A Bachelor's degree in speech therapy from a Universities is required to work as a speech therapist; in French-speaking Switzerland, only Master's degrees qualify you for the profession.

The type of Bachelor's degree that speech and language therapists receive after completing their studies depends on the respective Universities. In German-speaking Switzerland, the Bachelor in Speech and Language Therapy UTE / UAS or the Bachelor of Arts in Speech Therapy UTE / UAS is awarded.

Admission requirements for the Bachelor's degree course in speech and language therapy include a Baccalaureate, a teaching diploma recognized by the EDK (except at the University of Fribourg), a university degree or a Federal Vocational Baccalaureate with a passerelle. Persons with other previous education, such as a Specialized Baccalaureate, can also be admitted to most Universities after passing the supplementary examination or other requirements. Please clarify this directly with the relevant Universities in individual cases, for example via our "Ask a question" button.

In addition to the school admission criteria, further admission requirements must also be met to train as a speech therapist. For example, a command of German is essential for studying in German-speaking Switzerland and a command of French is essential in French-speaking Switzerland, as is a "normal" ability to read, write and speak, hearing and a "normal" voice, as evidenced by a speech therapy and phoniatric assessment. The respective Universities will inform you about the values of the definition "normal". In addition, some Universities require a pre-study internship for those without a teaching diploma and the passing of an entrance examination.

The bachelor's degree course in speech and language therapy takes six semesters full-time, and between eight and ten semesters part-time.

Speech therapists work in special schools, in speech therapy practices, in school outpatient clinics, rehabilitation centers and clinics and can therefore be found in the school and non-school sector. They work, for example, in integrated language support in mainstream schools and in educational and therapeutic work at special schools, but also in counseling and supporting young people and adults who have speech disorders, language disorders or communication disorders due to developmental disorders, organ damage, illness, accidents, lack of support and other social influences.