Speech and Language Therapy - Department Information

Language	Turkish
Program Time (Year)	4
Max.Program Time (Year)	7
Program Quota
Internships Status	Absent

About Programme

"Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) focuses on communication (verbal, nonverbal, and alternative communication, including social and cognitive elements), language (spoken and written), speech (speech sound, speech fluency), voice, resonance, and swallowing disorders, including prevention, screening, functional assessment, and classification (differential diagnosis), as well as SLT diagnosis and intervention/habilitation-rehabilitation. Speech-language pathologists, who are the primary providers of speech-language therapy services, are also independent professionals, and speech-language therapy services cannot be prescribed or supervised by another professional; they work in collaboration with other professions in accordance with ethical principles and refer their patients/clients to other professions when necessary (1-3).

Today, speech-language pathologists provide services in various areas such as screening, assessment, diagnosis, and intervention, as mentioned above. They obtain their qualifications through undergraduate education and continue their professional development through graduate education. Article 9 of the Law No. 6225 dated April 6, 2011, amending certain laws and decrees, and the Additional Article 13 added to the Law No. 1219 dated April 11, 1928, regarding the practice of medicine and related professions, and are legally defined as healthcare professionals (3).

Speech-language pathologists, in their field:

Participate in preventive programs in the areas of communication, language, speech, voice, and swallowing health

Conducting studies to raise awareness of risk factors that may cause voice, speech, and language disorders in the community and individuals

That may be seen in individuals of all ages;

Fluency Disorders (Stuttering, Rapid Disordered Speech),

Swallowing Disorders,

Voice Disorders,

Dyslexia-Dysgraphia and Other Symbolic Dysfunctions,

Language Disorders (Developmental Language Disorders, Acquired Language Disorders, Secondary Language Disorders),

Autism Spectrum Disorder,

Alternative and Augmentative Communication,

Motor Speech Disorders (Speech Apraxia, Dysarthria),

Speech Sound Disorders (Articulation Disorder, Phonological Disorder, Childhood Speech Apraxia),

Resonance Disorders (Cleft Lip and Palate, etc.)

Conducting assessments, therapy, and rehabilitation for patients referred by a specialist physician who have language, speech, voice, and swallowing disorders, within their area of expertise

Providing training to patients on alternative and communication-supportive assistive devices/equipment such as computer-assisted speech devices, tracheoesophageal prostheses and similar speech appliances, electrolarynxes, communication boards, and unassisted systems such as gestures and sign language

Participating in individualized education programs for individuals with special needs

Continuing these activities in accordance with Article 40 of the Decree Law No. 663 dated October 11, 2011 in accordance with the ?Regulation on the Job and Duty Descriptions of Health Professionals and Other Professionals Working in Health Services? (Official Gazette, May 22, 2014, No. 29007).

The following are examples of employment areas for Speech-Language Pathologists (3):

Speech-Language Therapy Centers

Hospitals (public, private, university hospitals, outpatient clinics, emergency clinics, inpatient services, health center units, health centers, private medical centers, etc.)

Independent speech and language therapy clinics/outpatient clinics/units in hospital settings where a speech and language therapist is responsible

Clinics in hospital settings such as ENT, neurology, pediatrics, plastic surgery, physical therapy, intensive care, radiology, infection, neonatal, and adult intensive care units

ASHS Child Services Institutions

Family Health Centers / Mother and Child Health Centers

Private Clinics / Centers

Schools

Nursing Homes / Elderly Care and Rehabilitation Centers

Special Education and Rehabilitation Centers (Guidance and Research Center, School, Workplace, Special Education and Rehabilitation Centers)

Healthy Life/Living Centers

Community Mental Health Centers

Workplaces and Industrial Areas

Other Rehabilitation Environments (e.g., natural home environment)

Other Community Living Areas (Love Homes, Shelters, Addiction Treatment Centers, Prisons and Reformatories, etc.)

Performance limitations that may be encountered during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, infancy, childhood, adolescence, old age, and terminal stages

Caregiver health

Worker health

Mental health

Reproductive health and healthy sexual life

Health tourism

Individuals with special needs

Vulnerable groups (women who have experienced violence, the elderly, refugees, etc.)

At-risk groups

Chronic diseases

REFERENCES

1) American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2016). Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology [Scope of Practice].

2) ESLA/CPLOL (European Association of Speech and Language Therapists) (2019) Professional Profile. Revised by WG Professional Profile

3) National Core Education Program for the Field of Speech and Language Therapy, (DKT_UÇEP-2025).

PROG. Director

Asist Prof.Dr. Işık Sibel KÜÇÜKÜNAL

History

Speech and Language Therapy is a health-based profession focused on the prevention, assessment, and rehabilitation of communication, speech, language, voice, and swallowing disorders in individuals. The first academic developments in this field in Turkey began in the mid-1980s. The "Speech and Voice Disorders" master's program, launched in 1984 at Hacettepe University's Institute of Health Sciences, was the first graduate-level education program in this field in our country. Similarly, the "Language and Speech Disorders" Master's Program, which was opened in 1989 at the Anadolu University Institute of Health Sciences, was an important step in supporting scientific and academic development in this field. This development was further supported by the doctoral programs that were opened later.

The first Speech and Language Therapy Departments to offer independent undergraduate education in Turkey were established in 2011 at Anadolu University Faculty of Health Sciences and Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences. This development was a turning point in making the profession more visible and defined both at the academic level and within the healthcare system.

The Department of Speech and Language Therapy at Gazi University's Faculty of Health Sciences was established in 2017 with the aim of training therapists who are focused on scientific research, open to multidisciplinary collaboration, and committed to ethical principles. The department will complete its academic and physical infrastructure and accept its first undergraduate students in the fall semester of the 2025-2026 academic year. Combining Gazi University's long-standing academic history in the field of health, this program aims to provide a qualified response to the growing need for speech and language therapists in our country.

Qualification Awarded

Speech and Language Therapy Bachelor's Degree

Admission Requirements

General admission requirements apply to both Turkish and foreign students wishing to enroll in the program.

Higher Grade Transition

Students who graduate with a bachelor's degree can apply for master's and doctoral programs in related fields.

Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate, students must successfully complete all courses in 8 semesters and earn a total of 240 ECTS credits.

Occupational Profiles of Graduates

Graduates can work in many establishments such as language and speech therapy centers, hospitals (public, private, university hospitals, etc.), private clinics/centers, nursing homes/elderly care and rehabilitation centers, special education and rehabilitation centers, other rehabilitation environments (e.g., natural home environment) in order to provide preventative health care as well as assessment and therapy services for their respective fields. They can also enroll in master's and phd. education programs and thus work as academics at universities.

Assessment and Grading

(1) Students are given a letter grade for each course at the end of the semester/year in which they are enrolled.
(2) This letter grade is determined by the instructor teaching the course.
(3) In determining the letter grade, the student's performance in midterm exams, semester/year-end exams, and semester-long assignments, as well as their attendance in classes and practical sessions, is taken into consideration. The calculation of this letter grade is determined by the recommendation of the relevant academic unit committee, the decision of the relevant academic unit committee, and the approval of the Senate.
(4) The student's grade is determined on a scale of 100 points. This score is called the raw grade.
(5) A student with a raw grade below 25.00 receives an (FF) grade and fails the course. For students with a raw success score of 25.00 or above, the success grade is determined using one of the methods prepared by the University Education Commission and approved by the Senate, taking into account the overall performance of the class, arithmetic averages, and statistical distribution. This method uses one of the letter grades specified below with their corresponding coefficients and explanations. After this evaluation, it is possible for raw success scores of 25.00 and above to correspond to a letter grade of (FF).
(6) Coefficients and letter grades are evaluated as follows:
a)
Coefficients Grades
4.00 AA
3.50 BA
3.00 BB
2.50 CB
2.00 CC
1.50 DC
1.00 DD
0.50 FD
0.00 FF

b)
1) D: Absent,
2) G: Did not attend,
3) E: Incomplete, (An (E) grade that is not corrected within three weeks following the finalization of the semester/year-end exam letter grades is converted to (FF).)
4) VZ: Withdrawal from the course.
(7) A student who receives one of the grades (AA), (BA), (BB), (CB), (CC), (DC), or (DD) in a course is considered to have passed that course. However, in order to graduate, the student's GPA must be at least 2.00.

https://obs.gazi.edu.tr/oibs/bologna/progAbout.aspx?curSunit=8664642594&lang=en