Postgraduate study
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Counselling MCouns, PgCert, PgDip

Awards: MCouns, PgCert, PgDip

Study modes: Part-time

Accreditation

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Counselling

This programme aims to foster the development of critically reflective practitioners who are able to work in a variety of settings with a broad range of people. It is founded in dialogue between the person-centred approach and psychodynamic perspectives in counselling.

The Master of Counselling is validated professionally by COSCA at Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma levels. It is a flexible, student-centred training process with a strong emphasis on practice, including a counselling placement.

A distinctive feature of this degree is its focus on the student’s individual counselling practice with clients, which normally begins in year two.

Accreditation

The Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling is a professionally validated programme that qualifies you to practise counselling and psychotherapy in the UK, and in other countries where equivalence in qualifications is recognised. Successful completion of this programme, followed by post-qualification practice and supervision, enables you to apply for individual accreditation as a counsellor or psychotherapist with a UK professional body.

You will be taught through:

  • experiential group work
  • counselling practice
  • supervision of counselling practice
  • theory seminars
  • independent study
  • mentorship
  • academic support

Your assessments will include:

  • essays
  • seminar presentations
  • self and peer assessments
  • placement-based assessment
  • the professional portfolio
  • a dissertation (for relevant programmes)

The programme provides a high level of student-tutor contact and close supervision of both counselling practice and research, in line with professional and academic requirements.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MCounsCounselling4 YearsPart-timeProgramme structure 2024/25
PgCertCounselling Studies1 YearPart-timeProgramme structure 2024/25
PgDipCounselling3 YearsPart-timeProgramme structure 2024/25

Students who successfully complete the programme will:

  • be reflective, self-aware, safe, accountable and competent counsellors
  • have a sound knowledge base of theories and research on the development of the person, group process, therapeutic relationships and processes, and the role of counselling in society
  • possess highly developed and transferable interpersonal, conceptual and analytical skills, including critical thinking, self-evaluation and research skills

The Pg Diploma and Master of Counselling qualifies students to be eligible for employment in a variety of contexts where this unique combination of interpersonal, therapeutic, self-reflective and analytical skills is highly valued. This includes counselling in the UK.

Postgraduate Certificate

The Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Studies enhances your career prospects in a variety of fields that use listening skills, such as healthcare, social work or education. It is also an excellent foundation for further specialist therapeutic training in the UK or abroad. In addition, the general skills you gain will be of use in any professional or academic role.

Postgraduate Diploma

The Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling is a professionally validated programme that qualifies you to practise counselling and psychotherapy in the UK, and in other countries where equivalence in qualifications is recognised.

Successful completion of this programme, followed by post-qualification practice and supervision, enables you to apply for individual accreditation as a counsellor or psychotherapist with a UK professional body.

Masters

Many employers today require masters qualifications for management positions in counselling and psychotherapy. With the Master of Counselling, you can join the many Edinburgh graduates who now hold senior positions in the field, and contribute to the development of counselling and psychotherapy in the UK and across the world.

As a graduate, you could also gain employment as a counsellor and psychotherapist working in the statutory, voluntary/non-government and private sectors. You can enter private practice, or use your counselling training and allied skills in communication and project management to enhance your career in a related profession, such as healthcare, social work, nursing or education.

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent.

You should demonstrate a high level of motivation through your personal statement, indicating why you wish to study counselling, and demonstrating an understanding of counselling and the capacity to reflect on personal aptitude for work in this field.

We will also consider a UK 2:2 honours degree, or its international equivalent, with a strong personal statement and relevant experience or references confirming aptitude for study at postgraduate level.

We may also consider your application if you have other professional qualifications or experience; please contact us to check before you apply.

As this is a professional training programme, students are subject to the University's Fitness to Practise policies and processes while on programme.

Progression from the first year of the programme requires an assessment of readiness for counselling training. This includes successfully completing a written self assessment, a reference and an oral assessment.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

Protecting Vulnerable Groups

All successful applicants will be required to join Disclosure Scotland's Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme before starting the programme. In addition, all applicants who don't live in the UK, or who have spent more than a year abroad, will need to provide equivalent verification from the relevant national authority.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

  • IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
  • PTE Academic: total 65 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
  • Oxford ELLT: 7 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

Additional programme costs

Students undertaking the PgDip or MCouns in Counselling are required to undertake a minimum of 25 hours of professional supervision in relation to their placement practice. Students may need to pay for this supervision of their counselling practice. See the programme website for further information:

Tuition fees

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MCounsCounselling4 YearsPart-timeTuition fees
PgCertCounselling Studies1 YearPart-timeTuition fees
PgDipCounselling3 YearsPart-timeTuition fees

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

  • borrowing money

    • taking out a loan

    • family support

  • personal savings

  • income from work

  • employer sponsorship

  • scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

  • School of Health in Social Science
  • Medical School
  • Teviot Place
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9AG

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.

Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2025/6 will be published shortly.

Please be aware that applications must be submitted and complete, i.e. all required documents uploaded, by the relevant application deadline in order to be considered in that round. Your application will still be considered if you have not yet met the English language requirement for the programme.

You must submit one reference with your application.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Further information

  • School of Health in Social Science
  • Medical School
  • Teviot Place
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9AG