Speech & Language CPD Units

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, research project and administration during your studies.

All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for international students for the course duration at the year of entry).

For general fees information please visit postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

We require a good honours degree or an approved and relevant postgraduate qualification (minimum PGDip or equivalent - 120 credits at master's level) or relevant clinical experience (see 'Professional entry qualifications').

If you are being funded by an employer, we also require written support from your current employer permitting time to attend lectures and complete all learning and assessment activities.

Students who have not studied in a predominantly English-speaking country are required to hold IELTS 7.0, including 7.0 in the written section or TOEFL 100, including 25 in the written section.

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Applications are welcome from candidates with evidence of previous advanced study, research or professional experience (which the University accepts as qualifying you for entry) and a recognised health/education/social care-related professional qualification and/or employment in healthcare or education services.

Individuals applying via this route may also be required, upon application, to submit a short 500-word essay demonstrating your academic writing ability and critical thinking skills.

These units are suitable for those wishing to return to higher education.

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again.

Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

All units carry 15 credits at master's level. Some are available for 0 credits, where there is no final summative assessment.

Please contact pgtaught.slt@manchester.ac.uk for details of non-credit bearing short courses.

On successful completion of each unit, students will be awarded a CPD certificate.

Working with Adults with Acquired Dysphagia (0 or 15-credit options, available Sept-Jan & Feb-July)

Dysphagia can be a challenging and satisfying clinical area to work in, often full of demands on time and effort. The clinical decision-making involved cuts straight to the core of our societal and personal values.

This unit is based on the RCLST dysphagia competencies (2014), where you progress from level A through to level C, meaning competent in the Clinical Swallow Examination or 'bedside' exam, with knowledge of when to refer to instrumental assessment and/or other professionals.

Although this framework has been superseded by the 2021 competencies, the content is relevant to qualified SLTs who wish to develop their skills in working with adults with acquired dysphagia.

You can systematically work through the theory required for competency in independent assessment and management of eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties. Some of your learning can be applied to your practice while supervised by an experienced SLT.

Practical tasks are set after online sessions and are directly applicable to the content in the online lessons and tasks. For example, when learning about the cranial nerves, your practical task will be to carry out and interpret oro-motor examinations with clients.

You'll receive support from your clinical supervisor(s) in your workplace. You can access the discussion board at any time to start a conversation with your academic tutors and peers.

You will check your progress through formative quizzes, and reflect on and evidence your journey to competency in a learning journal.

This unit offers distance learning at your own pace, with a tutor available when you need one, and is divided into 20 separate parts.

The unit is available as a credit-bearing unit (15 credits), assessed by a 3,000-word case study. You can also take this unit as a zero-credit option, gaining a Postgraduate Certificate of Completion.

The zero-credit version requires you to engage in discussion tasks and complete formative assessments at the end of each section.

You must be a qualified SLT or registered healthcare professional working with adults with acquired dysphagia, registered with HCPC (or your equivalent national body).

You must have access to a clinical supervisor (a registered SLT or other health professional) competent in assessing and managing dysphagia in adults in your workplace. They will oversee and evaluate the practical learning tasks required to gain competencies in eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.

The unit does not cover paediatric dysphagia, adults with learning disabilities and dysphagia or other highly specialist areas of practice, for example, tracheostomy.

New Horizons in Aphasiology (15 credits, available Sept-Jan)

This unit covers current clinical and theoretical treatment approaches in aphasiology for SLTs and other health professionals.

You will explore current main theoretical and clinical issues in two of a choice of three specialist areas: language recovery in the brain; connectionist modelling and aphasia therapy; and sentence and discourse therapy in aphasia.

You will focus on clinical assessment and the practicalities of treatment, with scope for consideration of your own clinical data or case studies.

Working with Bilingual Children and Their Families (15 credits, available Feb-July)

This course is for SLTs or those from related professions working with bilingual children with speech and language difficulties and their families.

You will develop the clinical and professional knowledge and skills required to deliver an equitable service to this growing population.

You will explore a range of current main theoretical and clinical issues including bilingualism in the UK, working with interpreters, code-switching, and collecting speech and language samples in other languages using the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Evidence-based practice in Speech and Language Therapy (2 units)

These unique units cover evidence-based practice methodologies for SLTs and other health professionals. Part of each unit is tailored specifically to service-level evaluations in health, education and social care.

You can tailor learning to your own needs and to those of the services and populations you serve before exiting the course with the tools to evaluate your service.

There are two units for the credit-bearing route. These are taken as one unit for the non-credit bearing short course.

- The evidence-based practice process and critical appraisal (15 credits, available Sept-Jan & Feb-July)

The course covers topics such as the scope of evidence-based practice in SLT and evidence-based questions, and external evidence, assumptions and myths.

It also covers quantitative research methods and hierarchies and levels in evidence-based practice.

- Synthesis of evidence and service evaluation in SLT (15 credits, available Sept-Jan & Feb-July)

The course covers topics such as understanding interpreting outcome data, synthesising evidence, making recommendations from bodies of evidence, practice-based evidence and its role in clinical decision-making, and qualitative research.

Each course will be delivered online, including 150 hours of study within the Blackboard e-learning platform using audio and video presentations, and online learning tasks including quizzes, reflection tasks, discussion boards, videos, and reading materials.

You will be able to access the materials throughout the course and will have full access to the University library's online resources.

You will access learning materials and complete formative assignments at your own pace.

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk