Course summary

Our 5-year integrated master's degree, accredited by the BPS, encompasses undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The programme prepares practitioners for professional counselling roles, enabling them to work with diverse groups in various settings, such as healthcare, education, and beyond. This course broadens employability prospects and opens opportunities for further development across counselling, education, and psychology. We emphasise developing cross-disciplinary competencies to enhance your ability to adapt and excel in evolving professional landscapes. After the fifth year you will exit with a validated qualification as a professional counsellor, allowing you to progress to become a counselling psychologist. Our degree aims to meet the rising demand for mental health support in today's diverse and complex societies. We deliver an integrated learning experience of theory and practice, focusing on reflective, professional, and ethical work in cross-cultural and multidisciplinary settings. You will explore various human experiences from the individual to the societal level, enabling you to support individuals from different cultural backgrounds and diverse identities. Our programme emphasises the development of your interpersonal skills and personal growth. We encourage a deeper understanding of the inner self and the outer environment through exploration and reflection. You will also examine psychological theories and counselling practices while gaining insights into child development, health, and well-being from an educational context. There are opportunities to gain practical experience in third-sector organisations, schools and healthcare settings, encompassing a range of roles from pastoral care to counselling. You will work with diverse individuals, including children, young people, and adults. You will acquire specialist knowledge and transferable skills in ethical decision-making, critical thinking, problem-solving, adaptability, resilience, and cultural competence, equipping you to thrive in a dynamic professional environment. The programme facilitates building your proficiency in research skills within psychology and education. Our courses offer to enhance your analytical and research capabilities, providing excellent preparation for a doctoral qualification in psychology or other areas in counselling and psychotherapy. Once you have graduated from the 5-year programme, you will have the relevant registration to become a qualified counsellor holding a psychology degree, allowing you to undertake further training to become an HCPC-accredited Counselling Psychologist. The programme also opens pathways to study the PGDE in primary or secondary education.