Advance your career and earn a professional counselling degree.
The Master of Counselling offers preparation for a position in counselling for practitioners from a variety of backgrounds. It provides career opportunities in private practice, education, health and human service settings. It will interest professionals seeking a career change, or those wishing to fine-tune qualifications by adding vocational emphasis or gain an academic qualification to formalise years of work experience. It may also be of particular relevance to those working in education, nursing, health or human services.
- Only a full-time option is available to international students on a Student visa. Online programs are not available to Student visa holders.
- * Estimated tuition fees are based on 2025 rates. Refer to international fees for more information.
- Not all majors/minors and elective options are available at every campus. You should refer to the What Can I Study tab, and the proposed study sequence for your chosen campus and intake for further information.
The Master of Counselling offers preparation for a position in counselling for practitioners from a variety of backgrounds. It provides career opportunities in private practice, education, health and human service settings. It will interest professionals seeking a career change, or those wishing to fine-tune qualifications by adding vocational emphasis or gain an academic qualification to formalise years of work experience. It may also be of particular relevance to those working in education, nursing, health or human services.
This program provides practical training that leads to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and experience in professional counselling, family therapy, and ethical practice competencies in both class and a live clinical context. A feature of the program is the experiential clinical component that takes place in Internships in Relationships Australia, Centacare and the Counselling and Research Centre at the University. This enables you to integrate counselling theory with practice in a structured and safe learning environment. Students will acquire the relevant counselling knowledge and skills by satisfactorily completing at least 200 hours of counselling and additional supervision within the Internship. Students will also undertake a Research project related to counselling practice and document this in a 10,000-12,000 word dissertation, comprising a literature review, methodology, findings and implications for further study.
The Master of Counselling will be offered to students with an approved three year degree in Counselling (via Pathway B) or a related area such as teaching, nursing, or other human services/health related area, or a Bachelor Degree in other areas approved by the University (via Pathway A). The program specialises in advanced counselling practice skills as well as specialised areas such as counselling addictions, counselling children and adolescents, counselling in mental health and expressive therapies.
Admission requirements
A student entering the Master of Counselling will normally be required to hold an approved 3-year degree in Counselling (AQF Level 7) or a Bachelor Degree (AQF Level 7) in other areas approved by the University.
Entry by non-graduates who have extensive relevant industry experience may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Dean, Faculty of Arts and Business.
Applicants are required to complete an additional personal statement and attend an interview (refer to application form). Interviews for International students on a Student visa will be conducted by Skype.
Requirements for placements
You must hold a current Blue Card # before starting your first supervised counselling experience. Blue Card applications should be submitted with your application to USC. If you do not submit an application, or apply but are ineligible, you will not be able to undertake the professional experience components of the program. Many agencies also require a Police check in addition to the Blue Card.
# Blue Cards are issued by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian. More information on Blue Cards and how to apply.
Professional recognition
Graduates will be eligible to apply for membership with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA), Associations accredited by the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) and the Queensland Counsellor Association.
Accreditation
This program is fully accredited with the Australian Counselling Association and the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia.
Program structure
Program requirements
- Prior to entry into the program applicants will be required to submit their current Blue Cards
- Refer to related policies, rules, plans and procedures.
- Refer to the University's English language proficiency requirements.
- Only a full-time study option is available to international students on a Student Visa.
Requirements for field education
To complete this program you must complete 50 hours of supervision relating to a minimum of 200 hours of client contact for which you are required to obtain a Blue Card (issued by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian).
In the event that you become ineligible for a Blue Card, at any time between the date of first enrolment and the date of completion of the program, you will not be able to complete the program.
Please note, while all endeavours will be made to place students in a given semester, this is not guaranteed and students may need to enrol at a later time should a position in an agency be unavailable in the preferred semester.
Field education includes professional or clinical placements. Students may be required to undertake these placements away from the campus at their own expense.
Program structure
There are two pathways of Admission. Pathway A applicants who hold a three year approved degree must complete all 15 required courses, plus a choice of COU706 Learning in Australian Landscapes or COU707 Marine Science Education Fieldwork completing 192 units in total.
Pathway B applicants who hold a Bachelor of Counselling or equivalent recognised degree will receive an exemption for COU780 Leading Groups in Outdoor Environments and credit for 2 courses (24 units) for COU701 Communicating Sustainability and COU781 Animal Form, Function and Evolution.
Pathway A
Required courses (16)
CMN574 Earth's Surface Processes
COU700 Environmental Impact Assessment
COU701 Coastal and Marine Ecology
COU702 The Changing Planet
COU703 Hydrology and Geomorphology
COU704 Biodiversity and Ecology
COU705 Foundations of Sustainability
COU708 Advancing Sustainability: Planet, People and Prosperity
COU709 Counselling Children and Young People
COU750 Counselling and Mental Health
COU751 Counselling for the Human Services Professional
COU752 Theories and Systems of Counselling and Psychotherapy
COU754 Developmental and Family Counselling
COU780 Research Design: Methodology and Literature Review
COU781 Counselling Interventions: Expressive Therapies
PLUS select 1 course from:
COU706 Theories and Systems of Counselling and Psychotherapy
COU707 Professional Development 1
TOTAL UNITS 192
Pathway B
Required courses (14)
CMN574 Internship 1
COU700 Internship 2
COU702 Professional Development 2
COU703 Counselling and Addictions
COU704 Supervision Practices
COU705 Ethics and Reflective Practice
COU706 Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Counselling
COU707 Assessment and Case Conceptualisation
COU708 Research Project
COU709 Counselling for the Human Services Professional
COU750 Developmental and Family Counselling
COU751 Counselling Children and Young People
COU752 Counselling and Mental Health
COU754 Research Design: Methodology and Literature Review
TOTAL UNITS 168