The Department of Human Communication Sciences and Disorders (previously known as the Department of Communication Therapy) at the University of Malta first opened its doors to the first cohort of students in 1991, when it launched the first local degree programme of education and training in Speech Language Pathology. At the time the department offered a B.Sc. (Hons) in Communication Therapy leading to the qualification of Speech Language Pathologist.
The new name of the department was approved in May 2024, and ‘Communication Therapy’ was replaced by ‘Human Communication Sciences and Disorders’.
The department strives to achieve excellence and international standards in the education and training of caring, accountable, and autonomous speech language pathologists and audiologists:
Speech language pathologists (SLPs) are health care professionals with skills and expertise in prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and intervention for individuals of all ages experiencing speech, fluency, voice, language, communication, feeding, and/or swallowing disorders. SLPs work in settings ranging from acute hospital and rehabilitation centres to long term care, community health care, school environments and private practice contexts.
Audiologists are health care professionals who provide services in the prevention, identification, diagnosis, and treatment of balance, hearing, auditory processing, and other audiological disorders.
In addition to the commitment to training and education, the Department of Human Communication Sciences and Disorders also aims for high quality in research on communication and communication disorders. Staff members within the department are actively involved in several ongoing research projects in a range of areas, in collaboration with local and international partners.
The PROGRAMMES offered by the Department of Human Communication Sciences and Disorders include:
The department collaborates with other local and European Faculties/Institutes through the provision of theoretical courses, supervision, and examination of research projects and through the roles of external examiners. This reciprocal sharing of knowledge, skills and expertise allows collaborators to continue to evolve and develop in their respective fields.
Several Erasmus+ bilateral agreements have been signed with other European institutions allowing students and staff to experience mobility visits. Both incoming and outgoing visits take place on a regular basis.
The Department of Human Communication Sciences and Disorders is a member of the Speech-Language Pathology International Network [SLP-IN]. Through the Consortium the Department strengthens its ties with European and International colleagues. One of the main activities of the Consortium is the annual Summer School which has been offered since 1993, under the European Erasmus Programme. This discipline-related project is geared for speech language pathology students and complements the regular course programme of the participating departments. Students and staff work together intensively for a week on specialised topics within the relevant scientific and clinical fields.
Ongoing research projects are listed in the relevant section.