Purpose of the curriculum:
Taking into account the country’s current needs and requirements in the field of health, and in particular in the area of communication problems and rehabilitation, the four-year Speech & Language Therapy (SLT) program prepares its graduates for a career in both public and private employment. The academic program and the clinical education requirements of students meets the standards of internationally recognized programs. The Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) SLT program guarantees a high standard of academic and clinical education necessary for the modern Cyprus society, its citizens and individuals with communication disorders. The SLT program is a newly established department in the School of Health Sciences of CUT which has been operating since 2013 and has been designed in accordance with the National Higher Education legislation and European Vocational Training Directives.
The primary objective of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, and in particular the SLT program, is to cultivate, develop and promote the field of Speech & Language Therapy in Cyprus, with the production (through research) and dissemination (through training) of the necessary scientific knowledge, know-how and technology, with the aim of providing the best scientific, research-based and professional education to students. Also, the SLT program by providing general courses in the social sciences and humanities in addition to the necessary specialty courses focusing on speech, language, voice, hearing and swallowing disorders, new technologies and clinical practice, expects to address the current needs and requirements of Cyprus in relation to the rehabilitation of communication problems, whether they are developmental or acquired across the lifespan.
Philosophy of the Department
The philosophy of the department reasons that individuals are unique, social entities that operate in a competitive and complex environment characterized by constant change, and often experience communication problems either developmental or acquired, across the lifespan. The provision of rehabilitation services and the practice of communication sciences requires excellent academic knowledge and clinical training based on the pillars of evidence-based practice, the theoretical basis of rehabilitation, and continuous knowledge in cutting-edge research areas. Human-centered science aims to provide therapy to actual or potential communication problems across the lifespan. This requires holistic and personalized therapeutic approaches, with the aim of preventing, detecting, diagnosing, rehabilitating communication disorders and maintaining restored functions.
Mission of the Department
The mission of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences is to create, transfer and apply knowledge to the field of communication disorders, in order to train speech-language therapists and enable them to practice their clinical and theoretical knowledge in a professional manner nationally and internationally. In addition, it aims to enable speech-language therapists to apply professional and ethical principles with sensitivity to the different needs of individuals, groups and communities. It also aspires to evolve and establish itself as an internationally recognized academic, research and clinical research and education center, gaining international recognition that promotes excellence in rehabilitation sciences.
The objectives of the program are to:
- attract prestigious academic staff.
- provide for the first time, students with the opportunity to study SLT in a public institution in Cyprus, in a high academic and clinical environment.
- provide students with the most up-to-date scientific training and to carry out innovative high-level applied research in the broader field of SLT
- establish close links with the local community such as schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, etc.
- promote international collaboration and educational mobility, especially across EU states
- develop students' abilities for analytical thinking, decision making and communication.
- cultivate confidence, responsibility, integrity and alertness; qualities that promote professionalism, personal success and effective contribution to the workplace and society.
- promote appreciation and respect for social and moral values, a sense of responsibility to society, and a willingness to offer services to all people.
- build a solid and promising foundation through general education and core courses, electives and specialty courses.
- provide sufficient specialization to achieve the basic professional requirements as required for the license to practice speech and language therapy, and for a successful career in the profession and /or academic field.
The objectives of the Program can be achieved through 4 axes:
- Student-centered learning, in the sense that students have different ways of learning, and teaching is achieved within a training environment of qualified academic and clinical staff that recognizes individual educational needs, preferences and ambitions.
- Research, that guides both the teaching and the learning methodology as well as the content of studies, with a focus on an innovative research culture and the cultivation of excellence in patient care. The teaching staff promotes research and helps students integrate theory into practice and identify and apply evidence based approaches required for the study and rehabilitation of communication disorders.
- The learning process, which is conducted through interaction and collaboration between the teaching staff, students, health professionals in the clinical and practicum settings, and health service users. The development and cultivation of critical thinking which is at the heart of the program. Students are encouraged to develop skills of critical analysis of the existing knowledge that is applied to rehabilitation sciences. This is particularly important because their learning is based on an extensive scientific basis of relevant theory and research, including the development of clinical decision-making and problem-solving skills.
- To cultivate lifelong learning based on various teaching and learning methods that promote the development of independent learning of future speech and language pathologists.
