Counselling (Interpersonal Dialogue) MCouns

This programme is a two year, full-time professionally validated postgraduate qualification in counselling. It is an accelerated version of the well-established Master of Counselling (MCouns), which is offered over four years part-time.

The programme is specifically designed for international students, with significant (one to two years) professional experience in related fields, who are seeking to gain a fully accredited professional qualification in counselling in the United Kingdom. This programme is also open to UK students with significant professional experience.

Combining academic rigour with high quality professional training, the programme provides unique opportunities for training, learning and research in the field of counselling and psychotherapy.

The award of this degree qualifies graduates to practise as counsellors or therapists in the UK and in other countries with equivalent professional and academic standards.

The programme is founded in dialogue between the person-centred approach and psychodynamic perspectives in counselling. It involves substantial placement practice (in unpaid internships) with counselling clients.

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.

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.

Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the programme you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL, Trinity ISE, or Oxford ELLT test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the programme begins, regardless of your nationality. (Revised 14 January 2025 to include Oxford ELLT.)

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

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.