How to get into educational psych

Hi! I'm in year 12 and I study psychology and after uni I want to work as a speech language therapist or psychologists that work with children, how do I start heading towards that goal?
Both my parents and I don't have much knowledge about how to get into UK unis and how to get a job
im not making sense am I xD
pls give me advice thankss

Hi there!
I would recommend having a look at our degree here which is called education and psychology.
Our Psychology syllabus is informed by the professional body, The British Psychological Society (BPS). You could choose to progress to a Major Psychology route that leads to Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) if you graduate with a First or Second Class Honours degree.
Chartered Psychologists work in schools, colleges, nurseries and special units, usually alongside teachers and parents. They work with other professionals in education, health and social services.
If you are wanting to become a speech and language therapist, there are two routes we currently have available at our university that you could do this through. One of these is our undergraduate BSC Degree Apprenticeship ( (Have a look here) and the other is our postgraduate MSc in Speech and Language therapy (have a look here) .
If you have any other questions let me know and I’m happy to help!
-Rebecca, University of Central Lancashire Ambassador

Hi! I'm in year 12 and I study psychology and after uni I want to work as a speech language therapist or psychologists that work with children, how do I start heading towards that goal?
Both my parents and I don't have much knowledge about how to get into UK unis and how to get a job
im not making sense am I xD
pls give me advice thankss

Hi! I'm in year 12 and I study psychology and after uni I want to work as a speech language therapist or psychologists that work with children, how do I start heading towards that goal?
Both my parents and I don't have much knowledge about how to get into UK unis and how to get a job
im not making sense am I xD
pls give me advice thankss

Hi @Jollybeansss
I hope you're doing well.
I don't want to overload you with information about getting into speech and language therapy if this is not something you would be interested in, but please just let me know if you would like me to share any advice or insight about how to get into university, and then the job beyond that. I also found speech therapy through my love of psychology!
If there is anything I can help with, just let me know.
Hattie😊
4MSci Speech and Language Therapy

Hi! I'm in year 12 and I study psychology and after uni I want to work as a speech language therapist or psychologists that work with children, how do I start heading towards that goal?
Both my parents and I don't have much knowledge about how to get into UK unis and how to get a job
im not making sense am I xD
pls give me advice thankss

Hey Hattie!
I'm interested in speech and language therapy (perhaps for children if possible), please can you share your experiences on how to get into this type of stuff, like what subjects at a level, what to do after a level, (btw im considering either retaking Y12/ gap yearing after Y13, cuz my current predicted grades arent good for unis), and pls share what you do at uni like what course and what you do in it and what to do after uni.
Basically I only know that I am interested in that sort of stuff but don't know how to achieve it
Thanks for your time!

Hey Hattie!
I'm interested in speech and language therapy (perhaps for children if possible), please can you share your experiences on how to get into this type of stuff, like what subjects at a level, what to do after a level, (btw im considering either retaking Y12/ gap yearing after Y13, cuz my current predicted grades arent good for unis), and pls share what you do at uni like what course and what you do in it and what to do after uni.
Basically I only know that I am interested in that sort of stuff but don't know how to achieve it
Thanks for your time!

Hi @Jollybeansss
I hope you're well!
Thank you so much for your questions! It is really exciting that you are interested in Speech and Language Therapy (SLT). I am also going to be working with children once I graduate so hopefully my experiences might be relevant/useful for you. I will try and go through your questions in order.
In terms of A level subjects, most universities do not have any specific requirements for what you need to study, although some prefer one science subject (usually chemistry, physics, biology, psychology, and sometimes maths). I personally studied biology, psychology and English language which I found to be helpful as lots of the first year content crosses over with these A levels, but no one who did not study any of these subjects at A level felt disadvantaged as a result. Different unis have different grade requirements so I would recommend having a look to see if your current predicted grades meet the entry level.
In terms of after A level, you can either go to university or complete an apprenticeship. University tends to be the most common route and I don't know too much about SLT apprenticeships, but I have linked some information about them here. There are plenty of universities across the UK which offer different types of degrees for SLT. You can do a Bachelors, which is 3 years, an integrated Masters, which is 4 years, or a Masters, which is 2 years but you have to have done a relevant bachelors degree first (such as psychology or linguistics).
I personally do an integrated Masters at the University of Reading. I chose to do an integrated Masters as it meant I had a postgraduate level degree in only 4 years (rather than 5 if I were to do a different Bachelors degree first). I also heard from a Speech Therapist I knew that having a postgraduate qualification makes it easier to obtain a promotion once you have a job secured.
I do lectures and seminars in lots of different areas such as clinical studies, speech, language, and communication disorders, linguistics, phonetics, medicine, research methods, psychology, and a dissertation. I also chose optional modules in culturally sustaining and decolonising practices in SLT, and neuroscience, with other options including genetics, and eating, drinking, and swallowing.
There are integrated placements throughout the course, regardless of which university you attend. These include some with adults and some with children, and could be in a number of settings such as schools, hospitals, in the community, clinics, or forensic settings. These give hands on experience in the profession and are a really nice way to apply everything you learn throughout the course.
There are a number of different assessment methods which is really nice, including essays, timed multiple-choice tests, presentations, portfolios, research proposals, critical evaluations, a lab report, and even a poster! This puts less pressure on always having timed exams, and most exams are open-book anyway.
Once you get to the end of your time at uni, you'll start looking for jobs (some people choose to have a bit of time out to travel first). I personally just kept an eye out on Indeed and NHS jobs, and found a job which was designed for newly qualified SLT students. I applied, interviewed, and got the job! It is working with both early years and primary ages children both in mainstream schools and special schools. Most of my year group were able to secure the first job they interviewed for, but others had a few interviews before they found a job which suited them. The high employability rates tend to be one of the best things about the degree!
Another perk of studying SLT is that you receive a grant of £5000 for each year that you are studying which does not need to be paid back. You also get all of your placement travel expenses refunded to you.
My recommendation, if you are looking to pursue a degree in SLT, would be to try and get a bit of work experience in some relevant areas. It is tricky to secure shadowing with a Speech and Language Therapist directly, but I would suggest volunteering in a school, hospital, or any other setting which may have a population with a communication difficulty. You could also do some research about the role and read some relevant books.
Please do let me know if you have any more questions or would like some clarification on any of my answers. If you have anything you would rather ask 1:1, then please feel free to message me on Unibuddy here. I only monitor The Student Room on Fridays so I will be able to get back to you a bit quicker on there too.
I hope this has been helpful, and best of luck going forward!
Hattie😊
4MSci Speech and Language Therapy