Master of Counselling

At UniSQ, you’ll be part of a supportive learning community that focuses on giving you the necessary knowledge and skill set to succeed in a rewarding counselling career — whether that be in an organisation or even a private practice if self-employment is what you’re interested in pursuing.

A career in counselling is a challenging yet rewarding career with vast employment opportunities. By following your passion with a Master of Counselling in Australia, you’ll use your specialised knowledge and expertise to positively impact the lives of others. If you are passionate about helping others, the Master of Counselling might be for you.

With many career prospects to explore, the employment opportunities that may suit you will depend on the specialisation you choose to study. At UniSQ, you can choose from a number of specialisations to align with your career interests, including Child, Youth and Family Therapy; Mental Health Practice; and Trauma Focused Practice.

A Master of Counselling qualification will open up many opportunities for employment in a variety of counselling and human services roles including:

• government
• private organisations
• private practice

Want to continue your studies? You’ll have the opportunity to advance into further research, such as studying a PhD, and continue to develop your counselling expertise.

Depending on which specialisation you choose, there are different admission requirements. 

If you are from a non-counselling background and are wanting to study a qualifying specialisation you need to:

• have completed a bachelor degree in any discipline,
• have completed at least 50 % of UniSQ's Graduate Diploma of Counselling, or equivalent, with a GPA of 5.0 or higher
• provide two satisfactory Referee Reports and a report to address the Selection Criteria; and
• participate in an interview with a panel of School staff.

Please view the entry requirements section of your chosen specialisation for details.

Yes, you can study the theoretical courses in the Master of Counselling online except for your residential schools and clinical experience.

Please view the degree structure of your chosen specialisation for further information on residential schools and clinical experience.

The cost of studying a Master of Counselling in Australia will vary depending on the education provider.

At UniSQ, the first year of your studies will cost approximately AUD 26000 per year (Domestic full fee paying), not including:

• Clinical experience costs
• Student services and amenities fees
• Residential school costs.

Please view the fees and scholarships section of your chosen specialisation for details.

There are many great reasons to study a Master of Counselling:

• Benefit from professional placement allowing you to gain practical real-life experiences.
• UniSQ's staff are leaders in Psychology and are dedicated to ensuring you have the skills needed to make meaningful impacts.
• Become workplace-ready by working in UniSQ's Psychology and Counselling clinics and develop hands-on experience under the guidance of clinical supervisors.
• UniSQ's is rated 5/5 stars for postgraduate psychology:
  • full-time employment
  • overall educational experience
  • skills development
  • teaching quality.

^{*Good Universities Guide 2025}