Master of Counselling
The Master of Counselling provides students with advanced professional skills for counselling ministry and for pastoral and spiritual formation. It nurtures the formation of professional identity and vision suitable for individual and relational counselling. The course equips graduates to engage in supportive and intensive therapies with psychological competence and theological congruence.
Committed engagement in supervision for personal and professional integration is essential to successful completion of the course.
This course meets the accreditation standards of the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) for the Counselling industry.
![]()
Course Information
Course: Master of Counselling (MCouns)
Accrediting Body: Sydney College of Divinity
Australian Quality Framework Level: AQF 9
School: Stirling School of Community Care
Number of Units: 12 units/ 108 credit points (CP)
Study Mode: Online (with facilitated learning opportunities)
Course Duration: 2 years full-time or up to 4 years part-time
![]()
Course Details
Units:
The Master of Counselling requires the completion of 108 credit points (12 units).
- Where an applicant is admitted on the basis of a completed AQF7 Bachelor of Counselling award OR a postgraduate qualification (AQF 8 or above) in counselling such as the Graduate Certificate in Counselling, the twelve units shall include:
A. Six compulsory units (54 cp):
/C8101 Human Development and Counselling
/C8145 Understanding and Working with Grief and Trauma
/C9222 Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Positive Psychology (PP)
/C9223 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
/C9229 Ethical and Professional Issues in Pastoral Counselling
/C9242 Advanced Counselling PracticumB. Six units (54 cp) selected from the approved list of units in Schedule A
C. Where a student wishes to pursue further higher degree research, then it is recommended that 27cp of the units taken in (ii) above include C8190 Research Methodology (9cp) and C9298 Research Essay (18cp).
- Where an applicant is admitted on the basis of an AQF7 Bachelor in any discipline other than counselling, the twelve units shall include:
A. Twelve compulsory units (108 cp):
/C8100 Introduction to Pastoral Counselling
/C8101 Human Development and Counselling
/C8105 Advanced Counselling Theory and Practice I
/C8106 Introduction to Psychology
/C8143 Addiction Counselling
/C8145 Understanding and Working with Grief and Trauma
/C8154 Relationship Counselling
/C9222 Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Positive Psychology (PP)
/C9223 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
/C9225 Counselling for Mental Health and Wellness
/C9229 Ethical and Professional Issues in Pastoral Counselling
/C9242 Advanced Counselling Practicum - Where an applicant is admitted on the basis of a completed Graduate Diploma of Counselling from an approved provider, the units shall include:
A. Five compulsory (45 cp) units:
/C8101 Human Development and Counselling
/C9222 Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Positive Psychology (PP) OR C9260 Narrative Therapy, Trauma and Growth
/C9223 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
/C9229 Ethical and Professional Issues in Pastoral Counselling
/C9242 Advanced Counselling PracticumB. One elective unit (9cp) drawn from the list of Level 9 units in Schedule A
SCHEDULE A
/C8100 Introduction to Pastoral Counselling
/C8101 Human Development and Counselling
/C8102 Pastoral Counselling in Ministry
/C8105 Advanced Counselling Theory and Practice I
/C8106 Introduction to Psychology
/C8121 Group Processes
/C8145 Understanding and Working with Grief and Trauma
/C8154 Relationship Counselling
/C8156 Family Counselling
/C8166 Wellbeing and Resilience for People Helpers
/C8170 Fundamental Principles of Professional Supervision
/C9222 Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Positive Psychology (PP)
/C9223 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
/C9225 Counselling for Mental Health and Wellness
/C9229 Ethical and Professional Issues in Pastoral Counselling
/C9242 Advanced Counselling Practicum
/C9243 Addiction Counselling
/C9260 Narrative Therapy, Trauma and Growth
/B9204 Trauma Hermeneutics
/P9224 Pastoral and Spiritual Care in Mental Health
/C8175 Professional Supervision Practicum
/T8147 Suffering and Hope: Theological Reflections
/X8190 Research Methodology
/X9298 Research Essay (18cp)
Entry Requirements:
An AQF 7 Bachelor Degree in any discipline, OR
A postgraduate qualification (AQF 8 or above) in counselling, AND
Successful completion of an interview with a designated coursework coordinator.
English Proficiency:
Applicants whose entry qualifications were obtained in an institution where English is not the language of instruction normally require a minimum IELTS (or equivalent) score of 7.0 in all bands of the test.
Graduates will have added extensive transferable knowledge and skills in counselling to enhance their professional work:
Knowledge
Graduates will possess:
- advanced understanding of the theories, processes and strategies of counselling;
- an integrated level of theoretical and experiential knowledge of supervisory leadership and management structures;
- an understanding of research principles and methods applicable to counselling studies and its practice.
Skills
Graduates will demonstrate advanced, specialised cognitive and technical skills in counselling, so that they are able independently to:
- demonstrate expert counselling skills and practices across a range of diverse clients;
- analyse critically, reflect on and synthesise counselling knowledge to identify, reflect and act on complex client contexts;
- interpret and transmit counselling knowledge, skills and ideas through coherent and sustained counselling practice to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Applications of Knowledge and Skills
Graduates will possess the ability to:
- apply knowledge and skills to initiate and plan counselling interventions;
- apply critical self-evaluation and theological reflection to their practice of counselling;
- apply professional practice in counselling with diverse people in a wide range of contexts including multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environments.
Find expanded academic outcomes and regulations in the SCD Handbook.
1.Candidates with a vocational Graduate Diploma of Counselling from an institution approved by the Academic Board will receive 6 units credit (54 credit points) towards the Master of Counselling.
2.A candidate may seek credit up to a maximum of 54 credit points in the Master of Counselling.
3. Candidates entering the Master of Counselling with an AQF8 Graduate Certificate in Counselling may seek up to 36 credit points.
| For more information and applications see Credit Transfer. |
| All counselling courses will require students to undertake several practicum units that allow them to outwork their skills through reflection and practice. These units will require students to practice counselling, participate in individual or group professional supervision, reflect and interact with fellow students, and work towards a minimum number of supervised counselling hours required for industry development and ongoing accreditation. See schedules or unit descriptions for requirements. |
Students can pay their fees upfront or access the Australian Government’s Fee-HELP system. |
2024 Graduate Level Fees Applicable to courses studied at the Australian Quality Framework level 8-9 (AQF8-9 Graduate Level).
Fees may vary for specialty units including Fieldwork, Mission units, Distinctives, Formation, and Seminars. Maximum costs for all ACOM units can be downloaded here. For more information reach out to our team.
| Unit Type | Audit for Future Credit (Upfront Only) | Single Unit (9 Credit Points) | Double Unit (18 Credit Points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard BTM (Bible, Theology and Ministry areas) | $450 | $2950 | $5900 |
| Research | N/A | $3250 | $6500 |
| Counselling Standard | N/A | $3200 | N/A |
| Counselling Spinal | N/A | $4150 | N/A |
Pensioners
| Students holding a pension card and paying their fees upfront may be eligible for a $200 pension discount per standard 9CP unit at the relevant level of study. To apply for a pension discount simply contact ACOM and provide a current copy of your pension card. Once your eligibility has been confirmed by staff, register for units making a note of your pension discount. |
Note the following definitions:
Census Date: Last date to withdraw from a unit without financial penalty.
Academic Penalty Date: Last date to withdraw from a unit without academic penalty. If a student withdraws from a unit between the Census Date and the Academic Penalty Date, the unit will appear on their transcript with a withdrawn grade.
Check below for the key dates associated with your trimester of study. Note that registering or withdrawing outside of the key dates could incur incidental fees.
| 2024 | Year Long | Trimester 1 | Trimester 2 | Trimester 3 | Summer 2024-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit Enrolment Deadline | 28/01/2024 | 28/01/2024 | 28/04/2024 | 4/08/2024 | 3/11/2024 |
| Start Date | 19/02/2024 | 19/02/2024 | 27/05/2024 | 2/09/2024 | 25/11/2024 |
| Census Date | 15/04/2024 | 11/03/2024 | 17/06/2024 | 23/09/2024 | 16/12/2024 |
| Academic Penalty Date | 7/07/2024 | 31/03/2024 | 7/07/2024 | 13/10/2024 | 5/01/2025 |
| End Date | 24/11/2024 | 12/05/2024 | 18/08/2024 | 24/11/2024 | 16/02/2025 |
![]()
Studying with ACOM
| Students can choose to study part-time or full-time. ACOM operates on a trimester basis, with formation and other select units, being taken over the course of the full year. A full-time load is considered six to nine units, which is usually two to three units per trimester, with one year-long unit. A part-time load is usually three to four units per year. Each 9 credit point unit requires 143 demand hours of study. The demand hours represents the number of hours needed to meet all the requirements of the unit, including reading, researching and writing assignments and essays, and supervised fieldwork (see Student Handbook for hour breakdown). For each unit we recommend that you allocate approximately 10-12 hours for study per week (with more required during peak assessment periods). |
| To study with ACOM, you will need access to a computer with internet connection. You will also require an email address that we can use to contact you. For assessment writing, we require the use of a word-processing programme such as Microsoft Word. For a full list of hardware and software requirements please see the Student Handbook. |
| Students apply and are admitted to their course, which are made up of both core and elective units. All new students are required to complete Student Orientation, which involves both signing up for a Student Orientation Session, and taking part in a Student Orientation module through the online learning platform. All students have access to personalised support through a dedicated Student Engagement Manager (or SEM). Our awesome team of SEMs bring a personal connection and listening ear to students who are spread the length and breadth of the country. SEMs work closely with each student to provide tailored academic and pastoral support, cheering them on every step of their learning journey. Read more about our Personalised Support. A variety of units will be on offer each trimester for students to view on the unit schedules, and register in for study. All of our courses are flexible for students to choose their units and load according to their time commitments, interests and courseplans. All students study 'online' through our online Learning Platform: Moodle. This is where all study materials, unit information, assessments and learning activities can be found. At the point of selecting to study a unit, you will have the opportunity to register in different types of scheduled facilitated events, or ‘facilitations.’ These facilitations are real-time student events run by staff or faculty, designed to assist you with your learning and the requirements of the unit. Read more about facilitations. |
For more student information see:
| Student Handbook Student Policies |
| ACOM assessments are essay based and do not usually involve exams. Units may include online quizzes and practical assessments that are completed in your ministry setting. Assessment dates are clearly published on our Learning Platform (Moodle) and all tasks must be submitted to pass the unit. Required readings are provided for students with online library access for further research. ACOM is continuously improving its digital library of learning resources. We have thousands of specialist books, articles and journals available to our students through our copyright licensing arrangements. Useful for both research and personal study, our students have access to over 100,000 e-books and journals on the Bible, leadership, pastoral care, theology and more. To read more go to our Digital Learning Systems. Some units may require the student to purchase textbook(s), so please check the textbook lists on the schedules or at the point of registration. |
