Psychology and Counselling - BSc/MSci
- Level: Undergraduate
- Starting: September 2021
- Study mode: Full Time (3 Years)
- Location: City Centre
Studying with us in 2021/22
It is possible that the 2021/22 academic year may be affected by the ongoing disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any arrangements put in place by the University for the 2021/22 academic year will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, pandemic-related/health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of the student contract.
This course has recently been updated. Please download the course specification for the up to date information.
The BSc (Hons) Psychology and Counselling will be of particular interest if you are thinking about a career as a Counselling Psychologist, Psychotherapist or a Counsellor.
The course has been carefully developed to enable graduates to gain the required knowledge base, practical skill and emotional awareness and maturity required for these, normally postgraduate professions. Whether or not further study is for you, an in depth exploration of – among other things - human development, mental health and distress and practical listening and relationship building skills will prepare graduates for range of people-focussed roles with adults, young people and children.
MSci Psychology and Counselling
On the BSc (Hons) Psychology and Counselling degree, you have the opportunity to apply for the MSci Psychology and Counselling course, turning your three year degree into a four year combined master’s degree. MSci Psychology and Counselling isn’t available via direct application, and is only available to those studying Psychology and Counselling at undergraduate level.
Applicants will need to demonstrate the core personal and professional competencies specified by professional accrediting bodies as part of the application process, including among other things self-awareness, maturity, stability, resilience, the ability to be reflective, to receive and work with feedback and to cope with the demands of the course and of the profession.
This qualification enables students to apply for individual registration with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Successful graduates of the MSci Psychology and Counselling are therefore able to practice or obtain employment as BACP registered counsellors, and / or to proceed to further BPS accredited training and qualifications.
For more information, please read the MSci Psychology and Counselling course specification.
What's covered in the course?
This course integrates traditional psychology teaching with the theory and practice of counselling and psychotherapy into unified course which enables an early focus on applied practice without any loss of the rigour of a pure psychology degree. The course team consists of chartered psychologists and accredited, practising psychotherapists and counsellors, ensuring the theoretical and practical relevance of your student experience.
While some modules focus more centrally on the discipline of psychology, and others on the associated field of counselling, the key focus throughout is on the integration of the two areas to offer a unique focus on both the theory and the practice of Psychology and Counselling. The optional work placement module in year 2 enables you to gain valuable practical experience, and this together with practice focussed modules in each year ensures a good balance between theory and practice throughout the course.
Why Choose Us?
- The course enables you either to pursue a career path either in Psychology through accredited Master’s and Doctoral courses throughout the UK, or in Psychotherapy or Counselling via professionally accredited courses. The course is therefore as professionally relevant and up-to-date as possible, taking into account the very latest developments in the profession.
- This degree course is accredited by the British Psychological Society. This means that on successfully completing your degree with a pass of over 50%, you will gain Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership with the British Psychological Society. This allows you to pursue a career path in Psychology through accredited Master’s and Doctoral courses throughout the UK. The course is therefore as professionally relevant and up-to-date as possible, taking into account the very latest developments in the profession.
- On all of our courses you will gain a professional focus and real world experience of psychology, ensuring you are equipped to make an immediate impact in your career. You have the opportunity to embark on a year-long professional placement as part of your degree course.
- All of our courses have an international focus. This is embedded throughout the curriculum, giving you the opportunity to transform your experience with us into a global one. There are a variety of exciting possibilities open to you, ranging from our successful international travel scholarships scheme, through which you can spend a summer working for a charitable organisation overseas, to one of our many overseas study exchange programmes.
- As a student on one of our undergraduate degrees, you will be able to benefit from our Graduate+ initiative. This three-year award course enables you to gain award levels for all the extra-curricular activities you undertake so that you can stand out from the crowd on graduation.
- You will gain a comprehensive understanding of the theory and practice of counselling psychology, and develop core listening and relationship skills.
- You’ll have the opportunity to work in collaboration with our academic researchers to gain specialist insight into the field of counselling psychology.
- You can get involved with additional Psychology projects via our Voluntary Research Assistantship and Student Research Scheme.
- All of our assessments emphasise the practical elements of the course, giving you a taste of what it is actually like to be a psychologist and a therapeutic practitioner
- You will study in our state-of-the-art City Centre Campus, ideally located for you to take advantage of our links to industry in the UK’s second city.
- We have the latest in psychological testing equipment, including eye tracking and EEG scanners.
- Student support is at the forefront of our approach, with everything designed to give you the skills you need to succeed in the profession.
Open Days
Our next Virtual Open Day is taking place on Saturday 20 March. It's the perfect opportunity to virtually tour our facilities, hear from some of our staff and get a feel of what it's like to study at BCU.
Book your place
This course is not open to International students

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Visit our School site for more student work and extra information.
I AM BCU
Laura Fogarty
When Laura's son was eight weeks old, she attempted to take her own life. Whilst in recovery, she decided she wanted to do something with her life and had accepted that her disability was only one part of her.
Course Accreditations

Entry Requirements
We accept a range of qualifications, the most popular of which are detailed below.
Essential Requirements
BBC or 112 UCAS tariff points from a maximum of 3 subjects. |
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Level 2 Qualifications | ||
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UK Qualification | Requirements 2021/22 | |
GCSE |
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Irish Leaving Certificate (Ordinary Level) |
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Scottish National 5 |
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Plus one of the following Level 3 (and above) Qualifications | ||
UK Qualification | Requirements 2021/22 | |
A level and Advanced VCE |
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Access to HE Diploma |
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Extended Project |
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IBO Certificate in Higher Level |
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International Baccalaureate Diploma |
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Irish Leaving Certificate (Highers) |
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NCFE CACHE Level 3 Extended Diploma for Children’s Care, Learning and Development (Wales and Northern Ireland) |
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NCFE CACHE Level 3 Extended Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workforce |
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NCFE CACHE Level 3 Applied General Certificate in Health and Social Care |
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OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma |
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OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma |
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Scottish Advanced Higher |
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Scottish Higher |
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T-Levels |
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Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate - Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015) |
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Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma – Core (awarded until 2016) ESW/KS Combined component |
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WJEC Level 3 Diploma in Criminology (QCF) |
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Other Qualifications | ||
If you have a qualification that is not listed in the table please refer to our full entry requirements on UCAS. Further guidance on tariff points can be found on the UCAS website. |
Additional information for EU/International students
Essential | ||
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Applications from international applicants with equivalent qualifications to 112 points are welcome. Please see your country page for further details on the equivalent qualifications we accept. In additional to the academic entry requirements listed above, international and EU students will also require the qualifications detailed in this table. |
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English language requirements 2020/21 | ||
IELTS |
6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands If you do not meet the required IELTS score, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English courses. Please note that you must have a Secure English Language Test (SELT) to study on the pre-sessional English course. More information. |
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Other accepted qualifications | Visit our English language page |
From A/AS Level with a minimum of 2 A Levels
MSci Psychology and Counselling
Students eligible to continue onto the MSci will be invited to do so at the end of the second year of their undergraduate course.
Eligibility involves selecting and passing the core MSci module requirements as optional modules, and obtaining a satisfactory report from personal and module tutors during the first two years of the BSc. Eligible applicants to the MSci will be invited to attend an interview and successful candidates will be invited to transfer onto the MSci.
- UK students
- International students
Award: BSc/MSci
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 3 Years
- £9,250 per year
- Apply via UCAS
Sorry, this course is not available to International students.
If you're unable to use the online form for any reason, you can complete our PDF application form and equal opportunities PDF form instead. The University reserves the right to increase fees in line with inflation based on the Retail Prices Index or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament up to a maximum of five per cent.
Guidance for UK students

UK students applying for most undergraduate degree courses in the UK will need to apply through UCAS.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a UK organisation responsible for managing applications to university and college.
Applying through UCAS
Register with UCAS
Login to UCAS
Complete your details
Select your course
Write a personal statement
Get a reference
Pay your application fee
Send UCAS your application
Personal statement
UK / EU students are required to submit a personal statement as part of their application for this course.*
The personal statement gives you a crucial opportunity to say why you’re applying and why the institution should accept you.
Here are the key areas you’ll need to address:
Course choice
Why does this course appeal? What areas are of particular interest?
Career plans
If you have a specific career in mind, say how your chosen course will help you pursue this goal.
Work experience
Mention any work that is relevant to your subject, highlighting the skills and experience gained.
School or college experience
Highlight skills gained at school/college, eg summer schools or mentoring activities.
Non-accredited skills or achievement
eg Duke of Edinburgh Award, Young Enterprise scheme.
You should also mention your future plans – if you’re planning to take a year out, don't forget to give your reasons. Talk about any subjects you’re studying that don’t have a formal assessment and any sponsorships or placements you’ve applied for. And don't be scared to add in details about your social, sports or leisure interests.
Get more information on writing personal statements.
*Non-EU students are not required to submit a personal statement when applying for this course.
Additional costs
There are no compulsory additional costs or charges associated with studying on this course. While you may choose to purchase personal copies of text books, all our key text books are available from our library or online (subject to normal library loan and online access arrangements).
Based on the past experience of our students, you might find it helpful to set aside about £50 for each year of your studies for your personal stationery and study materials. All our students are provided with 100 free pages of printing each year to a maximum total value of £15.
Accommodation and living costs
The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.
Worried about personal statements?
If you've got no idea where to start or just want to check you're on the right track, we’ve got expert advice and real examples from our students to help you nail your personal statement. You can even download our ultimate personal statement guide for free.

Financial Support
We offer further information on possible undergraduate financial support. This includes the type of loans, grants and scholarships available both from the government and from Birmingham City University.
Year One
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 100 credits):
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following list of OPTIONAL modules:
Year Two
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 100 credits):
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following list of OPTIONAL modules:
Final Year
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 100 credits):
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following list of OPTIONAL modules:
MSci
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):

The British Psychological Society
The Society and its members develop, promote and apply psychology for the public good. They enhance the efficiency and usefulness of psychologists by setting high standards of professional education and knowledge, and cover all areas of psychological research and practice.
Find out more about British Psychological Society accreditation.
OpportUNIty

OpportUNIty: Student Jobs on Campus ensures that our students are given a first opportunity to fill many part-time temporary positions within the University. This allows you to work while you study with us, fitting the job around your course commitments. By taking part in the scheme, you will gain valuable experiences and employability skills, enhancing your prospects in the job market.
It will also allow you to become more involved in University life by delivering, leading and supporting many aspects of the learning experience, from administration to research and mentoring roles.
BCU Graduate+
Through our courses we give you the skills and experience needed to get a head start when applying for jobs. But we offer something extra too – Graduate+.
Our unique programme gives you the chance to develop valuable skills outside of the more formal classroom learning. We award points for Graduate+ activities (including firewalking!) and these can be put towards a final Graduate+ award.
More about Graduate+




Our Facilities
We are constantly investing in our estate and are currently in the process of spending £340 million on new learning facilities.
The Curzon Building
This course is based at our City Centre Campus – and specifically The Curzon Building, alongside other social sciences, law, business and English students.
The £63m building offers students a unique social learning space, including a dedicated student hub incorporating student support services, in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside development.
Realistic, simulated environments include two mock court rooms, a Magistrates' and Crown Court, and an interviewing suite. We’re also exploring the use of virtual environments as a way to develop case study analysis.
For those studying on the BA (Hons) Policing or BA (Hons) Criminology, Policing and Investigation degrees, you’ll experience simulations of police interviewing environments for both suspects and witnesses, with access to tape recording and video playback analysis.
Crime investigation files are prepared using computer-based technology, and the crime data analysis requirements of the degree are supported by appropriate statistical and analytical software.
Psychology students can look forward to using state-of-the-art equipment as well, including the latest in eye-tracking software, and our new EEG machine, all geared towards giving you true hands-on experience with tools you’ll be using in your later career. You will also benefit from facilities across the wider campus including the Parkside and Millennium Point buildings.
The Curzon Building also features:
- An impressive new library with access to over 65 million full text items and stunning views of Eastside City Park
- Your Students’ Union which is located in a beautifully restored 19th century pub, The Eagle and Ball
- A modern 300-seat food court with space to study and socialise
- Brand new, accessible IT facilities with full Office365 for all students for free

Dr Fran Renwick
Senior Lecturer, Course Director : MSc Integrative Psychotherapy
Teaching enables Dr Fran Renwick to share some of the knowledge and practical skills she has gained as a psychotherapist with extensive experience in clinical practice, supervision and service management.