​The purpose of the degree programme offered by the Department of Speech-Language Therapy is to educate and train students to perform the following professional functions in the field of speech-language and hearing therapy: prevention, identification, assessment and treatment of communication disorders; counselling of persons with communication disorders and their significant others; consultation in the field of communication disorders; research into communication disorders; education and training of related professionals or relevant lay persons; management of programmes provided by speech-language and hearing therapists to clients with communication disorders in health, education and government contexts.

Disorders of fluency and voice are included in the above fields of practice, as are swallowing and feeding disorders.

Students should be able to perform the above functions in at least two languages as well as Sign Language. ​