Medicine and healthcare · Psychology and social sciences
Speech and language therapy
BSc approved by the Health and Care Professions Council
Overview
Speech and language therapy is about communication and swallowing across the lifespan, from children with language needs to adults after a stroke. You study linguistics, psychology, phonetics and biomedical science, and you practise with patients on placement. It is easy to confuse with teaching English. The clinical work includes assessment and therapy, and sometimes decisions about safe swallowing. Students who enjoy it like language as a system and also like working closely with one person at a time.
You want to register as a speech and language therapist.
English, linguistics and primary teaching do not confer this registration.
People who like both language analysis and clinical care.
What you will study
Universities do not teach the same modules. The lists below are a general shape, not a syllabus.
Year 1
- Phonetics
- Linguistics
- Anatomy of communication
- Psychology
Later years
- Developmental and acquired conditions
- Dysphagia
- Placements
Skills
Useful before you start
- Careful listening
- Language awareness
- Science or psychology
Developed during the degree
- Assessment
- Therapy planning
- Working with families and teams
Teaching and assessment
Teaching often includes Lectures, Phonetics labs, Clinical placements.
Assessment often includes Exams, Clinical assessments, Case reports.
Typical weekly commitment
Estimate.
Entry requirements
Indicative patterns from published UK admissions information. Not an offer. Actual requirements vary by course, university and year. Pearson Edexcel International A Level and Cambridge International A Level are not treated as the same qualification as GCE A level.
Indicative requirements by qualification
The A-level band is the catalogue reference. IB and American lines come from the named university guides under the table. They are not a conversion every university uses, and they are not an offer.
| Qualification | Indicative requirements |
|---|---|
| A Levels | BBB–ABB. A mix of science, English and psychology is often welcomed. Required subjects vary. |
| IB Diploma | UCL publishes 34 points for ABB. The other end of this band is not in that table. A required A-level subject must be Higher Level in UCL's rule. Each Higher Level subject in that table is at least 5. UCL equates A* to 7, A to 6 and B to 5. This is one university's table. |
| American curriculum | That Manchester guide gives AP 5, 4, 4 for ABB. The other end of this band is not in the guide. Bristol publishes a GPA of 3.2, or 3.4 for competitive courses, and does not use one AP pattern for every degree. |
- University College London: Undergraduate entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, School of Social Sciences: Americas country guide. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, Civil Engineering: USA country entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Bristol: USA international qualifications. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
A-level subjects
A mix of science, English and psychology is often welcomed. Required subjects vary.
Often recommended: English Language, Biology, Psychology.
Useful preparation: English Literature.
GCSE and IGCSE
English language is often required. Other GCSE or IGCSE rules vary.
Indicative only.
Other ways in
- A postgraduate route exists after some other degrees.
Admissions tests and extra requirements
No admissions test is stored as usual for this course. A university can still set one for a particular year.
Course costs
For many standard full-time courses in England, the home-fee maximum in 2026 to 2027 is Up to £9,790. This is the maximum standard full-time fee published for approved English providers with a TEF award and an access and participation plan. It is not the fee a named university charges, and it does not decide whether you pay home or international fees.
Clinical, laboratory and studio courses are not given a different home-fee figure here, because the regulated maximum is not the same thing as an international or clinical fee.
International tuition is set by each university and is not stored here. Clinical courses are often much higher than classroom-based courses. A school in Qatar does not decide home-fee status.
Source: Changes to tuition fees: 2026 to 2027 academic year. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Living costs, field trips and professional fees are not included.
Where you could study
UK degrees in this subject are numerous. This page does not list every university, because a list without a checked entry requirement would look more certain than it is.
No individual UK course page is stored yet for this subject. Use the university site.
No overseas course has been checked for this subject yet.
Where could this degree take you?
Speech and language therapist
Direct qualifying route
The qualification should be HCPC-approved.
Explore your pathway
A course sits between school subjects and a career. It does not guarantee either admission or a job.