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'I've been able to take what I've learnt here and practise it in my day-to-day work as a counsellor for an Indigenous service. The course has really helped me become a better counsellor and enabled me to supervise other staff and advance my career.'
Accreditation
This course has been accredited by the Australian Counselling Association (ACA), the largest peak body for counselling and psychotherapy in Australia, and member of the International Association of Counselling. Accredited courses must meet high educational standards and have a primary focus on counselling. Graduates are eligible to join ACA and gain professional recognition.
Find your future purpose
'To me, “real world” means outside the textbook. With lecturers and students working in various related industries, counselling discussions about real life challenges like family, relationships, marriage, children, grief and loss are considered from an experienced lens. In my first unit, we got to practice skills and techniques in class to prepare to conduct a session at the end of the week. I grew a lot in confidence and clarity of not just my process, but my purpose in this field too.'
Master of Counselling student
Practical experience at QUT Health Clinics
Work with real clients under the supervision of qualified professionals at QUT Health Clinics. The psychology and counselling clinic, open to the public, offers the ideal opportunity for postgraduate psychology and counselling students to gain clinical workplace skills during their studies.
Highlights
- Ideal for professionals seeking to deepen their expertise in counselling and develop advanced skills in effective, values-based professional supervision.
- Experience a transformational, hands-on approach to learning, with a strong emphasis on applied practice across solution-focused and narrative therapies, family therapy, group work, and supervision.
- Build your practical skills through supervised clinical experience at QUT’s on-campus Psychology and Counselling Clinic.
- Gain real-world industry exposure through both in-house internships and external placements with partner organisations.
- Graduate with a qualification accredited by the Australian Counselling Association, supporting your eligibility for professional registration and enhancing your career prospects in the counselling field.
Highlights
- Ideal for those who can see the value of developing advanced knowledge and skills in counselling and effective professional supervision.
- Allows professionals from a variety of professional settings to develop skills in counselling.
- Take an applied, transformational and experiential focus to your studies, with an emphasis on solution-focused and narrative therapies, family therapy, group work and supervision.
- This course is accredited by the Australian Counselling Association.
- Gain practical experience in QUT's Psychology and Counselling Clinic.
Why choose this course?
The Master of Counselling empowers you to develop a personalised, integrative, and values-driven approach to counselling practice. Grounded in principles of social justice and inclusion, the course draws on a variety of therapeutic frameworks—including competency-based counselling, relational neuroscience, and trauma-informed practice—to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed for contemporary counselling work.
Designed with flexibility in mind, the course is delivered in a blended format combining online learning with up to two in-person intensive sessions per year for full-time students. This model enables you to study from anywhere in Australia or internationally, while benefiting from the essential in-person experiences that foster both counselling skills and a strong, supportive learning community.
Why choose this course?
The Master of Counselling empowers you to develop a personalised, integrative, and values-driven approach to counselling practice. Grounded in principles of social justice and inclusion, the course draws on a variety of therapeutic frameworks—including competency-based counselling, relational neuroscience, and trauma-informed practice—to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed for contemporary counselling work.
Real-world learning
Operating out of QUT Health Clinics at the Kelvin Grove campus, the Psychology and Counselling Clinic provides professional psychology, family therapy, and counselling services for the community.
This clinic offers training experiences for our postgraduate students using a collaborative, team based, live supervision model.
Students will also have the opportunity to engage in externships with partner organisations in real world industry settings.
Explore this course
This course offers the opportunity to acquire advanced knowledge and skills in counselling. Course learning can be applied to a number of professional settings, and students in this program come from diverse professional backgrounds including nursing, education, community arts, justice, human services, and other allied health backgrounds.
During this program you will learn a range of approaches and techniques underpinned by a collaborative constructionist philosophy that can be applied in partnership with individuals, couples, families, and groups. Throughout the course participants will articulate and reflect upon their evolving framework of counselling practice and apply counselling processes intentionally to support the wellbeing of clients in diverse contexts.
This is a practice-based program that includes supervised clinical practice in both the Psychology and Counselling Clinic and industry contexts.
Flexible delivery
This course is available full-time over two years, or part-time over three to four years, offering flexibility to suit your lifestyle and commitments. It combines the convenience of online learning with the richness of in-person experiences. You’ll attend up to two intensive, in-person sessions each year (for full-time students), complemented by regular online evening classes.
This blended approach allows you to study from a distance while benefiting from essential face-to-face training. These in-person intensives are designed to support the development of core counselling skills and foster a strong, connected learning community.
Course requirements
There are requirements that you will need to meet as a student in this course. You will need to identify these requirements and ensure you allow sufficient time to meet them. Some of these requirements have associated costs.
Blue card: you will need a valid blue card to complete practical placements in this course.
Information is available from the Additional course requirements and costs website.
Work Integrated Learning
During this course you will be required to complete a minimum of 200 hours of professional work experience, including a minimum of 60 hours of supervised counselling practice.
Throughout your clinic and work experience you will receive a minimum of 50 hours of group and/or individual supervision.
Careers and outcomes
Graduates of the Master of Counselling are prepared for specialised positions in the counselling field and are also equipped to contribute to the development and practice of counselling in the professional environment.
Professional recognition
This course is accredited by the Australian Counselling Association.
Early exit
QUT’s flexible pathway options allow you to tailor your learning journey. The Graduate Diploma in Counselling is embedded within the master’s program, giving you the option to exit early with a recognised qualification. Graduates of the Graduate Diploma are eligible for Level 1 professional registration with the Australian Counselling Association, while those completing the full Master of Counselling are eligible for Level 2 professional registration, positioning you strongly for professional practice in the counselling field.
Possible careers
- Child and family counsellor
- Counsellor
- Health researcher
- Human services practitioner
The Master of Counselling is offered on a full-time basis over two years or a part-time basis over three or four years. Units are delivered in intensive, evening and weekend format.
This course has an applied, experiential focus which features brief solution-focused and narrative therapies, family therapy, process-experiential therapy, group work and supervision. Student learning is supported by facilitated small group work which offers a strong practical component and students will use the purpose-built Psychology and Counselling Clinic for clinical practice.
- Course code
- PY12
- CRICOS code
- 096589E
-
- Kelvin Grove
-
- Kelvin Grove
- 2 years full-time
- 3 years part-time
- 2 years full-time
- January
- Entry into this course is competitive and applications will be accepted until 30 September for the January intake.
- January
- Entry into this course is competitive and applications will be accepted until 30 September for the January intake.
Entry requirements
You must have one of:
- A recognised bachelor degree in a relevant discipline with a minimum grade point average (GPA) score of 4.00 (on QUT's 7-point scale); or
- A recognised bachelor honours, graduate certificate, graduate diploma, master, or doctorate degree in any discipline area with a minimum grade point average (GPA) score of 4.00 (on QUT's 7-point scale); or
- A recognised bachelor degree in any discipline with a minimum grade point average (GPA) score of 4.00 (on QUT's 7-point scale) followed by at least three years full-time (or equivalent) work in a relevant field.
Relevant discipline/field
- Behavourial science, psychology
- Biomedicine, biomedical, medical science
- Counselling
- Education
- Human services
- Human resources management
- Health (eg nursing, medicine, public health etc)
- Leisure management
- Social science, sociology
- Social, youth etc work
Relevant work experience
Relevant work experience could include:
- The facilitation and management of ongoing helping relationships that employs intentional use of therapeutic conversation and a therapeutic relationship; and/or
- Volunteer or community work that is supervised/mentored within an ethical framework; and/or
- Work that provides opportunities and support for professional development and reflective helping practice, including the provision of feedback and training.
You will need to provide with your application, your CV plus statements of service for most recent relevant employment. If you have been employed for less than one year full-time in most relevant employment you will need to provide a statement of service from your previous relevant employer.
Additional entry requirements
You must:
- Provide a personal statement (PDF file, 186 KB)
- If shortlisted, attend in-person group interview to assess your suitability for the program and interpersonal skills in a counselling context.
Overseas qualifications
We will consider equivalent overseas qualifications for admissions purposes. If you have tertiary qualifications from countries where English is not the standard language of instruction, you must provide evidence of English language proficiency.
English language proficiency
We require students to demonstrate they can speak, write, read and comprehend academic English to a specified standard.
Our English proficiency requirements for this course are:
- IELTS Academic / One Skill Retake: 7.0 or better overall with no subscore below 7.0
- PTE Academic: 66 or better overall with listening and reading subscores of 66 or better, a writing subscore of 69 or better, and a speaking subscore of 76 or better
- TOEFL iBT Australia Test (120 scale): 98 or better overall with a writing subscore of 27 or better and no other subscore below 24
- Cambridge C1 Advanced: 185 or better overall with listening and reading subscores of 185 or better, a writing subscore of 193 or better, and a speaking subscore of 194 or better
The test must have been completed within 2 years prior to the proposed course start month.
Application dates
- 1 July: applications open
- 30 September: final date to apply and provide all required supporting documentation. Applications or supporting documentation received after this date will not be considered.
Selection process
Suitable applicants are shortlisted or placed on a wait list for an interview based on the responses in their personal statement.
Shortlisted applicants will be contacted in mid-October to attend the in-person group interview at the Kelvin Grove campus in late October/early November. Wait listed applicants may be interviewed in late November/early December should places remain available.
Interviewed applicants will receive notification on the outcome of their application two weeks after their interview.
Applicants expecting to complete their studies by December
You must provide your academic record for all studies attempted up until semester 1 this year by 30 September. If your application is successful you will receive a conditional offer that will stipulate when your final results and course completion must be provided to confirm your place.
If you have summer/semester 3 (or equivalent) studies you will need to apply for entry next July. for the intake year after you complete your studies.
Minimum academic requirements
Entry requirements
You must have one of:
- A completed recognised bachelor degree in a relevant discipline with a minimum grade point average (GPA) score of 4.00 (on QUT's 7 point scale); or
- A completed Australian honours bachelor degree in any discipline with a minimum grade point average (GPA) score of 4.00 on QUT's 7-point scale; or
- A completed recognised graduate certificate, graduate diploma, master, or doctorate degree in any discipline area with a minimum grade point average (GPA) score of 4.00 (on QUT's 7-point scale); or
- A recognised bachelor degree in any discipline with a minimum grade point average (GPA) score of 4.00 (on QUT's 7-point scale) followed by at least three years full-time (or equivalent) work in a relevant field.
Relevant discipline/field
- Behavourial science, psychology
- Biomedicine, biomedical, medical science
- Counselling
- Education
- Human services
- Human resources management
- Health (eg nursing, medicine, public health etc)
- Leisure management
- Social science, sociology
- Social, youth etc work
Relevant work experience
Relevant work experience could include:
- The facilitation and management of ongoing helping relationships that employs intentional use of therapeutic conversation and a therapeutic relationship; and/or
- Volunteer or community work that is supervised/mentored within an ethical framework; and/or
- Work that provides opportunities and support for professional development and reflective helping practice, including the provision of feedback and training.
You will need to provide with your application, your CV plus statements of service for most recent relevant employment.
Additional entry requirements
You must:
- Provide a personal statement (PDF file, 186 KB)
- If shortlisted, attend in-person group interview to assess your suitability for the program and interpersonal skills in a counselling context. If you are not currently in Australia you will be invited to participate via Zoom.
Application dates
- 1 July: applications open
- 30 September: final date to apply and provide all required supporting documentation, including meeting the English Language course entry requirements. Applications, supporting documentation, and/or English Language test results received after this date will not be considered. All incomplete applications after this date will be withdrawn and will not be considered further.
- Mid-November: First round of offers and rejections released.
- Mid-December: Second (and fnal) round of offers and rejections released.
Selection process
Suitable applicants are shortlisted or placed on a wait list for an interview based on the responses in their personal statement.
Shortlisted applicants will be contacted in mid-October to attend the in-person group interview in late October/early November. Wait listed applicants may be interviewed for a second (and final) round in late November/early December should places remain available.
Interviewed applicants will receive notification on the outcome of their application two weeks after their interview.
Applicants expecting to complete their studies by December
You must provide your academic record for all studies attempted up until semester 1 this year by 30 September. If your application is successful you will receive a conditional offer that will stipulate when your final results and course completion must be provided to confirm your place.
If you have summer/semester 3 (or equivalent) studies you will need to apply for entry next July. for the intake year after you complete your studies.
Minimum English language requirements
Select the country where you completed your studies to see a guide on meeting QUT’s English language requirements.
Your scores and prior qualifications in English-speaking countries are considered. Approved English-speaking countries are Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, United States of America and Wales.
If your country or qualification is not listed, you can still apply for this course and we will assess your eligibility.
We accept English language proficiency scores from the following tests undertaken in a secure test centre. Tests must be taken no more than 2 years prior to the QUT course commencement.
| English Test | Overall | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic / One Skill Retake | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
|
Cambridge C1 Advanced
You must share your results with QUT through the Candidate Results Online website. |
185 | 185 | 185 | 193 | 194 |
| PTE Academic | 66 | 66 | 66 | 69 | 76 |
| TOEFL iBT Australia Test (120 scale) | 98 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 24 |
Your actual fees may vary depending on which units you choose. We review fees annually, and they may be subject to increases.
2027 fees
2027: Fee available from July
2027 fees
2027: Fee available from July
2026 fees
2026: $20,800 per year full-time (72 credit points)
2026 fees
2026: $27,700 per year full-time (72 credit points)
Student services and amenities fees
You may need to pay student services and amenities (SA) fees as part of your course costs.
FEE-HELP: loans to help you pay for your course fees
You may not have to pay anything upfront if you're eligible for a FEE-HELP loan.
You can apply for scholarships to help you with study and living costs.
Equity scholarships scheme
A scholarship for low-income students studying in any faculty.
- Scholarship eligibility
- Struggling financially
International Merit Scholarship
A high achievement scholarship for future international undergraduate and postgraduate students.
- Scholarship eligibility
- Academic performance
International Talent Scholarship
A new scholarship for 2026 that covers tuition fees, with eligibility based on your prior academic achievements.
- Scholarship eligibility
- Academic performance
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