with a speech and language therapist and 150 of which can be clinically related.

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€7,868 p.a.(€8,208 p.a. including levy & occupational heath service fee) 2024/25

Fees: Tuition

€4,868 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Non EU

€26,500 p.a.(€26,840 p.a. including levy & occupational heath service fee)2024/25

Occupational Health Service
In year one students are required to pay a €200 fee towards a subsidised Occupational Health Service provided to students of the College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences in compliance with all relevant legislation and standards.

EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Levy €140 - payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. Further detail here.

Find out More

The School of Health Sciences
Speech and Language Therapy
T 353 (0)91 495470
E healththerapies@universityofgalway.ie
www.universityofgalway.ie/speech_language_therapy/

What Our Students Say

Jenna O'Neill | BSc (Speech and Language Therapy)

This course really appealed to me due to the broad range of subject areas covered, taking in psychology, linguistics, anatomy and physiology. The best part of the course was the clinical placements which give you the opportunity to link what you are doing in the classroom to its practical application. It also provided great insight into the range of possible working environments, from hospitals to schools and community clinics. It is a challenging, enjoyable and rewarding course which leads on to a great career.