This course is research-focused and offers the opportunity to present findings to experienced counselling professionals. This approach also underpins its overall work-based philosophy, with graduates going on to work in private and public counselling practices and in other roles relating to
mental health and wellbeing.
You will learn how to apply Cognitive Behavioural Therapy skills to your counselling practice, be prepared for a career in the sector having undertaken a significant project in an area of professional interest, and also be set up for Master’s or other postgraduate studies.
You will also enhance your practice by gaining informed and critical perspectives on the application of psychological therapies. When you graduate, you will also be able to register as a counsellor with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
The course is delivered in our Knightstone Campus and you will also be able to study in our multimillion pound University Centre in the Winter Gardens. The new facility includes a higher education library, technology pods for individual and group projects, classrooms, IT suites and social spaces.
Please contact the course leader Barbara Feldtkeller or UCW’s HEART student services team for more information about this course. Come along to our next Open Day so you can see for yourself how UCW can help you achieve your ambitions.
Students who pass this course are awarded an Honours Top-up degree from Bath Spa University. The agreement between Bath Spa University and UCW is reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure academic standards are maintained.
2020 entry full-time tuition fees: £8,250 per year.
2021 entry full-time tuition fees: £8,500 per year.
This covers all of the teaching and assessment elements that are required for students to complete the course.
It also includes:
- Attendance at a conference-style residential visit for students, which provides them with the opportunity to develop their practice outside of the classroom and also present their work to their peers in a professional context.
- 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:
- 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 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.
- The £80 per year cost of student membership of the BACP, which is recommended.
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 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.
