Course details
The M.Sc. in Guidance Counselling is a two year part-time programme recognised by the DES and the Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC) for professional practice as a guidance counsellor. The programme offers initial education and training in the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for practice in the interrelated areas of personal, education and career guidance counselling. A key element of the programme is the strong emphasis on reflective practice and personal growth facilitated by personal counselling, placement practice experience and professional supervision to support and enable personal and professional development.
Students come from a diverse range of backgrounds, including the primary, secondary, further education and tertiary sectors, youth and community work, adult education, employee welfare, state agencies, business, industry, health and Human Resources.
This programme is also recognised by the Department of Education and Skills (DES) as a qualification to work as a guidance counsellor in a second level school.
Students are selected on the basis of:
- Academic achievement or accredited prior learning.
- Professional experience (three years' full or part time experience in a field broadly related to guidance is desirable).
- Capacity to demonstrate at interview a vision and understanding of the role of the guidance counsellor, potential as a guidance counsellor to work with clients in response to their personal, educational and career needs and a willingness to commit to the demands of the programme.
Aims and Objectives:
- The overall aim of this programme is to provide students with a standard of excellence in the knowledge, skills and understanding necessary for practice in the field of personal, education and career guidance and counselling.
- You will be educated and trained to develop a systematic and coherent framework for practice within your organisation.
- Through strong reflective practice, you are encouraged and supported to develop responsibility for personal and professional development, and learn how to identify and mobilise resources across a network of external agencies and the wider community.
Programme Structure:
This two year, part-time programme has lectures on Wednesdays and Thursdays (5pm to 8pm), with some additional lectures on Saturdays in Semesters 1 of each year.
In , there are five taught modules across both semesters, attracting a total of 30 credits. In Year 2, three taught modules attract a further 20 credits.
Students undertake a supervised placement practice module (10 credits) of at least 100 hours, at any time of their choosing between Year 1 and Year 2. Students are responsible for finding their own placement and may complete the 100 hours in a maximum of two different settings.
To be eligible for the Masters award, students are required to submit a research dissertation. This attracts a total of 30 credits and is submitted at the end of Year 2.
As a professional requirement of the programme all students will be required to complete a module on Psychometrics - Theory and Practice (certified by the British Psychological Society), timetabled over three Saturdays at the beginning of Year 1, Semester 2. This module incurs a separate cost from the overall programme fee. Students already holding this qualification will be granted an exemption upon evidence of completion.
All students are required to undergo 10 sessions of personal counselling during the programme with an accredited and certified counsellor or therapist, at their own cost. There are no formal examinations on this programme. Assessment for all modules is on a continuous basis.
YEAR ONE
Module Title
- Counselling & Psychotherapy Theory
- E-Learning Applications in Guidance & Counselling
- Foundational Skills in Guidance & Counselling
- Research Design
- Wellbeing, Society and Lifelong Learning
YEAR TWO
Module Title
- Human Development across the Lifespan
- Career Development & the Nature of Work
- Theory and Skills of Experiential Group Processes and Behaviour
Additional Modules
Module Title
- Guidance and Counselling Practice Placement
- Research Dissertation
Why DCU:
- Students come from a broad range of professional backgrounds which enhances the shared practice and experience of learners.
- Our innovative and learner-centred approaches enable the guidance community to respond to the many challenges and opportunities now facing the profession.
- It encourages personal development and professional practice competence through group supervision.
- It develops transferable skills in the application of new technology to the field of guidance and counselling.
- You can engage in supervised research in an area of guidance and counselling which is of personal and professional interest.
Career Prospects:
The programme is designed to support participants wishing to engage in initial education and training as guidance counsellors and to enhance the in-career development of existing practitioners. Graduates are currently employed in various settings such as second level schools, adult guidance (including employment by ETBs), youth and community work, third level career services, employee welfare, industry, health sector, rehabilitation services, and private practice.
Entry Requirements:
- Applicants will normally be required to hold, as a minimum, a primary honours degree OR equivalent professional qualification with relevant experience.
- Applicants who do not hold a primary honours degree as outlined above, may be considered for admission if they are able to present, at interview, evidence of professional experience and responsibility in a relevant area of work.
- All applicants who are deemed to meet the minimum academic qualifications will be required to attend for interview.
- Applicants will not be considered for interview unless all aspects of the application process are fully completed.
Course Location
About Dublin City University
DCU is a young, dynamic and ambitious university with a distinctive mission to transform lives and societies through education, research and innovation. Since admitting its first students in 1980, DCU has grown in both student numbers and size and now occupies a 72 acre site in Glasnevin, just north of Dublin city.
To date over 43,000 students have graduated from DCU and are now playing significant roles in enterprise and business globally. Today, in 2012, DCU delivers more than 120 programmes to over 10,000 students across its ftheir faculties – Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Health, Engineering and Computing and DCU Business School.
DCU's excellence is recognised internationally and it is ranked among the top 50 Universities worldwide (QS 'Top 50 under 50' 2012). In the last eight years, DCU has twice been named Sunday Times 'University of the Year'.
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