BSc Speech and Language Therapy

Please note that future inflationary increases will be applied to each subsequent year of the course, subject to government regulations on fee increases.

If this is your second tuition fee loan for an undergraduate course: Students who already have a degree and are planning to undertake a nursing, midwifery or allied health profession subject as a second degree will now also have access to student loans through the student loans system.

See more information about changes to NHS bursaries on the government's website .

You will complete three block clinical placements during the course. You will be expected to pay upfront travel and/or accommodation costs and then apply to get these reimbursed.

As per the government announcement, all UK speech and language students on courses from September 2020 will receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year which they will not need to pay back. The funding will be given to all new and continuing degree-level nursing, midwifery and many allied health students from September 2020. More information can be found on the NHS website.

Please note, eligibility criteria for the new funding will be the same as the wider NHS Learning Support Fund payable to students ordinarily resident in the UK and studying at a university in England. Find out about the financial support available to students starting at Manchester.

Find out about the financial support available to students starting at Manchester.

This course unit runs across the first year of study. The unit will provide an overview of key anatomy and physiology related to communication, eating, drinking and swallowing. Biomedical learning will take place alongside learning in other year one units about social constructs of impairment, disability and participation.

The course unit will cover the following content:

• Anatomical terminology
• The cell and basic tissues
• Anatomy and physiology of the following body systems; endocrine, nervous, muscular, respiratory, cardiovascular
• Structure and function of the principle structures involved in communication, eating, drinking and swallowing; oral cavity, soft palate, pharynx, larynx, ear and face
• Craniofacial development 

The unit aims to:

• Provide students with opportunities to gain a general knowledge of the structure and functions of the cells and tissues of the body.
• Provide students with a variety of opportunities to gain in depth knowledge and understanding of typical anatomy and physiology related to communication, eating, drinking and swallowing.
• Encourage students to consider the clinical relevance of the basic sciences so that they can appreciate how medical conditions affect communication, eating, drinking and swallowing. 

Learning and teaching processes utilise tutor led lectures, tutorials and workshops.  

To support independent study, learning materials including teaching slides and recommended reading will be provided before teaching sessions on the unit online learning environment.  

• Describe and explain the structure and functions of the cells and tissues of the body.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding required to describe and explain typical anatomy and physiology related to communication, eating, drinking and swallowing and to be able to apply that knowledge and understanding to other areas of study. 

• Acquire, synthesise, and evaluate information from a range of sources.
• Understand the importance and application of the available information to speech and language therapy.
• Engage in independent learning to review and consolidate their knowledge and understanding of the information presented. 

• Use library, electronic and online resources to support learning.
• Accurately present and discuss information.
• Write clearly and concisely in an appropriate formal style in order to communicate information accurately. 

• Utilise library and electronic resources to support and extend their own learning.
• Demonstrate effective communication skills appropriate to the intended audience.
• Engage in self-directed learning that will promote professional development. 

Assessment task	Length	Weighting within unit (if relevant)	ILOs assessed
Online quizzes	Various	formative	a-j, l
Mock examination	1 hour	formative	a-f, h
Examination	2 hours	100%	a-f, h

Students will have the opportunity to self-evaluate their performance against online tutor written model answers following online quizzes and against tutor and peer discussion during tutorials/workshops.

Students will receive a mark and can have personalised feedback on the examination as appropriate.

Throughout the unit, students will have the opportunity to self-evaluate their work and understanding against class discussions and tutor comment. 

• Jenkins, G.W. and Tortora, G.J. (2014) Anatomy and Physiology: From Science to Life. Wiley.
• Martini, S. & Frederic, H. (1998) Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology 4th Edition. Prentice Hall.  
• Atkinson, M. & McHanwell, S. (2002) Basic Medical Science for Speech and Language Therapy Students. London: Whurr Publishers.