​​Welcome to the MSc Speech and Language Therapy (pre-registration) course. We are delighted that you have decided to study with us. We hope you enjoy your time on the course and the transformative process of becoming a speech and language therapist. As a teaching team we are committed to supporting you throughout your time at university. We look forward to getting to know you over the next 2 years!

Dr Rachel Mallia Borg
Course Director

Your Teaching Timetable

Teaching for your course will begin w.c 21 September 2026.

To help you plan your first few weeks, you can view an overview of the teaching activities for your course.

View your first trimester teaching timetable.

On a mobile device, click the arrow next to “Search” at the top right of the page to view your timetable.

If your course is taught in groups, the overview will show activities for all groups. You will only need to attend sessions for your allocated group.

Once teaching begins, your individual timetable and group allocation will be available in MyTimetable provided you have completed online registration and created your computing account.

Your Trimester 1 Modules
Academic and Professional Orientation (APO)
Development of Communication and Eating Drinking and Swallowing across the Lifespan (DCEL) 

Key dates

Academic Calendar: 12-week Trimesters (long break)

View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2026-27 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.

Welcome

Welcome to the MSc Speech and Language Therapy (pre-registration) course.

We’re delighted you’ve chosen to study with us and look forward to supporting you on your journey to becoming a speech and language therapist.

Welcome Week will take place during the week commencing 14 September 2026. During this time, you’ll meet the teaching team, who bring a wide range of professional backgrounds and expertise. You’ll also receive IT and library support, an introduction to your modules, and key information about placements. Your Personal Academic Tutor will be allocated, and their role explained.

Please ensure you check your Occupational Health vaccination timelines in advance. Attendance during Welcome Week is essential.

We look forward to meeting you and answering your questions.

Getting started

Your Course

In your first semester you will have 2 modules (DCEL and APO) alongside foundation 1 day a week placement (5 weeks). Lectures and seminars will run in our Medway campus and are face-to-face.

As part of your learning, you will use ‘Blackboard’ to access your module materials. You are not required to bring any specific equipment to your lectures and seminars, but you may wish to bring pen/paper and a laptop/tablet.

To help you prepare

It would be helpful if you are familiar with a range of IT (Information Technology) skills as a large part of our learning, teaching and communication with students is via email and Blackboard (our virtual learning environment). Other software used consistently is Microsoft Office365 including Outlook, Word and PowerPoint.

Please ensure that you engage with all Occupational Health, DBS or Placement planning activities required by the Admissions Team. Failure to complete this by the time you register on the course may result in you not being able to proceed with your studies.

We are proud to be an inclusive University that supports a diverse community of students. Please note that if you have a disability or would like to learn more about the support that we can offer to students, please visit the Disability and Mental Health website.

Occupational Health Clearance

You will need to obtain occupational health clearance to ensure you are fit to practice. You will be prompted via your ‘MyRecord’ to complete a clearance check and directed to an online health questionnaire.

Once you have submitted your questionnaire, you are required to attend an occupational health vaccination appointment appropriate to your placement requirements. We use an external company called OH Works for this. Ahead of your appointment, please gather any vaccination documentation (paper or electronic) from your GP or workplace to take to your occupational health appointment.

Your OH vaccination appointment will take place in RWf07 (Rowan Williams Building, Medway Campus) on Friday 18 September 2026. Please see the below table for the exact time of your appointment:

Surname Date Time Location
A - F 18 September 2026 14.15 - 14.30 RWf07 
G - L 18 September 2026 14.30 - 14.45 RWf07 
M - S 18 September 2026 14.45 - 15.00 RWf07 
T - Z 18 September 2026 15.00 - 15.15 RWf07 

For enquiries about your occupational health clearance please email cccustudents@ohworks.co.uk or phone 01227 286288. 

Placement Badge

On placement you will be required to wear a placement badge, which will have your course title and preferred first name obtained from your MyRecord account. This placement badge is provided to you free of charge. You will be supplied with your placement badge once you have started your course. Please note, this is not your student ID card. 

Your Must Do Tasks

There are some key tasks you'll need to complete to make sure you are ready to become a CCCU student. 

Some of these can't be completed until you have been invited to register but your Occupational Health and DBS check can be completed prior to this. You will be prompted via My Record to complete these so make sure you are checking your personal email regularly for this. Please complete these checks as soon as possible 

Registration invitations are sent towards the end of August. We'll send yours to the email address you used when you applied, so please check this inbox regularly to make sure you don't miss any important information.

Pre-course reading

​​We would encourage you to review the course structure and module options via your course page before you arrive.

​To start your preparation for the programme here are a few suggestions of books which will give you some insight into some of the communication difficulties and theoretical issues you will meet during your training.

These are not required reading, but we hope you will find them to be both interesting and thought-provoking. We also welcome any suggestions about books and materials that you might recommend to others.

​Novels and Biographies

​Bauby, J.D. (1997) The diving bell and the butterfly. Fourth Estate, London

​Diamond, J. (1999) C: Because Cowards Get Cancer, Too. Random House Publishing

​Draper, S.M. (2016) Out of My Mind. Atheneum Books for Young Readers

​Gardner, N. (2007) A Friend like Henry Hodder and Stoughton

​Genova, L. (2015) Still Alice. Simon and Schuster

​Haddon, M. (2004) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. Vintage

​Haig, M. (2019) Notes on a Nervous Planet. Canongate Books

​Hale, S. (2003) The Man Who Lost His Language. Penguin

​Healey, E. (2015) Elizabeth is Missing. Penguin

​Higashida, N. (2014) The Reason I Jump: one boy’s voice from the silence of autism. Sceptre

​Longden, E. (2013) Learning from the Voices in My Head (TED Books Book 39)

​Maxwell, G. (2010) Falling and Laughing: The Restoration of Edwyn Collins. Ebury Press

​O’Shea, M. (2005) The Brain: a very short introduction. OUP

​Pinker, S. (1995) The Language Instinct: The New Science of Language and Mind. Penguin

​Rauf O. (2018) The Boy at the Back of the Class. Orion Children’s Books

​Rymer,R. (1994) Genie: A Scientific Tragedy. Harper Perennial

​Sacks, O. (1986) The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Picador

​Swain, J., Finkelstein, V., French, S. and Oliver, M. (eds) (1993) Disabling barriers – enabling environments. Sage

​Taylor, J.B. (2009) My Stroke of insight; A brain Scientist’s Personal Journey. Hodder

​Wyn, N. (2007) Blue Sky July: A True Tale of Love, Light and Impossible Odds’. Seren Publishers

​General Skills

​Bolton, G. (2014) Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional development. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

​Crystal, D. (2004) Rediscover grammar, 3rd edition. Pearson Longman

​Crystal, D. (2004) Making sense of grammar, 3rd edition Pearson Longman

​Egan, G. (2007) The Skilled Helper 8th CA: Thomson Higher Education

​Fromkin, V., Rodman, R. & Hyams, N. (2007) An Introduction to Language Eighth Boston, USA: Thomson Higher Education

​Goleman, D. (2002) Emotional Intelligence Little, Brown

​Nelson- Jones, R. (2015) Basic Counselling Skills: A helper’s manual. London: SAGE Publications Ltd

​Wright, J. and Kersner, M. (2009) A career in speech and language therapy Metacom

​Films

​https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources/films/

​For example:

  • ​The Peanut Butter Falcon

  • ​My Left Foot

  • ​The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

  • ​Iris

​Websites

The following are helpful more specifically for your first semester:

  • Boyd and Bee (2025) Lifespan development

  • BBC sounds – A Thorough Examination

  • Mercer, J. (2018). Child Development: Concepts and Theories. London: SAGE
    Publications Ltd

  • Bolton, G. (2014) Reflective Practice (Sage)

 

International student success programme

International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.

Contact details

Have a question?

Speak to our friendly team for support.