Master of Counselling

Admission requirements you'll need to meet for this course.

• The following course-specific admission requirements are mandatory and must be satisfied by all applicants. These requirements are in addition to or supersede the minimum requirements outlined within the Academic admission requirements band section below.

  All applicants are required to have a three year degree from a recognised university, and attend an interview. Applicants will be asked to provide a written application and attend an interview if they are short-listed. Preference will be given to applicants with at least two years full-time (or
  equivalent) experience in a formal counselling role.
  It is desirable that all applicants have a three-year degree from a recognised university, in an area such as social work, psychology, medicine, occupational therapy, nursing, theology or human services.

  For more information, including guidelines for specific disciplines, please see our Interviews, folios and auditions web page.

  Academic admission requirements (Band 6) may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

  • Bachelor degree; or
  • Equivalent prior learning including at least five years relevant professional experience.

• English competency requirements may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

  • IELTS Academic Overall band minimum score of 6.5 (no individual band less than 6.0);
  • Bachelor degree from a country specified on the English Proficiency Bands page;
  • Successfully completed 0.375 EFTSL of study at postgraduate level or higher at an Australian higher education provider (or equivalent);
  • Where accepted, equivalent prior learning, including at least five years relevant professional experience; or
  • Other tests, courses or programs defined on the English Proficiency Bands page.

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 cognate areas as 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 Head of School, Social Sciences.

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.

Applicants must hold a valid Suitability Card (Blue Card), which is issued by the Public Safety Business Agency, prior to commencement. Please see the Blue Card link for further details.

The Master of Counselling offers a limited number of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) as well as domestic fee paying places. Offers for both CSP and fee paying places will be made after the application due date for the program.

CSP will be allocated on the basis of your Grade Point Average in the degree used to meet admission requirements. Applicants falling below the demand-driven cut-off for a CSP may be offered a domestic fee paying place (with the option to access FEE-HELP) subject to capacity limitations. USC reserves the right to offer a small number of CSP to students from ATSIC or disadvantaged backgrounds.

Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and permanent visa holders enrolled in a fee paying place will have the option of applying for a CSP in subsequent semesters if one becomes available. In these cases, the student's current GPA in the Master of Counselling will be used to assess eligibility for a CSP place using the same entry cut-off applied for new CPS entrants during that admission period.

You must hold a current Blue Card before starting your first supervised counselling experience. Many agencies also require a Police check in addition to the Blue Card.

• Applicants must usually hold an undergraduate degree or equivalent.
• Applicants will also be required to demonstrate a suitable degree of mature life experience, including self-awareness, a capacity to relate to others and an understanding of ethical behaviour. Admission also requires a selection interview with a member of the Counselling staff. At the interview the applicant will be required to demonstrate a suitable degree of mature life experience as defined by the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA).
• Successful applicants will be required to provide a current National Police Clearance.