Master of Deglutology

Master of Deglutology

The Master of Deglutology originated from high demand for professionals specialised in the care of patients with swallowing disorders in the mouth, throat or oesophagus. This interdisciplinary programme will cover all the associated areas of study and equip the student with the necessary tools and experience to enter the workplace with confidence to solve problems and to face the current challenges in clinical care.

This interdisciplinary programme uses a theoretical in-depth, research-based approach to train you as a competent professional in the science of deglutition. You will learn a variety of clinical skills, gain hands-on experience, and develop unique competencies used in clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic settings related to this expanding field.

Programme structure

This interdisciplinary programme will cover all the associated areas of study and equip you with the necessary tools and experience to enter the dysphagia workspace with confidence to solve problems and to face the current challenges in clinical care. You will learn a variety of skills, gain hands-on experience, and develop tools used extensively in clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic settings related to this expanding field. The curriculum consists of 7 groups of courses.

Strengths & aims

• Train the student as a professional and researcher who is able to bring his/her domain of expertise to a higher level of functionality, using enhanced knowledge and clinical skills in deglutology.
• Build on the expertise that the student will obtain during the deglutology programme - but also on his/her prior medical or paramedical expertise - to prepare the student to improve dysphagia screening and treatment in the larger community.
• Provide the student with specific education so as to prepare the student to move into a job profile involving more advanced clinical research or managerial competencies and thereby help to close the existing gap in the labour market.

As a deglutologist, you will be able to care for patients of all ages presenting with dysphagia, whose swallowing may have been affected by a variety of underlying medical pathologies such as prematurity, cerebral palsy, stroke, head and neck cancer, neuro dege nerative disease, upper gastrointestinal disorders, etc. Degluto logists also find careers in the life sciences domain in the broadest sense, including health care, academia and industry.