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Psychological Studies with Counselling at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS

Course options

2026 - 2027
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Birkbeck, University of London has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Open days

1Nov
Birkbeck, University of London - Undergraduate Open Day
Undergraduate

Course summary

Our new BA Psychological Studies with Counselling is ideal if you are interested in exploring psychology and counselling from both an academic and applied perspective. It will equip you with a comprehensive view of mental functioning, integrating key theories and practices from both disciplines to prepare you for a career related to psychology and counselling. Why choose this course?

  • In psychology, you will be taught by research-active academics and in counselling by qualified and practising counsellors and psychotherapists.
  • This course can open the door to many opportunities beyond the traditional pathways where an understanding of human behaviour is key, such as careers in human resources, marketing, social services, education, user experience and health care.
  • You will develop essential critical-thinking and analytical skills and emotional intelligence that prepare you for leadership and management positions.
What you will learn You will gain a strong foundation in psychology as we cover topics such as learning, memory, decision-making, human interaction, and the relationship between the brain and behaviour. Counselling modules then introduce you to core counselling approaches and the psychodynamic understanding of group and organisational processes. You can choose from specialist modules on developmental psychology, individual differences, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, social psychology as well as a wide range of applied psychology modules. How you will learn You can study this course either full- or part-time with classes taking place in the evening, and occasional classes on Saturdays in your first year. You will be taught via a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops where you will engage actively in discussions and presentations, group and project work. In your final year you write a dissertation on a counselling-related topic. Highlights
  • Birkbeck has been teaching counselling and psychotherapy programmes successfully for over 50 years.
  • You will study in our School of Psychological Sciences, a world-leading centre of research excellence, and in the Birkbeck Centre for Counselling, which holds our flagship counselling and psychotherapy master's courses offering professional qualifications in counselling.
  • We are regarded as one of the top institutions teaching psychological sciences in the UK. In the most recent 2021 Research Excellence Framework, and for the third time, we were ranked in the top ten universities in the UK.
  • We are home to the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, the Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Social Issues, the Birkbeck-UCL Centre for Neuroimaging and the Centre for Cognition, Computation and Modelling. We are also members of the Bloomsbury Centre for Genetic Epidemiology and Statistics.
  • Our Centre for Counselling is staffed by professional counsellors and has close links with counselling and psychotherapy organisations such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and the British Psychoanalytic Council.
Careers and employability On successfully completing this course you will have gained transferable skills such as:
  • the ability to critically analyse and evaluate material
  • effective oral and written communication skills
  • problem analysis and solving skills
  • active listening skills
  • research skills
  • the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
You will be equipped with essential knowledge and skills should you later decide to apply for professional training in counselling, such as on our MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy. Psychology graduates can be found across a range of sectors and roles, including in:
  • human health and social work
  • education
  • public administration
  • the leisure and communications industries
  • the arts and entertainment industries
  • counselling-related roles and further professional training.

Modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment method

Assessment varies depending on the module, but includes short written exercises, essays which will develop in length and expected complexity as you progress through your studies, quizzes and multiple-choice questionnaires, practical assessments, case studies, presentations, in-class timed tasks, reflective reviews and a theoretical dissertation.

How to apply

14Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Please select a course option – you will then see the application code you need to use to apply for the course.

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

International applicants

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. We also accept other English language tests.

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

We welcome applicants without traditional entry qualifications as we base decisions on our own assessment of qualifications, knowledge and previous work experience. We may waive formal entry requirements based on judgement of academic potential.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

To be confirmed
Psychological Studies with Counselling at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS