University of Canberra
Master of Counselling
- Delivery: Online
- Commitment: 15 - 20 hours/week
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 24 months
Develop advanced counselling knowledge and practical skills through online study, supervised placement and experiential learning, with a focus on ethical practice, diversity, mental health and inclusive counselling.
Course overview
The University of Canberra’s online Master of Counselling develops advanced counselling knowledge and practical skills for working with individuals across diverse social and cultural contexts. The course combines research-led content with supported and interactive learning, covering counselling theory, ethical conduct, diversity, mental health and approaches to working respectfully with clients.
You will develop counselling skills through study in areas including loss, grief and trauma, mental health, advanced counselling techniques and creative approaches to counselling. The course also develops your ability to critically reflect on professional practice and apply counselling knowledge in ethical and inclusive ways.
Experiential learning is a significant component of the degree. Students undertake supervised professional placement and work with clinical supervisors to apply their developing counselling skills in practice. UC Online also requires a compulsory five-day intensive workshop to meet the training requirements associated with ACA accreditation.
The Master of Counselling comprises 36 credit points and 12 units and is designed to be completed in two years part-time, with each online study block lasting seven weeks. It includes the Graduate Certificate in Counselling and Graduate Diploma in Counselling as nested qualifications and is accredited by the Australian Counselling Association (ACA).
CSP Subsidised Fees Available
This program has a limited quota of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP). The indicative CSP price is calculated based on first year fees for EFT. The actual fee may vary if there are choices in electives or majors.
Key facts
$613 (CSP)
15th March, 2027
10th May, 2027
5th July, 2027
30th August, 2027
25th October, 2027
What you will study
The Master of Counselling comprises 10 core units and two placement units.
Core units
- Counselling Theory and Approaches
- Core Counselling Skills
- Principles of Ethical Conduct in Counselling
- Diversity Inclusion Respect
- Introduction to Placement and Supervision
- Counselling Skills in Practice
- Loss, Grief and Trauma in Counselling
- Understanding Mental Health
- Next Level Counselling Skills
- Creative Practices in Counselling
Placement units
Professional Placement (Part A)
- Placement A - Putting it all into Practice PG
- Professional Placement (Part A) PG
- Professional Placement (Part B)
Professional Placement (Part B)
- Placement B - Masters Practicum PG
- Professional Placement (Part B) PG
Entry requirements
To be eligible for the Master of Counselling, applicants must:
- Have an undergraduate degree or postgraduate degree in any discipline;
- Fulfil non-standard English language requirements that are outlined in ‘Additional requirements’.
Additional admission requirements
Students are required to undergo a National Police check and relevant state-based checks (i.e. Working with Vulnerable People Check, Working With Children Check) as required by each placement agency in order to be accepted for each unit that includes a placement.
English language requirements
You can demonstrate your proficiency in a number of ways, including through an approved English language test or recognised past study taught and assessed in English.
The Master of Counselling requires an overall IELTS Academic score (or equivalent) of 7.0, with no band score below 7.0.
Outcomes
Learning outcomes
- Demonstrate ethical awareness and professional conduct in the context of the counselling profession and its obligations to diversity, communities and society.
- Synthesise literature in and across relevant fields to inform professional practice and support pathways to further learning.
- Communicate relevant professional knowledge effectively and respectfully to a variety of audiences and in different formats.
- Demonstrate and justify the selection of integrated and advanced discipline-specific theoretical knowledge and skill-based practice.
- Demonstrate advanced collaborative and leadership skills.
- Build on integrated technology literacies and capacities in professional practice.
Career outcomes
The Master of Counselling develops counselling skills applicable across a variety of organisations and counselling teams. Career opportunities include:
- - Private practice counsellor
- Therapeutic case worker
- Financial counsellor
- Youth worker
- Community worker
- Family counsellor
- Child and adolescent counsellor
- Rehabilitation counsellor
- Couples and relationship counsellor
Fees and FEE-HELP
Indicative cost per unit in 2027: $3,750 (domestic full-fee paying place)
Indicative total cost in 2027: $45,000 (domestic full-fee paying place)
The Master of Counselling comprises 12 units. The indicative total course cost is based on the current tuition fees published by UC Online.
Student fees may vary depending on:
- The number of units studied.
- Recognition of prior learning.
- Leave from study.
- Unit availability.
- Annual changes to tuition fees.
You may also need to pay other fees and charges.
Student fees are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm current fees.
Eligible domestic full-fee paying students may be able to use FEE-HELP to defer some or all of their tuition fees.
