Dysphagia is the medical term to describe difficulty swallowing. For speech and language therapists (SLTs), it is an important area of professional practice.

Swallowing difficulties can affect people at any stage of life. They may be present from birth or develop later as someone’s health or circumstances change.

SLTs may therefore work with babies, children, or adults whose swallowing difficulties can interfere with everyday activities such as eating and drinking.

In Ireland, speech and language therapists are regulated by CORU, whose Standards of Proficiency include specific requirements around eating, drinking, and swallowing.

These standards include requirements relating to the understanding, assessment, and management of dysphagia.

For SLT education and training providers, dysphagia needs to be integrated into the learning and clinical preparation students receive before entering the profession.

At Portobello Institute, it is carefully built into the MSc Speech and Language Therapy (Pre-registration) across academic learning and practice-based education.

Our students study eating, drinking, and swallowing at various points throughout the two-year programme, developing the understanding and clinical competence they will need as they move towards professional practice as SLTs.

Dysphagia: How It Is Covered in the MSc Speech and Language Therapy

Dysphagia is not confined to one part of the MSc Speech and Language Therapy (Pre-registration) at Portobello Institute. It appears across different modules and within practice-based education.

The benefit here is that students develop their understanding of eating, drinking, and swallowing across a range of contexts.

As Programme Lead Dr Stella Choy explains: “The MSc Speech and Language Therapy (Pre-registration) programme, awarded by Health Sciences University and delivered at Portobello Institute, explicitly includes dysphagia and eating, drinking, and swallowing across both academic learning and practice-based education.

“Across the programme, students develop knowledge and clinical skills relating to swallowing difficulties in babies, children, and adults.”

Adult Speech and Language Therapy

Dysphagia is covered within the 20-credit Adult Speech and Language Therapy module, where students study it alongside other areas of adult SLT practice, including aphasia, dysarthria, voice disorders, and head and neck cancer.

This gives students the opportunity to understand swallowing within the wider context of adult speech and language therapy rather than as a standalone topic.

Advanced Conditions and Disorders

Students build on this learning within the Advanced Conditions and Disorders module.

Here, the programme addresses more complex communication and swallowing difficulties and includes the development of eating, drinking, and swallowing competencies.

Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy and Mental Health

Relevant learning also forms part of the Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy and Mental Health modules on the MSc.

Together, these areas help students understand how eating, drinking, and swallowing needs can present across different stages of life and areas of practice.

Practice-based Education

MSc Speech and Language Therapy (Pre-registration) students also encounter eating, drinking, and swallowing through practice-based education.

The programme follows the UK professional framework, with current Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) guidance specifying at least 562.5 hours of practice-based learning across a pre-registration SLT programme: 375 clinically based hours and 187.5 non-clinically based hours.

Within those overall hours, the RCSLT recommends 60 hours of eating, drinking, and swallowing (EDS) exposure. It recommends at least 30 hours of clinical practice with adults and 10 with children. The remaining 20 hours can come from higher education workshops, and formal simulation can also count towards EDS exposure.

The recommended 60 EDS hours sit within the programme’s overall practice-based learning hours. They are not an additional 60 placement hours or a separate HCPC requirement.

What Does CORU Require Around Dysphagia?

CORU does not prescribe a separate minimum number of dysphagia or eating, drinking, and swallowing hours.

Instead, its Standards of Proficiency look at whether applicants can demonstrate the professional competencies required for practice, including those relating to swallowing.

Portobello Institute’s MSc Speech and Language Therapy has been designed with those expectations in mind.

CORU Standard of Proficiency

How it is reflected in Portobello Institute’s MSc Speech and Language Therapy (Pre-registration)

“Demonstrate an understanding of developmental and acquired disorders as relevant to the development and maintenance of speech, language, communication, and swallowing.”

Dysphagia is covered within the Adult Speech and Language Therapy module, with relevant learning also included across Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy and other areas of the programme.

“Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental role eating, drinking, and swallowing can play in social participation…”

Eating, Drinking and Swallowing is embedded across academic learning and practice-based education, helping students understand its relevance to people’s health and everyday lives.

“Be able to assess and manage paediatric and adult service users experiencing difficulties with speech, language, communication, and/or swallowing.”

Students develop eating, drinking, and swallowing competencies through the programme, including within Advanced Conditions and Disorders and practice-based education.

What Is the CORU Pathway After Graduation?

The MSc Speech and Language Therapy (Pre-registration) is awarded by Health Sciences University in the UK and delivered at Portobello Institute.

It is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the UK regulator for health and care professions. This means graduates can apply for HCPC registration and, if successful, practise as speech and language therapists in the UK.

For those planning to practise in Ireland, the route is through CORU. Because the qualification is awarded outside the Republic of Ireland, graduates must apply to have it recognised through CORU’s International Route.

CORU assesses each application individually against its Standards of Proficiency. Recognition does not automatically make you a registered speech and language therapist. You must also apply for and obtain CORU registration before practising in Ireland.

Our MSc programme has been designed with CORU standards front of mind, and Portobello Institute and Health Sciences University will provide the relevant academic, placement and programme documentation to support graduates through the process.

What Could Becoming a Speech and Language Therapist Look Like for You?

Could you see yourself supporting people with dysphagia or other speech and language needs?

Portobello Institute’s MSc Speech and Language Therapy (Pre-registration) is designed to prepare you for professional practice as an SLT, with learning informed by CORU’s Standards of Proficiency and current Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists guidance.

On graduation, you will hold a professional SLT qualification and can take the next steps towards professional registration in Ireland or the UK, subject to the relevant regulatory processes.

Explore the programme, modules, entry requirements, and how to apply online, or book a call with a Career Pathway Consultant.

Dysphagia and CORU: Frequently Asked Questions

Does Portobello Institute’s MSc Speech and Language Therapy (Pre-registration) cover dysphagia?

Yes. Dysphagia and eating, drinking and swallowing are explicitly included across the programme’s academic modules and practice-based learning. Students develop relevant knowledge and clinical skills across adult and paediatric populations.

Does CORU require a particular number of dysphagia hours?

CORU’s published criteria do not specify a separate minimum number of dysphagia or EDS hours. Its Standards of Proficiency require applicants to demonstrate the necessary knowledge and skills to assess and manage swallowing difficulties.

Why are 60 EDS hours mentioned?

The 60 hours come from current RCSLT professional guidance. They are recommended EDS practice-based learning or exposure within the programme’s overall practice-based learning hours; they are not an additional 60 hours or a separate HCPC requirement.

Is the MSc Speech and Language Therapy (Pre-registration) CORU-approved?

The qualification is awarded outside the Republic of Ireland and is therefore not an Irish CORU-approved qualification. It is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the UK regulating body. Graduates wishing to practise in Ireland must apply through CORU’s International Route.

What does CORU require for practice education?

CORU’s published criteria refer to at least 300 hours of supervised clinical practice placements and 150 clinically related hours. Placement experience should cover an appropriate range across speech, language, communication and swallowing disorders. Further information is available on CORU’s Criteria and Standards of Proficiency webpage.