MA in Counselling Psychology in Canada at UVic Canada

Program Overview for MA in Counselling Psychology in Canada:

Receive the advanced education needed to influence the community and life. Our courses are characterized by small classes, which have a great educational impact.

The skills you learn here will prepare you for a career as a consultant or therapist. You will gain experience in using these skills in underserved communities, children, trauma survivors, and indigenous communities.

Acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to become a professional consultant. The program is trauma-oriented and provides a balance of theory, practice, and research. You will work on a thesis or non-thesis project.

Areas of focus

• Counseling psychology
• Indigenous communities counseling
• Educational psychology
• Learning psychology
• Development psychology
• Instructional sciences
• Measurement, evaluation, and computer applications
• Special education
• Leadership studies

The eligibility for MA in Counselling Psychology in Canada for both domestic and international student is:

Candidates seeking admission should normally be able to satisfy the entrance requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Further to these requirements, the Department of Educational and Leadership Studies requires an acceptable bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and normally a grade point average of 6.0 (B+) in the last two years of academic work. Entry to the program is competitive, and enrolment may be restricted in any given year. All applicants should submit a current resumé and a brief letter of intent. Other requirements include prerequisite courses, previous field experience, assessment reports, references, and personal statements.

Applicants for admission whose first language is not English should consult English proficiency requirements on the Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies website.

Potential applicants may contact the Graduate Program Assistant for application information about specific programs. They may also visit our website.

For community-based programs, phone: 250-721-7875.

Each year, the Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies in Education receives many applications for entry into graduate counseling programs; thus, the admissions process is competitive. Meeting admission requirements does not guarantee entry to the program.

Recommendations for admissions are for a particular program and start date and cannot be deferred. Applicants declining an offer of admission must re-apply. See our website for more detailed information and guidelines.

1. An acceptable bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and normally a grade point average of 6.0 (B+) in the last two years of academic work.
2. Applicants are expected to have a broad understanding of psychological principles and issues due to their academic coursework. All applicants must have three units of relevant 3rd or 4th-year coursework in Educational Psychology, Psychology, or a related helping discipline in the following two areas: Developmental Psychology and Abnormal Psychology/Behaviour Disorders. Thesis-based MA applicants must have at least 1.5 units of undergraduate credit in statistics that cover descriptive statistics and univariate inferential statistics.
3. Completion of prerequisite courses ED-D 414, 417, and 418 with at least a B+ grade. Applicants must have completed ED-D 417 and ED-D 418 by December 31st of the year before the program start. Applicants who have not completed ED-D 414 (or an equivalent course) before application submission may be granted admission to the program conditional on completing ED-D 414 (or equivalent) before beginning the program in September. ED-D 414 is usually offered several times throughout the year, including during the summer (July/August) before the start of the Master’s program. Applicants applying for equivalency must send course outlines and other supporting information to the Graduate Adviser by November 1st before application.
4. A significant number of counseling-related hours are required that are documented in a complete resumé. Field experience is defined as working in a helping capacity in a counseling-related or teaching-related setting with children, adolescents, or adults. Such experience should involve person-to-person and/or group helping relationships in which (a) the individual plays a facilitative role in learning, personal and emotional growth, and/or psychological development and (b) is required to demonstrate professional and ethical behaviors, effective interpersonal skills, and personal awareness. It must also include receiving supervision involving evaluative feedback from a supervisor of a higher administrative position (i.e., not peer consultation) with clearly stated roles and responsibilities for the individual and the supervisor. This requirement can be met through volunteer work experience, although preference will be given to applicants who have sustained, relevant paid work experience.
5. Two Assessment Reports (references) from professors and/or supervisors.
6. A minimum of two Counselling Skills Evaluations is required. One must be from an instructor of ED-D 417 (or equivalent). The other may be from a supervisor of the applicant’s counseling or another applied work setting.
7. A personal statement (3 to 5 pages) detailing career plans and motivation for graduate work in Counselling.
8. For thesis-based MA applicants only, a one-page description of past research experience and present research interests.
9. Applicants reactivating their file for reconsideration must detail in a letter the actions they have taken to strengthen their new application over the previous one.
10. Applicants requesting admission consideration due to disability must put their request in writing at the time of admission, providing an explanation of their situation and appropriate medical or other documentation.
11. As a condition of admission to all Counselling Psychology programs, students must undergo a Criminal Record Check in compliance with the BC Criminal Records Review Act.

Deadlines

Please consult the department website for specific deadline dates.

These are the test eligibilities for the MA in Counselling Psychology to qualify.

The international student tuition fees and costs for MA in Counselling Psychology in Canada.

All graduate students must have a faculty member who serves as their academic supervisor. When you apply:

• You must list a potential supervisor on your application
• This faculty member must agree to be your supervisor and recommend your admission.

To find a supervisor, review the faculty contacts. When you've found a faculty member whose research complements your own, contact them by email.

Educational Psychology and Counselling Psychology
eplsgrad@uvic.ca or 250-721-7883.

Graduate students registered in full-time programs are automatically considered for a fellowship. This is based on a qualifying GPA.

Individual award amounts may vary depending on the program.

UVic Fellowship Awards

• Up to $17,500 per year (masters)
• Up to $20,000 per year (Ph.D.)

UVic Graduate Awards

• Up to $10,000 per year (masters and PhD)

Eligibility

• The minimum requirement for funding consideration is an A- average on the last two years of coursework
• Domestic and international students are considered equally for funding
• Full-time registration (3.0 units) for UVic Fellowship holders and at least part-time registration (1.5 units) for UVic Graduate Award holders
• Full-time registration for students registered with the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) is 1.5 units

Every year we employ many graduate students to assist with teaching, research, and lab instruction.

• Their academic units hire teaching assistants (TAs) to assist with teaching and grading courses. These are unionized, hourly positions.
• Faculty members hire research assistants (RAs) to help with their research. These roles are sometimes called scientific assistants or laboratory instructors. RA salaries come from faculty members’ research grants. Because of this, RA hours, salary, and other details are worked out between you and the faculty member.

Work-study

The work-study program offers part-time jobs on campus that fit your course schedule.

To be eligible, you must:

• Be a full-time student
• Demonstrate financial need
• Have a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN)

Co-operative Education Program (co-op)

UVic is home to the largest graduate co-op program in Canada. You can add a co-op to your master’s or doctoral studies for work experience in your field of study.

Bursaries

We offer non-repayable bursaries based on financial needs.

To be eligible for a bursary, you must be:

• Already receiving the maximum government student loans available to you
• In full-time status as determined by the Faculty of Graduate Studies
• In good academic standing