Counselling, FdSc

AT A GLANCE

This Foundation Degree is a professional qualification that enables graduates to register as a counsellor with the British Association for Counselling.

This course has been designed to respond to the increasing need for qualified and experienced counsellors who can help vulnerable people make positive life choices and deal with mental health challenges.

The programme of study includes key counselling practice theories and related topics including neuroscience, trauma and attachment, and a significant work placement. The course also has a humanistic focus, with studies of person-centred counselling, transactional analysis, gestalt therapy and existentialist therapy.

By enrolling on this course, you will also be invited to a conference-style residential visit subsidised by UCW to develop your practice outside of the classroom and present your work to peers and professionals. At an additional expense, you’ll also need to be in one-to-one counselling yourself for a minimum of 20 hours over the duration of study.

Regardless of whether you chose to study this course on a part-time or full-basis, you’ll also be expected to attend lectures in the daytime and in the evening, and also undertake a minimum of 100 hours of work experience in a relevant and supervised setting. UCW can provide a list of NHS and private practices to help you in securing a placement in an area of academic interest.

When in lectures and seminars, you’ll be taught in the University Centre in our Knightstone Campus in the centre of Weston. Students on this Foundation Degree are also among the first to be able to take advantage of the teaching and learning spaces a few minutes away in the multimillion redevelopment of the Winter Gardens. The new facilities include bright and spacious teaching and learning spaces, technology-enabled ‘pods’ for group study and a library.

Foundation Degrees are Level 5 qualifications equivalent to the first two years of a full Honours Degree. They are designed with employer input and combine academic study with work-based learning, so students on this course gain the knowledge and experiences that organisations are looking for from the candidates they hire. UCW’s commitment to great graduate outcomes is also underpinned by our students having access to a Careers Coaching service for the whole time they are enrolled with us.

Please click through the tabs to find out more about the content of the course and how it is taught and assessed. The menus below deal with our partnership with Bath Spa University and what is and isn’t covered by the cost of tuition. The best way to decide if this is the right course for you is to come along to our next Open Day, where you can see our facilities and also meet the team. Please also feel free to get in touch with UCW’s HEART team or the course leader Barbara Feldtkeller if you have any questions.

Our partnership with Bath Spa University

Course costs

Full-time: £8,250 per year
Part-time: £5,500 per year

It also includes:

The use of UCW equipment and facilities.
Attendance at guest lectures and conferences at UCW.
Annual £10 printing and photocopying allowance for full-time students and £5 for part-time students.
The use of UCW computer equipment at any of our campuses and access to Microsoft Office 365 while you are enrolled with UCW.
The loans of books from our libraries.
Access to all of the UCW student support and careers services.

It does not include:

An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at a cost of £44, which is required to study on this course.
Any additional costs for supervision on work placements.
Optional daytrips and residential visits at an approximate cost of £50 (UK) and £100 (overseas) per day/night.
Extra printing and photocopying above the £10/£5 limit.
The cost of books that you may wish to purchase.
Transport between our campuses, and to/from your partner university and any work placements. We encourage students to take advantage of termly bus passes to reduce transport costs.
Accommodation and other living expenses.

UCW publishes its Tuition Fees Policy on the Wider Information Set page of this website.

You may also be eligible for additional financial support, depending on your circumstances.

All of the modules on this course are compulsory and worth 40 credits each. Successful completion of all of the modules in the first year is worth 120 credits at Level 4 and equivalent to a Certificate of Higher Education. Successful completion of the second year is also worth 120 credits and will lead to the award of the Level 5 Foundation Degree.

Year 1:

Core theory and contemporary practice (40 credits) – explore the key theories and debates in contemporary counselling and psychology.
Life events, development and change (40 credits) – learn how to utilise therapies to mitigate the negative effects of emotions such as trauma, loss and grief.
Personal and professional development (40 credits) – undertake continuous reflection as an individual and also as part of a personal development group.

Year 2:

Mental wellbeing: theory, practice and research (40 credits) – an introduction to the most prevalent mental health conditions and their classifications, assessments and treatments.
Personal and professional development part 2 (40 credits) – continued exploration of reflectivity, responsiveness to challenges, and professional and personal development.
The reflective practitioner (40 credits) – develop an evidence-based portfolio to underpin counselling competencies and skills.

Teaching and assessment

This course is taught via a combination of lectures, seminars, workplace practice, presentations, case studies and group workshops. UCW’s Higher Education Library Plus (HE.LP) team also deliver a series of sessions on degree-level study skills to all first-year students. When not in scheduled lecturers and seminars, students are expected to continue learning through independent self-study. This involves reading relevant literature, working on individual and group projects, and undertaking research in preparation for coursework and exams.

On a full-time basis, this course has an average of 11 hours of scheduled teaching per week. Students on this course are also required to undertake a supervised work placement totalling a minimum of 100 hours.

At UCW, we also understand that some students benefit from more contact time with lecturers than is the norm at a traditional university, so we do all we can to make sure academic staff are available for their students when they are needed.

Assessment is via a combination of practical exams and coursework. The assessment breakdown is 10% practical exams and 90% coursework. There are no written exams on this Foundation Degree.

Please click on the Course Handbook button to find out more, and also how the above translates to the three year, part-time degree.

Course length
Full-time: 2 years (1 day and 1 evening per week excluding placement)
Part-time: 3 years (Either 1 day per week or ½ a day and 1 evening per week, excluding placement)
Start date
7th September 2020
Course codes
Institution: W47
Course: B940
Campus: –
Tuition fees
Full-time: £8,250 per year
Part-time: £5,500 per year