The Professional Doctorate of Psychotherapy and Counselling is the highest level of qualification available in this area.

It enables graduates to practise as counsellors or therapists in the UK, and in other countries with equivalent professional and academic standards.

Graduates will be in a position to gain positions such as:

• practitioners
• counselling educators
• managers
• academics working in a range of settings - including private, statutory and voluntary or non-government sectors

• 2 years

As an accelerated professional training programme, this programme requires entrants to be both personally and professionally suitable for counselling training and ready to begin counselling practice within six months of programme commencement. The entrance requirements therefore combine personal suitability requirements with professional experience and academic requirements.

UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a subject relevant to counselling and psychotherapy. You should also have substantial relevant experience of working in helping roles in counselling or a cognate area, such as education, social work, nursing, mental health practice, applied psychology or equivalent.

In exceptional circumstances, we will also consider a UK 2:2 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a subject relevant to counselling and psychotherapy with evidence confirming your aptitude for study at doctoral level. Such evidence may include a strong performance in postgraduate education, academic references or research experience.

If your undergraduate degree is not relevant to counselling and psychotherapy, you may be admitted at the discretion of the programme director as long as you meet the personal and professional suitability and relevant experience requirements laid down by the British professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy.

As this is a professional training programme, students are subject to the University's Fitness to Practise policies and processes.

Entry to the full-time programme is subject to passing the professional suitability interview. For the part-time programme, progression from Year 1 to Year 2 is subject to passing the professional suitability interview.

Minimum academic requirements

For entry to the Ph.D. program, applicants must meet the following minimum academic qualifications.

A postgraduate master's degree from an accredited institution in the UK or overseas showing evidence of above-average academic achievement. This includes:

a degree classification with a mark of 65% or more overall (University of Edinburgh level, or overseas equivalent)
normally a masters dissertation at the distinction level (University of Edinburgh level, or overseas equivalent) in accounting, finance, or related disciplines
Degrees in quantitative disciplines (e.g. economics or mathematics) or business studies will be considered if you can demonstrate a strong background in accounting and finance throughout your degree.

Applications may be accepted from those still currently studying for a master's degree; however, any offer will be conditional on the successful completion of the degree at the required standard.

Applicants with significant industry experience in the accounting sector, or with relevant professional qualifications will be given due consideration on a case-by-case basis. However, these applicants must also have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related discipline.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS (International English Language Testing System): total 7.0 (at least 6.0 in each module)
• TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition): total 100 (at least 20 in each module). We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• CAE and CPE: total 185 (at least 169 in each module)
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with a pass in all four components

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL or Trinity ISE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.