This unit will develop your understanding of fundamental human sciences underpinning speech and
language therapy practice including: anatomy and physiology, biological and medical sciences,
psychological and social sciences and linguistics. The unit will also explore the application of
psychological, social and cultural factors to speech, language and literacy. You will also explore the
structure and function of the human body and develop knowledge of health, disease, impairment and
dysfunction for speech and language therapy.

This unit will provide you with a foundation for the rest of the MSc Speech and Language Therapy
(pre-registration) course. In the unit you will contextualise health and social care, including the
promotion of good health as well as the management of ill-health. The unit explores ethical
dimensions to care to reinforce and develop respectful, reflective professional practice. You will also
develop an understanding of healthcare and education systems, as well as understanding the ethical,
legal, moral, health and safety constraints governing speech and language therapy practice. Finally,
you will begin to build fundamental skills to underpin speech and language therapy practice including
communication, decision-making, self-awareness and the required academic skills to complete the
course.

This unit will introduce you to key speech, language and swallowing challenges experienced by adult
populations, and the therapeutic approaches to working with such conditions. The unit introduces
core adult disorders including aphasia, dysarthria, dysphagia, voice disorders and head and neck
cancer. Knowledge from previous units in anatomy, physiology and neurology underpin
understanding of the typical and pathological processes of the aero digestive tract and central
nervous system. Attention is paid throughout to the impact of difficulties on the quality of life of the
individual and their family. The nature and neurology of progressive neurological disease is
examined and compared to healthy typical ageing, with particular reference to motor neuron disease,
multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and tumour. The speech, language and swallowing difficulties
arising from these progressive conditions is also examined. This unit builds upon anatomy,
physiology and neurology taught in previous units (e.g., SLT 702). Stroke is explored in the context
of aphasia. Aphasia is examined from a classical, localisation approach and from a linguistic modular
perspective; co-morbidity of apraxia and dysarthria is integrated into the discussion of aphasia.

In this unit you will develop an understanding of the structure of language and be introduced to the
basic principles of speech and language therapy in children. The unit develops linguistic and phonetic
knowledge to ensure a comprehensive understanding of speech production and language structure
and the principles of syntactic analysis. Seeking to apply this knowledge to understand simpler
speech and language pathologies. The unit further develops the students’ experience and
understanding of aspects of more complex speech and language pathology in children. The unit
explores fundamental aspects of practice including assessment, diagnosis, and prognosis,
considering in relation to increasingly complex cases.

In this unit you will build upon your professional practice knowledge and skills developed in other
units on the course to further develop your professional capabilities. The unit will continue to develop
patient-centred approaches to practice whilst also exploring leadership and leadership skills in
healthcare and education contexts. In addition, the unit explores the process of service evaluation
and the development of appropriate business skills, innovation and change.

In this unit you will gain practical work-based experience working with a range of patients, serviceusers and their families on clinical placement. You will have the opportunity to apply your theoretical
knowledge and skills that have been developed while studying other units on this course, applying
them in practical environments and utilising your transferable skills. This practical placement unit is
focused on a specific area of speech and language therapy practice. In the unit you will actively
contribute to the assessment and treatment of service users.

In this unit you will further deepen your knowledge and understanding of the theory, assessment,
differential diagnosis, intervention and management of a range of complex developmental and
acquired communication and swallowing difficulties. The unit will consider complex long-term
conditions and co-morbidities and includes working towards Eating, Drinking and Swallowing
Competencies.

This unit will enable you to develop an understanding of mental health and mental ill-health. In
particular, the unit will enable you to develop an understanding of common mental health challenges
faced and consider some of the specific challenges that are more prevalent in specific populations.
You will also explore key symptoms relating to a range of conditions, and crucially develop an
understanding of specific interventions and referral options whilst also reflecting on the boundaries
of your own professional competence relating to client mental health challenges.

This unit will develop your understanding of the principles and techniques of research methods
typically used in the analysis of research. After exploring the philosophical underpinnings of research
approaches, you will explore research design and data collection strategies through the
contextualization of the ‘research process’. The detailed tools of both qualitative and quantitative
design and data analysis will be explored and applied to the types of data typically collected in health
science-focused research. You will also explore more advanced methodologies and analyses. In
addition, you will develop an understanding of and ethical considerations in conducting research and
be able to identify and describe ethical challenges facing the postgraduate researcher.

This unit will provide you with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth and independent empirical
study in a topic of interest related to speech and language therapy practice. The dissertation can be
based on a research project or explore a practice improvement or practice innovation initiative. You
will be expected to demonstrate originality in the development and application of knowledge and
research skills. A research proposal will initially be produced that will outline the chosen focus for the
research, the research question and the specific method/methodology to be adopted. No data
collection will be permitted without ethics approval, which forms part of the proposal submission.
Completion of the research dissertation will demonstrate your comprehensive understanding of the
research process and data collection, an ability to deal with complex issues creatively and
systematically and the ability to communicate information in a clear and appropriate fashion.

In this unit you will gain practical work-based experience working with a range of patients, serviceusers and their families on clinical placement. You will have the opportunity to apply your theoretical
knowledge and skills that have been developed while studying other units on this course, applying
them in practical environments and utilising your transferable skills. This practical placement unit is
focused on a specific area of speech and language therapy practice. In the unit you will actively
contribute to the assessment and treatment of service users.