Counselling (Interpersonal Dialogue) MCouns

You will be taught through:

• experiential group work
• counselling practice
• supervision of counselling practice
• theory seminars
• independent study
• mentorship
• academic support

Your assessments will include:

• essays
• seminar presentations
• self and peer assessments
• placement-based assessment
• the professional portfolio
• a dissertation (for relevant programmes)

The programme provides a high level of student-tutor contact and close supervision of both counselling practice and research, in line with professional and academic requirements.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Award	Title	Duration	Study mode
MCouns	Counselling (Interpersonal Dialogue)	2 Years	Full-time	Programme structure 2024/25

Students who successfully complete the Master of Counselling will:

• be reflective, self-aware, safe, accountable and competent counsellors
• have a sound knowledge base of theories and research on the development of the person, group process, therapeutic relationships and processes, and the role of counselling in society
• possess highly developed and transferable interpersonal, conceptual and analytical skills, including critical thinking, self-evaluation and research skills

The Pg Diploma and the Master of Counselling qualifies students to be eligible for employment in a variety of contexts where this unique combination of interpersonal, therapeutic, self-reflective and analytical skills is highly valued. This includes counselling in the UK.

The Master of Counselling (Interpersonal Dialogue) qualifies graduates to practise as counsellors or psychotherapists in the UK, and in other countries with equivalent professional and academic standards.

Successful completion of this programme, followed by post-qualification practice and supervision, enables you to apply for individual accreditation as a counsellor or psychotherapist with a UK professional body.

Increasingly, employers are seeking masters qualifications from applicants for management roles in counselling and psychotherapy, and graduates will be well positioned for these opportunities.

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a subject relevant to counselling and psychotherapy.

You should also have substantial relevant experience of working in helping roles in counselling or a cognate area, such as education, social work, nursing, mental health practice, applied psychology or equivalent.

We will also consider a UK 2:2 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a subject relevant to counselling and psychotherapy with references confirming your aptitude for study at postgraduate level.

If your undergraduate degree is not relevant to counselling and psychotherapy, you may be admitted at the discretion of the programme director as long as you meet the personal and professional suitability and relevant experience requirements laid down by the British professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. Check the programme website for more information:

• Counselling (Interpersonal Dialogue) - entry requirements

Entry is subject to passing a professional suitability interview. As this is a professional training programme, students are subject to the University's Fitness to Practise policies and processes.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

Protecting Vulnerable Groups

All successful applicants will be required to join Disclosure Scotland's Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme before starting the programme. In addition, all applicants who don't live in the UK, or who have spent more than a year abroad, will need to provide equivalent verification from the relevant national authority.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Additional programme costs

Students on the Master of Counselling (Interpersonal Dialogue) are required to undertake a minimum of 25 hours of professional supervision in relation to their placement practice. Students may need to pay for this supervision of their counselling practice.

Tuition fees

Award	Title	Duration	Study mode
MCouns	Counselling (Interpersonal Dialogue)	2 Years	Full-time	Tuition fees

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

• borrowing money

  • taking out a loan

  • family support

• personal savings

• income from work

• employer sponsorship

• scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding