THE scarcity of places in speech therapy in the Republic means that students often travel to Northern Ireland or Britain to pursue their studies. Ulster University offers a four-year honours BSc programme in speech and language therapy. There are 20 places each year on the Jordanstown campus of UU and the course co-ordinator says that each year there are a few students from the Republic on the course.

The selection process includes an interview for candidates meeting minimum academic requirements. Basically this interview is designed to ascertain a candidate's motivation and her or his level of interpersonal skills. Good communication skills are required. Students are strongly advised to see the work of a speech and language therapist before they apply.

The degree programme integrates theoretical and practical elements. Observational and clinical placements are spread over the four years. The major academic subjects include language pathology, linguistics and phonetics, psychology, anatomy, physiology, neurology, methods of investigation and the physics of speech and sound.