College of Medicine,
Nursing & Health Sciences
Speech and
Language
Therapy
www.nuigalway.ie/speech_language_therapy
Speech and Language
Therapy at NUI Galway
With small class sizes (limited to 30 students), an outstanding lecturing team
and a state of the art on-site clinic where students receive supervision from
experienced clinicians, Speech and Language Therapy at NUI Galway offer an
innovative, engaging programme dedicated to producing excellent graduates.
The Speech and Language Therapy course at NUI Galway is unique in the
way it has been designed to offer a range of teaching strategies combined with
clinical placements and individual attention for students in a very supportive
learning environment.
Graduates of the programme are now working in hospital, community care
and school settings while others have chosen to do further study.
Course Facts
We currently have a
number of PhD students
working with Acadamh
na hOllscolaíochta
Gaeilge, the University’s
Irish language institute,
researching Speech and
Language Therapy and
practice with an emphasis
on Irish speaking regions.
CAO Code
GY503
Entry points (2009):
505
Duration:
4 years full time
Average intake:
25
Entry requirements
Minimum Grade HC3 in two subjects and passes in
four other subjects at H or O 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
The Discipline of Speech and Language Therapy are
committed to reviewing and updating the curriculum
to ensure a high quality, integrated, transparent course
which provides SLT’s in training with a clear pathway
to becoming competent clinicians. The programme has
three core strands including:
Strand 1: The Developing Clinician
The overall aim of strand 1 is that SLT’s in training will
develop the key knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary
for professional practice (as outlined in the speech and
language therapy competencies -Therapy Project Office,
2008). This strand contains modules which which run
throughout the programme
(1) Practice Education
(2) Professional Studies
Strand 2: Human Sciences
Bachelor of Science (Speech and Language Therapy)
Did you know
Course Outline
Strand 2 includes the study of humans as biological, social,
and cultural species and includes modules in:
• Human body structure, human body function,
physiology and neurosciences
• Psychology
Strand 3: Communication
and Swallowing Sciences
Students must satisfy the Garda Vetting
and Medical Clearance requirements.
Did you know
A HSE Speech and Language
Clinic is based on-site at NUI
Galway. This state of the art
clinical facility enables students
to learn clinical skills with
children and adult patients under
the supervision of experienced
Speech and Language Therapists
without having to leave the
University Campus!
Strand 3 involves three modules which aim to equip SLTs
in training with the theory and core clinical and analytical
knowledge required to practice as speech and language
therapists. The three modules include:
• Communication and swallowing impairments
• Phonetics and phonology
• Linguistics (including the study of the development
of communication across the lifespan).
Year 1
• Psychology 1
• Anatomy 1
• Physiology
• Practice Education 1
• Professional Studies 1
• Research Methodology 1
• Linguistics 1
• Communication Impairments 1
Year 2
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Psychology 2
Neuroanatomy
Neurophysiology
Practice Education 2
Professional Studies 2
Research Methodology 2
Linguistics 2
Communication Impairments 2
Year 3
•
•
•
•
•
•
Psychology 3
Practice Education 3
Professional Studies 3
Research Methodology 3
Linguistics 3
Communication and Swallowing
Impairments
Year 4
• Practice Education 4
• Professional Studies 4
• Research Methodology 4
Each Strand has modules which are listed in the
table opposite.
Work Placement
Clinical practice or placement is an integral part of the Speech and Language
Therapy programme, as it helps students to develop professional skills.
Clinical placements include a combination of 1 day a week placements and
block placements which involve up to five weeks of placement at a given time.
All of the clinical placements on the programme are compulsory. Students
may be asked to undertake placements anywhere in Ireland. Placements may
also be organised abroad if the student wishes to travel and if the clinical
educator considers the placement appropriate.
Placements commence in Year 1 of the programme where speech and
language therapists in training are given the opportunity to observe typically
developing children in a preschool setting and individuals with disabilities.
Did you know
The programme uses
innovative teaching and
learning techniques such
as group and project work,
problem-based learning,
service learning, online
learning, communication
devices and videos to
enhance your learning
experience.
Career Opportunities
Speech and Language Therapy is an exciting, dynamic and
challenging career. Speech and Language Therapists enable
people (adults and children) with communication and
swallowing disorders to achieve their maximum potential.
Speech and Language Therapists work as part of a team in
hospitals, schools and community care settings. They work
with people who have voice problems, language impairments,
cleft palate, hearing impairments, speech problems and who
have communication and swallowing disorders resulting
from an acquired brain injury e.g. stroke or head injury.
Graduates from Speech and Language Therapy at
NUI Galway are now working in Ireland and abroad in
various settings. Here is what some graduates have to say
about Speech and Language Therapy at NUI Galway.
What our graduates say...
Carol Gilmore
(Currently working as a
Speech and Language
Therapist in Community
Care in Galway)
“As a speech and language
therapist working in Primary,
Community & Continuing
Care (PCCC), I provide a
service to infants, children and
adults who have various levels
of communication problems and swallowing difficulties.
I assess each client and then develop individual treatment
programmes. I work as part of a multidisciplinary team and
there is no ‘typical’ day as the work is very varied. Every day
I make a positive contribution to someone’s health and well
being. The work can be intense and tiring but it is also
constantly interesting, challenging and rewarding”.
Ciara Murphy
Kristine Coffey
currently studying Speech and Language
Therapy at NUI Galway
Student Profile
“Speech and Language Therapy is a challenging, yet rewarding
course. Before I began the course, I never realised how diverse and
varied the work of a Speech and Language Therapist is – you can
work with many different client groups including both adults and
children and you are provided with many opportunities to
develop your clinical skills over the 4 years through placements.
Communication is such a significant part of our lives and being
able to help someone who is having difficulty makes this a very
rewarding and worthwhile profession.”
Did you know
Placements commence in Year 1 of the programme
where speech and language therapists in training
are given the opportunity to observe typically
developing children in a preschool setting and
individuals with disabilities.
(Currently working as a Speech and Language
Therapist in a Hospital in Dublin)
“As a Speech and Language Therapist working in a hospital,
you build strong relationships with your patients and a deep
sense of satisfaction comes with seeing them progress and
improve. You have the unique ability to give someone back the
gift of being able to communicate with friends and family and
to eat and drink again. You work with a team of expert
professionals who strive to provide a quality service.
One thing I love about my job is that no two days are the same
and I get to meet new people everyday!”
Jenna O’ Neill
(Currently a Postgraduate
Student at NUI Galway)
“Studying at NUI Galway was great
in terms of the lectures, practical
work and placements. This course
really appealed to me because of the
broad range of subjects - psychology,
linguistics, anatomy and physiology. The best part of the
course was the clinical placements which link what you are
doing in the classroom to clinical practice. The staff and
facilities are fantastic, especially the onsite clinic. After
graduation I did Masters at University College London in the
area of Voice Pathology. The skills I developed in NUI
Galway really helped me to prepare for this course”.
School of Health Sciences
T +353 91 492 957 F +353 91 495 540 E healththerapies@nuigalway.ie
www.nuigalway.ie/speech_language_therapy