About the programme

This degree is an excellent choice if you want to understand more about today’s health care environment, covering everything from theory and research to national and international health policy. In addition to learning about the principles of health management, the counselling skills you gain will help you enable people to make choices or change their behaviour. As well as gaining a deeper understanding of people’s health needs, you’ll develop interpersonal skills to help them more effectively.
There are many career opportunities in the expanding field of health care – within both the public and private sectors. The skills and knowledge you learn on the Health Studies with Counselling Studies programme will take you in almost any direction you want, whether that’s starting a new career, or giving you more opportunities in your current one. Alternatively, if you want to pursue a professional qualification in counselling, this course will provide an excellent introduction to further study in this fascinating area.

Programme modules:

Level 1

• Personal & Professional Skills (Core)
• Understanding Health (Core)
• Introduction to Counselling Psychology (Core)
• Development of Healthcare (Core)
• Interpersonal Skills 1 (Core)
• Introduction to Management in Health Care (Option)
• Introduction to Health Promotion (Option)
• Public Health Foundations (Option)

Level 2

• Evidence Based Health and Healthcare (Core)
• Research Methods (Core)
• Interpersonal Skills 2 (Core)
• Psychology of Mental Health (Core)
• Measuring Health and Disease (Options)
• Principles and Values in Health (Option)
• Information Management and Health (Option)
• Managing Resources in Healthcare (Option)
• Health Promotion: Working with Groups (Option)

Level 3

• Workbased Learning - Employability (Core)
• Advanced Issues in Counselling Theory (Core)
• Project (Core)
• Psychology of Relationships (Core)
• Planning Change in Healthcare (Option)
• Power and Empowerment in Health Promotion (Option)
• Global Context of Public Health (Option)

Learning materials

This programme is offered on a distance-learning basis allowing you to select your learning environment – be it at home, office or a public library. Learning materials are presented in the format of textbooks with specially written Study Guides containing interactive activities; feedback is provided to enable you to monitor your own progress.

Assessment and examinations

There are two opportunities each calendar year at which to take exams or submit final assessments. There is an expectation that students require this first year to "learn how to learn". This means that the degree award only draws on marks in level II and III for the final classification.
For Single and Major Pathways a Project module is compulsory at level III. This allows students the opportunity to put into practice what they have learnt on their programme.

Duration

Each module requires 200 study hours (approximately six months) but you can study more than one module at a time.

Award

BSc (Hons) Health Studies with Counselling Studies on successful completion of the full programme. You can also study individual modules, or gain an Ordinary BA degree, a Diploma of Higher Education, a Certificate of Higher Education, a University Undergraduate Certificate or a University Undergraduate Associate Certificate depending on the number of modules completed.