Program Overview

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Communication and Counselling Studies - BSc (Hons)

Overview

Offering practical skills and robust understanding of the importance of effective communication in counselling, health and related contexts.

Summary

This interdisciplinary and skills-focused degree programme:

• Provides students with a theoretical, empirical and experiential understanding of applied communication studies within interpersonal, professional, social and cultural contexts.
• Offers students an introduction to counselling theories, skills and ethical-decision-making.
• Equips students with knowledge to identify opportunities to plan and undertake interdisciplinary research in the fields of communication, counselling studies and mental health.
• Develops students' organisational, observation, analytical and reflective skills for continuing personal and professional development, all of which are a prerequisite for training or working as counsellors, psychotherapists or other healthcare professionals.
• Teaching is by an award-winning team of lecturers, researchers and practitioners with experience in the applied field of mental health, including counselling, psychotherapy and health communication.
• Holds Advanced Training Status for counselling studies from the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS).

About this course

About

The emphasis in this course is on developing an understanding of the emotional and psychological development of the person within family, social and cultural settings. The course also emphasises the importance of rigorous and reflective ethical decision-making practices for working with vulnerable populations and clients within counselling and healthcare settings. Students take a range of core and optional modules which provide a firm grounding in theories, practices, skills and capacities needed for effective communication in interpersonal and professional contexts. Each module combines lectures, seminars and group tasks to facilitate students gaining a comprehensive intellectual knowledge, while learning from experience.

Associate awards

• Diploma in International Academic Studies DIAS

Attendance

Three years full-time. Each module usually involves two hours of lectures plus a one hour seminar each week. In addition, students are required to undertake substantial directed independent learning.

Start dates

• September 2026

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Attendance and Independent Study

As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days and periods of attendance will be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.

Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10, 20, or 40 credit modules (more usually 20) and postgraduate courses typically 15 or 30 credit modules.

The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.

Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.

Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.

Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.

Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.

Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.

Calculation of the Final Award

The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).

Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.

All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study.

In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.

Academic profile

The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 60% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.

Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (19%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (22%) or Lecturers (57%).

We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic and learning support staff (85%) are recognised as fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advance HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.

The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.

Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.

Modules

Year one

• Communication and Language
• Social Psychology of Communication
• Interpersonal Communication: Skills and Strategies
• Understanding Ourselves and Others
• Understanding the Life Course
• Nature and Contexts of Counselling

Year two

• Advanced Interpersonal Communication
• Research Methods
• Counselling Theory
• Communication in Relationships
• Mental Health and Well-being
• Reflections on Workplace Experience

Year three

• International Academic Studies (optional)

Year four

• Dissertation
• Critical Issues in Counselling Studies
• Psychosocial Issues
• Rethinking Communication (optional)
• Communication & Social Justice (optional)
• Healthcare Communication (optional)

Standard entry conditions

We recognise a range of qualifications for admission to our courses. In addition to the specific entry conditions for this course you must also meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements.

A level

BCC*

• Applicants can satisfy the requirement for an A-Level Grade C by substituting a combination of alternative qualifications recognised by the University.

Applied General Qualifications

• RQF Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma / OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma Award profile of DMM

We will also accept smaller BTEC/OCR qualifications (i.e. Diploma or Extended Certificate / Introductory Diploma / Subsidiary Diploma) in combination with A Levels or other acceptable Level 3 qualifications.

Irish Leaving Certificate

104 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of five subjects (four of which must be at higher level) to include English at H6 if studied at Higher level or O4 if studied at Ordinary Level.

Scottish Highers

Grades BCCCC.

Scottish Advanced Highers

Grades CDD.

International Baccalaureate

Overall profile is minimum 24 points (including 12 at higher level)

Access to Higher Education (HE)

Overall profile of 60% (120 credit Access Course) (NI Access Course)

Overall profile of 12 credits at Distinction, 30 credits at Merit and 3 credits at Pass (60 credit Access Course) (GB Access Course)

GCSE

For full-time study, you must satisfy the General Entrance Requirements for admission to a first degree course and hold a GCSE pass at Grade C/4 or above in English Language (or equivalent). Level 2 Certificate in Essential Skills Communication will be accepted as equivalent to GCSE English.

English Language Requirements

• English language requirements for international applicants The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.

Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.

Additional Entry Requirements

Pass HND with overall Merit to include 30 distinctions in level 5 credits.

Pass HNC with overall Merit to include 60 distinctions in level 4 credits.

Successful completion of any Ulster University Foundation Degree with an average of 45% in Level 5 modules. (Entry into Year One only)

You may also meet the course entry requirements with combinations of different qualifications to the same standard as recognised by the University.

Exemptions and transferability

Students enter into first year. Transfer may be possible between full-time and part-time modes of study.

Careers & opportunities

Career options

Our overall aim is for students to develop knowledge and skills to enhance their prospects for employment, academic progress and continuing professional development.

The BSc Hons Communication and Counselling Studies programme in itself is not counsellor training and will not provide the graduate with a professional counselling qualification but rather is concerned with equipping students with a knowledge base of therapeutic communication and associated counselling skills which can be built upon after graduation.

The programme provides an excellent springboard for students who wish to pursue professional counselling training and accreditation following graduation. It is also an excellent platform for graduates who wish to pursue further training for careers in a range of therapeutic or helping roles (social work, nursing, teaching, occupational therapy). The course can be used as a route into the area of more generic graduate schemes. It is ideal for graduate entry into careers such as the civil service, police, retail management or human resource management. Graduates will also have opportunities to apply for postgraduate doctoral level research.

During your time at Ulster you will have opportunities to engage with our Employability and Graduate Futures team for advice and support. Employability staff provide tailored classes specifically for students on the BSc Communication and Counselling Studies, to support you with your career goals and aspirations. They will help you identify the skills and experience you need to gain along the way to enhance your CV and employability.

Fees and funding

2026/27 Fees

Undergraduate fees are subject to annual review, 2026/27 fees will be announced in due course.

See our tuition fees page for the current fees for 2025/26 entry.

Additional mandatory costs

It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.

Where a course has additional mandatory expenses (in addition to tuition fees) we make every effort to highlight them above. We aim to provide students with the learning materials needed to support their studies. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. Computer suites and free Wi-Fi are also available on each of the campuses.

There are additional fees for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.

Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees.

See the tuition fees on our student guide for most up to date costs.