Program Overview

Psychology with Counselling Skills, MA

Introduction

This page provides information on what you will study on the MA Psychology with Counselling Skills joint Honours degree.

Study Information

At a Glance

• Learning Mode: On Campus Learning
• Degree Qualification: MA
• Duration: 48 months
• Study Mode: Full Time
• Start Month: September
• UCAS Code: C8B9

What You'll Study

A degree in Psychology with Counselling Skills is taught via a selection of compulsory and optional courses to enhance your learning, preparing you for a future career or further study. In each year you will take courses adding up to 120 credits. Depending on the number of compulsory and optional courses offered by your degree, you can also choose other eligible courses which fit your timetable.

Year 1

• Compulsory Courses:
  • CO101D Counselling Skills 1: Active Listening and Responding
  • CO 151D Counselling Skills 2: Different Therapeutic Modalities/Approaches
  • Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen (PD1002)
  • Introductory Psychology I: Concepts and Theory (PS1009)
  • Introductory Psychology I: Methods and Applications (PS1011)
  • Introductory Psychology II: Concepts and Theory (PS1509)
  • Introductory Psychology II: Methods and Applications (PS1511)

Year 2

• Compulsory Courses:
  • Advanced Psychology A - Concepts and Theory (PS2017)
  • Advanced Psychology 1 - Methods and Applications (PS2018)
  • Advanced Psychology B - Concepts and Theory (PS2517)
  • Advanced Psychology 2 - Methods and Applications (PS2518)

Year 3

• Compulsory Courses:
  • Psychological Assessment (PS3011)
  • Perception (PS3012)
  • Biological Psychology (PS3014)
  • Methodology A (PS3015)
  • Developmental Psychology (PS3518)
  • Memory and Language (PS3519)
  • Social Psychology (PS3520)
  • Methodology B (PS3522)

Year 4

• Compulsory Courses:
  • Psychology Thesis (PS4019)

How You'll Study

Teaching is by means of lectures, laboratory practicals, workshops and tutorials, with more extensive experimental projects at years 3 and 4. Assessment is by means of examination and continuous assessment. Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.

Learning Methods

• Individual Projects
• Lab Work
• Lectures
• Seminars
• Tutorials
• Workshops

Assessment Methods

Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods:

• Coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course
• Practical assessments of the skills and competencies learnt on the course
• Written examinations at the end of each course

Why Study Psychology with Counselling Skills?

Why Psychology

• You will be introduced to state-of-the-art concepts and theories taught by award-winning teachers and world-class researchers, exposing you to the latest thinking in the field.
• You will benefit from the key strengths within the School of social psychology, neuroscience, language, perception and industrial psychology.
• We have a wide range of course options available in 4th Year to allow you to specialise in areas such as clinical, forensic, language and developmental psychology.
• You will have the opportunity to gain experience using specialised laboratories and equipment including those for brain imaging analysis, eye movement recording, movement analysis and visual neuroscience.
• To help you get a job we have an employability programme for our students which includes: internship opportunities, online resources, career talks and networking events.
• Psychology graduates are eligible for membership of the British Psychological Society, this is a first step towards becoming a professional Psychologist.
• In the final year students have the opportunity to do a unique research project to a professional level. A number of final year projects have gone on to be published in internationally renowned journals.

Why Counselling Skills

• An introduction to the theoretical concepts of a counselling approach and to the use of counselling skills.
• To develop effective active listening skills
• An introduction to the concept and experience of self-awareness and personal growth in the context of counselling skills training.
• To be able to understand and apply the model of a counselling approach
• To have a foundation understanding of the range of counselling approaches, CBT, Person Centred, Psychodynamic, Gestalt etc.
• To provide an essential foundation for possible further training in the areas of counselling and psychotherapy
• To gain a validated certificate in Counselling Skills

Entry Requirements

Qualifications

• SQA Highers:
  • Standard: AABB
  • Minimum: BBB
  • Adjusted: BB
• A LEVELS:
  • Standard: BBB
  • Minimum: BBC
  • Adjusted: CCC
• International Baccalaureate: 32 points, including 5, 5, 5 at HL.
• Irish Leaving Certificate: 5H with 3 at H2 AND 2 at H3.

Fees and Funding

• England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland: £9,535
• EU / International students: £20,800
• Self-funded international students commencing eligible undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 will receive a £6,000 tuition waiver for every year of their programme
• Home Students: £1,820

Careers

At the University of Aberdeen, we give you every opportunity to broaden your horizons and develop the professional and personal skills and attributes you will need to build a successful career. The high quality of our degrees combined with our strong focus on employability opens up a wide range of career options, which is demonstrated by our consistently high rate of graduate employment.

Accreditation

• British Psychological Society

Facilities

• Eye Tracking Facilities: The School of Psychology has four in-house eye trackers. The Eyelink 1000 system allows the recording of eye gaze at a sampling rate of 1000 Hz.
• Sir Duncan Rice Library: The University’s award winning Sir Duncan Rice Library is listed in the “Top 20 spellbinding University libraries in the World”. It contains over a million volumes, more than 300,000 e-books and 21,000 journals.
• Psychophysiology Centre: This facility consists of several spacious rooms that house electroencephalographic (EEG) equipment and sound-attenuated, shielded testing booths.