All of the modules on this course are compulsory and worth either 20 or 40 credits. Successful completion of all of the modules is worth 120 credits and will lead to the award of the Level 6 Honours Top-up degree.

• Contemporary Debates in Psychological Therapy (20 credits)
• Counselling Practice: Work-based Project (40 credits) 
• Foundations in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Theory, Principles and Methods (40 credits)
• Planning and Research Methods (20 credits) 

This course is taught via a combination of lectures, seminars and presentations. 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.

The course has an average of 11 hours of scheduled teaching per week.

Assessment is via a combination of practical exams and coursework, with an assessment breakdown of 20% practical exams and 80% coursework. There are no written exams on this course.

Please click on the Course Handbook button to find out more.

• From 2021, students who pass this couse will be able to progress to a PG-Cert in Counselling Supervision at UCW delivered in partnership with Bath Spa University.
• Students who pass this course are also eligible to apply for other postgraduate courses such as the Master’s Degrees in Applied Psychology and Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice at Bath Spa University.
• Graduates are also qualified to work as support workers or counsellors in areas such as mental health and wellbeing, bereavement, substance abuse, and family and youth work.

Industry insight

The average salary for a counsellor in the UK is £29,000 (Totaljobs data).

A related Foundation Degree with an average grade profile of 50% or above, or a Higher National Diploma at Merit, or equivalent. Applicants are also required to attend an interview.

It is a requirement of admission to this course that applicants are in a suitable paid or voluntary position in a setting where they can develop their skills in the workplace.

* Please note: The BSc(hons) top up programme will be discontinued in 2025 as the new three-year BSc(hons) in Counselling (see separate website entry) will take its place. After this time, students who would have applied for the level 6 top up can still join the BSc(hons) programme at level 6 to act as a top up (with suitable prerequisites), there is an entry point at level 6 on the UCAS application portal to reflect this. 

Programme Specification

UCW Terms and Conditions